The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.

32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,

43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”   Matt 25:31-46 (NIV) 

In this speech Jesus goes further than all the prophets before Him by telling us exactly on what basis we all will be judged one day. Summarized in one sentence, it is simply whether we did or did not have compassion for our fellow man in need. It is not only material needs such as food and clothes that could be referred to here. Maybe someone is looking for spiritual assistance. (Matthew 28:18-20). Then we could talk with him or her about the Living Water (John 4:10) or the Bread of Life (John 6:35). Whatever a person’s problem may be; our wish is always that someone meets Jesus in us. We can accomplish this by determining the exact need and then to provide in that need if one has the means and the ability to do so. If we cannot help, we should consider praying for that particular need.  

By loving our neighbour we are doing the work of God. (Matt. 22:39). We must never forget this. It must be possible to measure our faith in Him by the (positive) effect it has on the people around us, such as family, friends, our church and even our city and country. Some people and churches are inclined to shift the emphasis on other issues: How you dress or how you wear your hair, to which church you go, what you may or may not eat, whether a woman may lead a church, whether you are white or black, whether you may work on a Sunday or even whether you should go to church on a Sunday or a Saturday. There is more that I could mention, such as those issues related to the certain rites and sacraments in the various Christian denominations. However, to Jesus, all these things do not seem to be very important on the day the world ends. (vs 35-36). 

The big difference between Christianity and any other religion is that Jesus has already won; the price has already been paid. We don’t have to try and ‘earn’ something. Rather the sacrifice that He brought for us, namely Himself, and the examples that He set, inspire us, His disciples, to do the work of God. It seems to me that all our love for people originates from our love for Him. 

It is interesting to note that Jesus does not mention that faith as such (in Himself) is a prerequisite to righteousness. It must be true then: Faith without works is dead (James 2:14).  You should be able to show or prove your faith from your works (James 2:17,18). Somebody asked me once what I thought of a medical doctor who (says he) does not believe in God but goes to a developing country and spends a few years there to help the people for free. My answer to this was: “I admire the medical doctor,  but I would doubt very much whether this person really does not believe in God. To show that kind of commitment to the plight of the poor proves to me that he does have faith. Maybe he says that he does not believe in God because he is still searching. (Most people, who have not yet found God, are usually searching for the truth, because when you meet with them they always seem to bring the subject up). Jesus says: ‘Seek and you will find.’ So, I am convinced that he will find God, even if that meeting with Him will still be in the future.”