Welcome to Week 13 of He Gave Us Stories, our series of messages based on some of the parables Jesus told. This week we come to the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats found in Matthew chapter 25. In our daily meditations, we will be examining various parts of it, as we usually do, so you should begin by reading over the entire parable at least once, to get the big picture. The parable concerns the kind of care for the vulnerable that people with true faith will show, and we’ve got lots of related verses each day. The fact is, when you start to look around in the Bible, you find out this is a topic very close to God’s heart.
{Matthew 25:31-46 ESV}
{31} “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. {32} Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. {33} And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. {34} Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. {35} 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, {36} I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ {37} Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? {38} And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? {39} And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ {40} And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ {41} “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. {42} For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, {43} 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.’ {44} Then they also will answer, saying, ‘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?’ {45} Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ {46} And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Prayer Guides by Tracy Lautenschlager.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
The Separation of Sheep And Goats
Observe
The Son of Man will sort all the nations into one of two groups. You’re either a sheep or you’re a goat.
{Matthew 25:31-33 ESV} {31} “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. {32} Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. {33} And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
{Daniel 1:8 ESV} {8} But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.
{1 Thessalonians 5:22 ESV} {22} Abstain from every form of evil.
{2 Corinthians 6:14-17 ESV} {14} Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? {15} What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? {16} What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. {17} Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,
{1 Peter 1:14-16 ESV} {14} As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, {15} but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, {16} since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
{Luke 7:34 ESV} {34} The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
{1 Corinthians 5:9-10 ESV} {9} I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people– {10} not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
{Matthew 5:14-16 ESV} {14} “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. {15} Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. {16} In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Jesus didn’t waste words or include details for no reason, so telling his listeners that the Son of Man would separate people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats would have meant something to them. According to animal husbandry experts, sheep and goats are both commercially viable and are often kept together. When turned out to pasture during the day, sheep and goats are allowed to mingle. It’s in the evening, when they are brought into their pen for the night, that a shepherd will separate them, each to their own areas. Why? Because they are fundamentally different animals with their own unique needs. For example, sheep are grazers and just eat grass, while goats are browsers. Goats not only eat grass like sheep but also eat things found higher up—pretty much anything they can reach. The feed provided to the goats in the pen contains ingredients that would kill a sheep. Not only are they fed differently but they socialize differently as well. When goats fight, they posture first, rearing up on their hind legs before they charge. Sheep just lower their heads and charge, which would catch a posturing goat mid-flex and often result in front hip injuries. When they’re out in the pasture with unlimited space, they get along fine, but in the confined space of the pen, it’s safer for them both to be kept apart. So while the act of separating sheep from goats may not affect the primary meaning of this parable, it gives us the chance to consider and discuss separation between God’s people and the world.
- God’s people are commanded to take the gospel to the whole world, so obviously they must not be separate from the world at all times. Does that mean Christians should never separate themselves from the world? Explain.
- Under what circumstances is separation between Christians and the world good, and when is it bad?
Dear Jesus, I pray that my life will be set apart, not by false piety or judgmentalism, but by mercy, kindness, benevolence and justice. I see in this passage that you will judge all people, because you know our hearts, but I am not asked to judge. Open my eyes and help me to see the needs of people, the least, the invisible, and the lost. Help me to fill my days doing as you have commanded for your people out of gratefulness for your mercy and salvation. Amen.
Day 2
The Expected Standard of Care
Observe
The King welcomes those who had true faith to inherit the kingdom prepared for them. They can be identified by how they cared for the least, the oppressed, and the vulnerable.
{Matthew 25:34-40 ESV} {34} Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. {35} 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, {36} I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ {37} Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? {38} And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? {39} And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ {40} And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
{Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV} {8} For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, {9} not a result of works, so that no one may boast. {10} For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
{James 2:14-26 ESV} {14} What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? {15} If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, {16} and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? {17} So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. {18} But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. {19} You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe–and shudder! {20} Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? {21} Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? {22} You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; {23} and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”–and he was called a friend of God. {24} You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. {25} And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? {26} For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
Paul and James do not disagree. Salvation is by grace through faith. It is specifically not by works, so we cannot boast about how we deserved it. However, it is very clearly God’s plan that all those to whom he gives the gift of faith would be changed by that faith, and the result of that change would be what the Bible calls “good works.” At its beginning, two thousand years ago, the church was famous for its concern over the widows, orphans, poor, hungry, and homeless in that society. Roman society was particularly cruel toward infants and if a child was not thought to be “stout enough,” they could be abandoned—literally tossed on a garbage heap to die. The early Christian author Tertullian records how Christians would rescue these children from those refuse piles and adopt them, or if they were too far gone, care for them until they died and then give them a decent burial. So James, who was the half brother of the Lord Jesus, puts it to you pointedly: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” Those works will not save him, but neither will a faith that generates no inclination toward them.
- Why do you think so many evangelical Christians avoid talking about the expectation of good works from true believers?
- Have you experienced a change in your desire to care for others since becoming a Christian? Explain.
Heavenly Father, Thank you for the clear gospel that was spoken to me of salvation by grace alone through faith alone, and for the preparation you did in my heart to hear that gospel. I knew that I could not be saved by my own effort. I knew that I fell short. But your spirit is working in me, Lord, and I’ve grown. I want to live now as a follower of Christ should live. I want to care for others as you have cared for me. As I began, help me to live for you, relying on you. Amen.
Day 3
Types of Care: Sustenance
Observe
Jesus listed six specific acts of caring in this parable, which can be grouped in three categories. Sustenance (food and drink), Shelter (welcome and clothing), and Support (visiting the sick and those in prison). Over the next three days, we will spend time on each.
{Matthew 25:35-36 ESV} {35} 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, {36} I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
{Isaiah 58:7 ESV} {7} Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
{Luke 3:11 ESV} {11} And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
{Proverbs 22:9 ESV} {9} Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.
{Mark 6:35-44 ESV} {35} And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. {36} Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” {37} But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” {38} And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” {39} Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. {40} So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. {41} And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. {42} And they all ate and were satisfied. {43} And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. {44} And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
{Mark 8:1-9 ESV} {1} In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, {2} “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. {3} And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” {4} And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” {5} And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” {6} And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. {7} And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. {8} And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. {9} And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.
Jesus performed many miracles but two of the most famous involved food. Using just five loaves of bread and two fish, he fed 5,000 people and then using seven loaves of bread and “a few small fish,” he fed 4,000 people. He modeled to us a concern for the hungry. In 1 Kings chapter 19 we find the story of Elijah running for his life from the wicked queen Jezebel. Elijah escapes into the wilderness and there he falls asleep. An angel woke him and showed him that a meal had been prepared for him. He ate, fell back asleep, and this repeated a second time. The Lord knows that the feeling of mercy begins with the removal of hunger pangs.
Food and drink are fundamental to our survival. God designed our bodies to require them both. Providing someone with something to eat and something to drink is to care for them at the most elemental level. It is, literally, live-giving. When you meet someone’s needs in this way, you greatly please the Lord and you greatly increase the probability that they will be open to hearing and believing the gospel.
- Despite our vast wealth relative to many other nations, there are people who are food insecure today, right in our own backyard. Do you know how to find them and how to help them?
- What are some other forms of care for the vulnerable that you believe fall into this same category of sustenance?
Father God, Thank you for your bountiful provision for me and my family and for the material blessings you have poured on my community, but I think that I have become blind to so many in my city who need basic sustenance. I confess that at times I judge the poor, turning away and withholding help because they must bear some blame for their own condition. But you have not conditioned your command here, Lord; it is not for me to judge. Guide me to the people and circumstances where I should step in to help, and I will do it. Amen.
Day 4
Types of Care: Shelter
Observe
The scriptures are very concerned with the plight of the stranger and the foreigner, and so is Jesus.
{Matthew 25:35-36 ESV} {35} 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, {36} I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
{Leviticus 19:33-34 ESV} {33} “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. {34} You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
{Hebrews 13:2 ESV} {2} Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
{Romans 12:13 ESV} {13} Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
{1 Peter 4:9 ESV} {9} Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
{Ephesians 2:11-13, 19-21 ESV} {11} Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands– {12} remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. {13} But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. … {19} So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, {20} built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, {21} in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
{John 15:19 ESV} {19} If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
{John 17:14-16 ESV} {14} I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. {15} I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. {16} They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
{Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV} {22} to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, {23} and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, {24} and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Even with the increasing levels of tribalism in our country and around the world today, it is nothing like how it was in ancient times. Who you belonged with and where you were supposed to be was in many cases a matter of life and death. If you wandered into the wrong lands, you could find yourself at the business end of a sharp, pointy object. Who your people were and where you belonged had a connection to your clothing as well. Certain styles of clothing, types of materials, or other visual cues would let others know your identity.
God commanded Israel to welcome strangers because they had been strangers themselves in the land of Egypt, a foreshadowing of the spiritual truth both Jesus and Paul laid down in the New Testament—this world is not our home. When we make a welcome place for the vulnerable who need it most and offer to clothe them when their own clothes are threadbare, we are offering them a place to belong and a new identity as a person who is valued.
- What is it that makes you feel welcome and how can you best make others feel welcome?
- What are some other forms of care for the vulnerable that you believe fall into this same category of shelter?
Father God, This picture of your salvation, a coat of righteousness, is just what I need today. It reminds me that salvation is a gift, and that your sacrifice on the cross completely envelopes my sin. It is a picture of your goodness and generosity. It is a picture of welcome, belonging and warmth. Why would I ever want to return to my old, filthy garments? Help me to live as your invited guest with joy and gratefulness. Amen.
Day 5
Types of Care: Support
Observe
At the time when someone feels the most alone, God’s people should visit and encourage them.
{Matthew 25:35-36 ESV} {35} 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, {36} I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
{James 1:27 ESV} {27} Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
{2 Kings 8:29 ESV} {29} And King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
{2 Kings 13:14 ESV} {14} Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”
{Job 2:11 ESV} {11} Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.
{James 5:14 ESV} {14} Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
{Isaiah 61:1-2 ESV} {1} The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; {2} to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
{Hebrews 13:3 ESV} {3} Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.
Is there ever a time someone feels more alone than when illness isolates them or incarceration confines them? Jesus didn’t think so, since those were the examples he gave. Let’s not forget, the church essentially invented the terms hospital visitation and prison ministry. Christians have always been known for their willingness to bring comfort and encouragement to those who find themselves in such dire circumstances. Most of us have visited sick loved ones or friends, some have visited friends or family behind bars, but we can all probably do more. Although they’ve faded some from our consciousness, prison ministries have reformed more lives behind bars than any rehabilitation programs from the facility itself. What people in those circumstances need most is hope, and hope is something God’s people should specialize in.
- What hope does God offer to the sick and the prisoner?
- What are some other forms of care for the vulnerable that you believe fall into this same category of support?
Dear Jesus, Great healer, our world is overwhelmed by sickness of the body and the soul. Most days I am just grateful that my family, my friends and my neighbors are spared the worst, but your calling does not permit me to turn away. Your gospel, your grace and your blessings have been poured out on me, not to save and collect and build a hedge of protection, but to use, to bring relief to those who are sick and in prison. Show me where to deploy your blessings. Amen.