In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Matthew 25:31-46
The Lord said, “When the Son of man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Last Sunday we read the parable of the prodigal son, which reveals to us the great love of God and His willingness to forgive us our sins, no matter great they may be. Today we hear our Lord’s words concerning what is to happen at the end of ages. And He makes it clear that, despite what some may claim, there is a judgment to come; and that when God judges us, it will not be a happy day for those who have not repented of their sins and begged God’s forgiveness. One particular conclusion to be drawn from today’s Gospel is that that those who do not acknowledge their sins are in no position to repent or ask for forgiveness.
There is sometimes confusion over the nature of this passage, with some considering that it is a parable. And while it may seem like a parable in some ways, the Church Fathers are in no way confused that our Lord is describing what will happen when that day comes. It is a prophecy, essentially; only a prophecy made not by way of divine inspiration but spoken to us from the lips of God Himself, Jesus Christ, who is God made flesh.
And the one Who soon after He speaks these words will go on to die for our sins, tells us that when He returns in His glory at His second coming all the nations of the world will be gathered before Him and the individuals will be separated as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Those compared to sheep will be welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom; and those compared to goats will depart into the fires prepared for the devil and his angels.
It is that comparison, I think, that can cause people to confuse this with a parable. But our Lord is simply describing what would have been a common sight in those days. A shepherd’s flock out in the fields would have consisted of both sheep and goats, which had to be separated when they were brought home from pasture. The sight of shepherds dividing up these mixed flocks, putting the sheep into one pen and the goats into another, is something all present when our Lord was teaching would have seen often.
Why do the goats represent the damned and the sheep, you may wonder? The Church Fathers tell it is because goats are seen as being wild and unruly, while sheep are thought of as gentle and obedient. We may do well to recall here as well how again and again in Sacred Scripture God’s people are called His sheep, His flock, with He Himself describing Himself as their shepherd. Further, the Church Fathers also remind us that Jesus is called the Lamb of God. It is very apt, I think, therefore, to describe those who have chosen to live in a Christ-like fashion, to describe them in a way that our Lord Himself was described.
Please note that I do not use the word ‘chosen’ accidentally. When the end of the ages comes, whether we are numbered amongst the sheep or the goats will be very much a result of the choices we have made in this life. This warns us to examine our actions carefully. Those on our Lord’s left were stunned to find themselves there. It is certainly not a position any of us wish to find ourselves in. We must be mindful all our days, living lives of constant prayer and repentance, and remembering always that the kindness we show to others, especially strangers and those who cannot repay us, are as if they were done for Christ Himself. Amen.
