This is the Gospel for Sunday, which—by the way—is the last Sunday of the church year. One doesn’t know whether to say, “Happy New Year” or “Woe is me!” after reading this Gospel that bears potential doom and gloom. No wonder the 26th chapter of Matthew bears the heading in my Bible, “The Plot to Kill Jesus.” After implying that there are “goats” in this world, and, how the Lord has been at odds with the Chief Priests and the elders, now these so-called leaders are bound and determined to put Him to death. He has ruffled one too many feathers.
Take a moment, if you will, and read the passage. I’ll wait. (Read.) See what I mean? You are a “sheep” if you have shown compassion and love; those who have done this in their lives shall enter into God’s kingdom. But, if you are a “goat” – that is – one who hasn’t been caring and sympathetic to the causes of good, then, he/she shall enter into eternal punishment. Wow.
The twist in the story is that the “righteous (goes) into eternal life.” (vs. 46) The problem is no one is righteous of their own accord; not one. We are sinners; we deserve only to be a goat.
I haven’t always been a “sheep.” No one has. I’ve spent time being more of a goat than anything. It’s because of sin; we all fall short.
For me, this week’s Gospel is yet another story of life. The world is full of sheep and goats. Some of us (in our goodness) are productive and sweet, while others (in our sin) wander around and eat garbage. And yet, sheep are pretty dumb animals themselves, actually not as smart as goats. Sheep have no sense of direction. They are easily lost. That’s why they need a shepherd, constantly. Goats, on the other hand, can roam the countryside and return after their bellies are full. Besides that, they can produce milk and cheese; that’s something I don’t think sheep can do.
Left to our own devices, we tend to be very good goats. We can meander the world, and, in our own thoughts and ways, be productive. We can try to follow the shepherd, but we can’t. We walk in the wrong direction. We are constantly in need of His voice to get us back on track. We keep the shepherd busy. Remember? We’re dumb animals. Deep down we know what is right and good, but we keep acting like, well, something else.
We cannot, by our works, make the decision of whether we are sheep or goats. This is a judgment that is only made by the great shepherd, Christ. If you choose to be a goat, you will enter into very bad place—a place that as soon as you get there you’ll think, “This was a bad choice.” It is through the work of Jesus Christ that we have the chance to be sheep and are gifted with the chance to be in His kingdom. This is a parable about potential. It shows us the potential we have to live with Him forever, or, as we said earlier, live in a very bad place. Repent! Jesus began His ministry saying it. And, here near the end of it, He is saying it again in this little story.
Strive to be sheep. Allow ourselves to be led by the spirit of the shepherd. He will not steer us wrong. Even though we will do some pretty “goaty things” in this life, His love prevails. Yes, one can choose to be a goat. The Church advises against that. For once, listen to Christ’s Church.
Be led. Stop eating everything in sight like a goat, devouring all of earth’s riches like some starving critter. Listen to His voice. He is calling as Advent approaches. He’s coming, again, and again, and again, and again. If we stray, He will bring us back. That’s what shepherds do. Be grateful for that fact; give thanks—give thanks to God!
Remember that God loves you and so do we!
Pastor Jim