Sheep or Goats

Matthew 25:40

And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

Jesus’s teaching about money and possessions shocked the people who listened to him in the first century, just as his words continue to shock people today who take the time to hear what he is saying. He has more to say about money than about anything else, and he is not interested in giving comfort to those who are content with the status quo. Rather, Jesus knows that what we do with our possessions clearly indicates what is happening in our hearts. And the spiritual health of our hearts is a matter of eternal life and death. If Jesus sounds dramatic when he talks about stewardship it is because he’s trying to wake us up.

The parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25:31-46 offers us a closer look at one of Jesus’s strong statements of the important of stewardship in eternal perspective. It is one of the few times he addresses the final judgement that every person must face. During that final judgement, Jesus doesn’t ask about miracles performed or religious services attended. He doesn’t even ask how many people we evangelized! The Judge’s concern, rather, is whether people feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and care for the sick and imprisoned. In fact, the Judge takes it so personally that it is as if they failed to care for him!

Reflection Questions

Read the full parable in Matthew 25:31-46 again and ask the Spirit to guide your reflections. In the parable, who must stand before Jesus? What are the criteria which Jesus will use to judge? Based on the passage what does the blessing given to the people on the right involve? Why are the people on the left surprised and shocked at Jesus’s criticism? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you who in your community has practical needs you could help meet.