Sheep or Goat? 綿羊或山羊?                                                                                          11-21-2010

馬太福音Matthew 25:31-46

 

INTRODUCTION

 

How would you feel if your boss is working right next to you at work – every minute of the day? The reality TV series “Undercover Boss” 臥底老板latches on that idea in which a senior executive of a company disguises as an entry level worker and works side by side with other employees. The very first episode of the series was about the boss of a waste management company. He spent a week actually collecting and sorting trash. I have a short video clip I would like to show you.

 

I do not know if you boss will play an undercover role in your company to see how everyone works. However, in Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus tells us that we will constantly encounter little “jesus” who are in need in our midst. Our response toward their needs will eventually be judged by our Lord.

 

From where we left off last week in Matthew 24:36 to the first half of chapter 25 Jesus tells us three parables to illustrate the point that we need to stay alert for His second coming. First there is the parable of the wise versus wicked servants to teach us that we have to be faithful in the responsibilities we are given. Second in the parable of the ten virgins we are told that we have to be well prepared for His coming. Then in the parable of the talents Jesus warns us that we have to diligently work on the resources God has given us. These three parables follow the logic of separation between those people who are always ready for the Lord’s return and those who don’t.

 

This idea of separation is also the theme in Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus tells us in this passage that there will only be two destinies for the mankind: eternal life or eternal punishment. There will be a coming judgment at His second coming to determine who will end up with which destiny. We shall see how that will be decided.

 

EXPLANATION

 

1. Setting佈局

 

First let us take a look at the setting of the story. Verses 31 and 32 give us some information about this coming judgment. The passage reads: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 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. We can sort out the 4W and 1H from these two verses:

 

Who will be the judge – the Son of Man, which is a common designation Jesus uses to describe Himself in the gospel. In this story the title “King” is also given to Jesus when He sits on the throne as a judge.

 

Who will be judged – all the nations, which comprises every human

 

When will the judgment take place – when Jesus comes in His glory with His angels

 

Where will the judgment take place – at Jesus’ throne

 

How will the people be judged – it will be like a shepherd separating sheep from goats. We will talk about the significance of this in a minute.

 

Some of us may be very eager to find out exactly where this judgment scene fits in to the whole end time progression. Will it take place before or after the future tribulation? Will it involve the Christians who are taken to be with the Lord during the rapture of the church? This passage does not give us enough information to precisely determine the timing of the judgment in question. It seems safe to say that this is not the so called big white throne judgment prophesied in Revelation 20 because they differ in at least two ways. The Revelation passage clearly indicates that the only people being judged are those who had passed away. But in this Matthew passage Jesus does not specify whether the people being judged are still living or not. Also the big white throne judgment only results in condemnation but no reward. Rather than trying to align this incident with all the other events for the end times it would be more beneficial for us to discern what we can learn from this judgment.

 

2. Separation 分別

 

How will the judgment be carried out? Jesus tells us that it will be a process of separation. In verses 32 to 33 Jesus describes that it would be like a shepherd separating the sheep and goats. That imagery was very common to the Jews even to this day. Sheep and goats are often mixed together in the flock when a shepherd is tending them during the day. But at night the sheep would sleep in the open and the goats prefer to stay indoors. Also when it comes to the time to pick the sheep or the goats for different purposes they need to be separated. Sheep and goats are equally valuable for their milk, wool, skin and meat. So their separation does not mean that sheep have greater financial value than goats. This distinction here is simply arbitrary. A more significant point is that the sheep are put on the right and the goats are on the left. To the Hebrews the right side symbolizes power and authority compared to the left. For example in the Psalms we are told that God sustains us with His right hand. Jesus is seated on the right side of God the Father after His ascension. In this judgment the difference is not just between the right and left sides but between the right and wrong sides. Jesus uses the sheep on the right side to represent the righteous people and the goats on the left side to represent the wicked people. So for simplicity let us just called them the sheep and the goats.

 

The contrast between these two groups of people is very obvious:

 

 

The Sheep (Righteous People)

The Goats (Wicked People)

Description

“blessed by my Father” (v. 34)

“cursed” (v. 41)

Deeds

Took care of the least of the brothers of the Lord (v. 35-36)

Did not take care of the least of the brothers of the Lord (v. 42-42)

 

By calling them “brothers” Jesus means that they are Christians. Jesus explains that the way we treat the little brothers is like as if we were doing it on Jesus Himself. Jesus illustrates the same truth in two other occasions in the gospel of Matthew. In 10:40 Jesus urges us to receive those who come in His name: 40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. In 18:4-5 Jesus reminds to receive even a little child: 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

 

The sheep will be rewarded because they show kindness to the needy little brothers. On the contrary the goats will be condemned for their lack of kindness. Immediately we would have a question in mind: doesn’t the Bible say that we are saved by grace through faith? Here Jesus implies that we will be judged by whether or not we show kindness to the needy Christians. Is Jesus saying that we will be judged by our good works instead? Let us sort out this paradox.

 

The teaching that we will be judged by our work is prevalent in the New Testament. In fact in the gospel of Matthew alone we are told repeatedly that there will be eternal consequence for our deeds. Let me quote a few examples. Matthew 16:27 reads “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.” In Matthew 23:23 Jesus convicts the scribes and the Pharisees for their hypocrisy by saying: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” No other people knew the Old Testament more thoroughly than they did. But they will be judged not by their lack of faith but their lack of works that were supposed to reflect the faith they claimed to have. Then Jesus goes on to warn them sternly about their eternal destiny in verse 33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?”

 

The Jewish teachers will be among the goats who will be condemned at the judgment. Revelation gives us a glimpse of the final big white throne judgment. Revelation 20:12 tells us: And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. Once again these people will be judged not because of their lack of faith in Christ but for their works.

 

The Bible tells us that good works are outward demonstration of an inward faith to God. It is true that we are saved by grace through faith. Paul says it clear in Ephesians 2:8-9: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. But right after that he adds in verse 10: For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We are not saved by good work but we are saved in order to do good works. Therefore, a Christian has to have good works to prove his faith in Christ.  Jesus uses a simple analogy of trees and fruits in Matthew 7:15-17 to illustrate this truth: 15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Most Christians are familiar with what James teaches us about the relationship between faith and work in James 2: 15-17: 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. The same command of taking care of the needs of fellow believers is also underscored by the apostle John in 1 John 3:16-17: 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be that person? A Christian may say a lot about his love for God. He may have daily devotion, constant church attendance or monetary offer. Both James and John challenge us that our love for God has to be expressed in kindness toward our fellow Christians in need.

 

3. Settlement判決

 

After the sheep and the goats are separated they will receive the settlement for what they have done in their earthly life. Again Jesus makes a contrasting distinction between their settlements. To the sheep Jesus commends them for their kindness to the needy brothers in Christ. In the second half of verse 34 He says to them: take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Then at the end of verse 46 Jesus adds that: the righteous to eternal life. In comparison Jesus says to the goats in verse 41: Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. As for their destiny Jesus declares the judgment in verse 46: Then they will go away to eternal punishment.

 

CONCLUSION 結論

 

What can we learn from this story? To the Christians among us I will borrow Paul’s word in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to encourage one another: Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? Based on the criteria Jesus and many of the New Testament authors set up for us let us examine whether or not we are true believers. Before asking whether you have mercy on the people in famine who are living on the other side of the globe or even the poor people in United States Jesus asks us how we would respond to the needy Christians among us. I am not saying we should not participate in action like the Angel Tree. But if we are willing to donate a gift, food items, clothing or money to those we do not know how much more effort we should show to the brothers and sisters we do know. I am thankful that we have a loving church. My family has been blessed in so many ways by our members in the past. Let us not stop doing our act of kindness to those who have material needs, being burdened by the struggles in life or feeling lonely for all sorts of reason. Very often you do not need to do great things but little things to show that you care – an email, a phone call or simply a pad on the back saying that I will pray for you. We Chinese regard our face highly. If you feel the burden to give money or other material possession to someone in need but you do not want the recipient to feel that he owes you a favor perhaps you can do so through a middle person you can trust. I pray that the Lord will give us a sensitive heart to the people in need and the action to show our kindness.

 

To the seeker friends among us the solemn warning of eternal punishment is a hard lesson to swallow.  But since the teaching is in the Bible we have to tell it plainly without compromising the truth. There is only one way to avoid the eternal condemnation. It is to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. God says to the Israelites through the Prophet in Ezekiel 33:11 ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’ He is making the same plead to you today.

 

The reason why one can be saved is because our Lord Jesus Christ has become an uncover boss 2,000 years ago. He came not to peek on how we lead our lives but to identify with us. He loves us to the extent that He sacrificed Himself on the cross to pay our sin debt in full. By His grace through faith we can have eternal life. The first time Jesus came He began as a fragile infant. The next time He comes He will be a glorious and righteous judge. When Jesus comes again will you welcome Him with great joy or will you try to hide from Him in fear? Will you be among the sheep to receive your reward or will you be among the goats to endure eternal condemnation?