In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus speaks about His coming and the judgment of the nations. When the Son of man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, and He shall sit upon His throne of glory and all the nations will be gathered before Him, Jesus shall separate them from one another even as the shepherd divides the sheep from the young goats. Jesus shall set the sheep at His right hand and the goats on the left. Then shall Jesus say to those on His right hand, “Come, You blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” But Jesus shall say to those on His left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Why are the sheep blessed and the goats cursed? What is the difference between the sheep and the goats in the Bible? Who are the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25? What does the Bible say about the sheep and the goats?
In the parable of the sheep and the goats, the sheep are blessed
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in: Naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye came unto Me. Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, and fed Thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in? or naked, and clothed Thee? Or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me (Matthew 25:35-40)
The sheep are yielded to God and hear His voice and do what Jesus; the Word has commanded to do.
The sheep are not stubborn and rebellious but they are docile and love Jesus Christ and therefore they keep His commandments, which are the same commandments of God (Read also: ‘The commandments of God and the commandments of Jesus‘)
This doesn’t mean that the sheep are softies, hypocrites, humanistic, and compromise with the world and with all those, who belong to the world, to keep the so-called peace and false unity.
But it means, that they have made a choice for Jesus Christ and belong to Jesus.
Because the belong to Jesus, they take a stand for Jesus Christ; the Word and the Father and the Kingdom of God and don’t compromise with the world and with those, who belong to the world.
They are not selfish. They are not focused on themselves and constantly busy with themselves. In their lives, things don’t revolve around them but around Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God and pleasing Jesus and the Father.
Therefore they shall do the will of the Father and they shall look out and care for the poor, sick, prisoners, and strangers among their brothers and sisters and provide for their needs. And because Jesus Christ lives in their brothers and sisters, they shall do everything unto Jesus.
In the parable of the sheep and the goats, the goats are cursed
Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in: naked, and ye clothed Me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee? Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal (Matthew 25:42-46).
But the goats are stubborn and rebellious and don’t listen to His voice, but listen to their own voice. They don’t do what Jesus; the Word has commanded them to do, but they go their own way and follow their flesh.
Instead of submitting to Jesus Christ and doing what Jesus wants, they want Jesus to submit to them and do what they want.
The goats only have an eye for themselves and live for themselves. Everything revolves around the goat.
And because they are so busy with themselves and their own lives, they don’t see the need for their brothers and sisters and don’t look after them and don’t provide for their needs.
Because of the fact, that they didn’t do the will of the Father and what the Word has commanded them to do, they are cursed.
Because of their disobedience to the words of God, they have rejected Jesus; the Word. And because they have rejected Jesus; the Word, Jesus; the Word shall reject them on the great Day of Judgment, when everyone will be judged according to their works (Read also ‘Jesus thrown out of the church’ and ‘God’s Word judges on the great day of judgment’).
Cursed is everyone, who doesn’t do the will of the Father
Everyone, who has not become a new creation and doesn’t do what the Word has commanded to do and therefore doesn’t do the will of the Father, is cursed and shall be judged by the Word and be cast into the pool of fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels and all those people, who have listened to themselves and the words of the devil and followed him and lived for themselves, instead of following Jesus and lived for Jesus Christ (Read also: ‘Following Jesus will cost you everything‘).
“My sheep hear My voice, I know them and they follow Me”
Jesus said: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me: And I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck (snatch) them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are One (John 10:28-30)
Jesus is the reflection of the Father and the will of the Father is also the will of Jesus. He has shown this during His life on earth. Jesus had completely submitted Himself to the will of the Father and stayed obedient to the Father and His will until His death (a.o. Matthew 26:42, Luke 22:42, Hebrews 5:7-9).
Just like Jesus submitted Himself to the Father and obeyed Him and walked after His will, we as followers of Jesus Christ should also submit ourselves to Jesus Christ and the Father and walk after His will.
Only through the obedience of the sheep to Jesus Christ, the sheep shall stay in the hand of Jesus Christ and in the hand of the Father and they shall be protected and no one shall be able to pluck the sheep out of His hand.
The only way to leave the hand of God is through disobedience to His Word (Read also: ‘Staying in the hand of God’ and ‘Once saved, always saved?’).
Therefore every person decides for himself to stay in the hand of God or to leave the hand of God.
The final destination of every person depends on what a person does with the words of God. Does the person hear, believe and obey the words of God and do what He says? Or does the person not hear and not believe and not obey the words of God and doesn’t do what He says?
‘Be the salt of the earth’
