The Sheep and the Goats

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will 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: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 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, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting 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 take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

Then they also will answer Him, 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?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭31‬-‭46‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

In the early ‘80s, the Christian songwriter Keith Green released a musical version of Jesus’ Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. At the song’s end, Green offered his interpretation of the passage: And my friends, the only difference between the sheep and the goats, according to this Scripture, is what they did and didn’t do!

Is this the correct way to understand this passage? Does this parable really teach salvation by works? Is the only difference between eternal life and eternal damnation what we did and didn’t do?

In short, No.

Jesus is not saying that your salvation is contingent upon how many poor people you fed and clothed; or how many homeless people you sheltered; or whether you went into prisons and visited murderers and pedophiles.

First of all, how would you ever know you’d done enough?

But there are compelling reasons, both from the whole counsel of God in the Scriptures, and from within the passage itself, to assert that interpretations like Green’s are not at all what our Lord had in mind.

This is going to be a long post. Someone might be inclined to ask: Why will it take so long to make your case, if you’re right? Shouldn’t we just go by the plain meaning of the text?

To this, I have two answers. First: Christians, especially in the West, are often functionally biblically illiterate; and have inherited many bad presuppositions from the Papists and the Pietists. I have to hack through a dense jungle of ignorance and misinformation to get to the point. Second, I am by nature verbose. I would rather say too much and know I have communicated what I wished to communicate; than cause confusion by being more efficient with my words.

There is one vital question we must answer before we move to the passage at hand. Once this question is answered, we will know how to proceed.

How does Scripture say we are saved?

Other Scripture is plain. St. Paul declares: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). Pay close attention to the prepositions. People are not saved by good works, but for good works. Works that are truly good are the consequence of salvation—not its cause.

Let’s hear from Jesus himself: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life (John‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). Again, how does Jesus say we are saved? Through hearing the Gospel and believing in Him.

Elsewhere, Jesus says: Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

These people have done many good works in Jesus’ Name, and they expect that they will be saved because of them. But they are condemned. Why? Because they’re pleading their own good works, instead of relying on Christ alone and His perfect, finished work for sinners. Saving faith humbly confesses: The Lord is our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6 ESV).

This is now where someone will usually bring up James 2:24: You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only (James‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). This is easily answered. James is using the phrase justified by works the same way his brother, our Lord, used it when He said: wisdom is justified by her deeds (Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬). Jesus means that wisdom is proven true by the results it produces. In the same way, James is saying that our faith is shown to be genuine in the eyes of others by the good works it produces. That’s exactly, in fact, what he says: Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works (James‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

Since the Fall of Adam, salvation has always been by grace through faith, apart from works: And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness (Genesis‬ ‭15‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV; cf. Romans 4:3). ‬‬And again, God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began (2 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). Likewise: But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

If the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats teaches salvation by works, then it contradicts much else in Scripture, including the teachings of Jesus Himself.

Now, we need to interrogate the parable itself. Because the passage actually raises several questions that interpretations like Green’s seem to ignore.

Why are the Sheep Surprised?

Notice that when our Lord commends the sheep for their service to Him, they are surprised to hear about it: Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?

Why would they be surprised if they expected a reward of eternal life for their good works?

Now, one could reply that they were surprised it was Jesus they were doing good to. Sure, but logically, once Jesus tells the parable, the cat’s kind of out of the bag, isn’t it?

That indicates that the purpose of the parable isn’t to teach how people are saved. If anything, the parable is meant to give hope and encouragement to Christ’s flock as they live among the goats. Jesus is telling them up front that when you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. In other words, their good works are not unknown to the Lord. He not only notices them, but receives them as service to Himself.

In short, Jesus didn’t intend this parable to teach how people are saved. Rather, this teaching confirms what St. Paul teaches elsewhere: let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). And likewise, in light of the hope of resurrection to eternal life, the Apostle comforts us, saying: be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭58‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

Who even are the Sheep and the Goats?

The most basic answer is that the sheep are believers, and the goats are unbelievers.

But there’s a deeper significance in this parable that we probably miss, but Christ’s disciples as the early Church would’ve picked up on. Because Jesus based this teaching on an Old Testament passage: Ezekiel 34.

Ezekiel 34 begins: And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them”’” (Ezekiel‬ ‭34‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

The shepherds of Israel were their leaders: their Prophets, Priests, and Kings; and their elders at the gates. They were guilty of generations of neglect and abuse of the Lord’s flock.

Unlike those Christ calls His sheep, who feed and clothe the poor and hungry; minister to the sick; and provide safe haven to the sojourners; the shepherds of Israel—like the goats in Christ’s parable—had neglected the people of God in their distress. Indeed, they had added to the misery of the Lord’s flock—the sheep of His hand (Psalm 95:7 KJV)—because with force and cruelty you have ruled them.

Centuries of such faithless leadership by the corrupt shepherds of Israel had led to the nation’s downfall and exile in Babylon: My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth (Ezekiel 34:6).

Because of this, the Lord declared: Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out (Ezekiel‬ ‭34‬:‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). God Himself would come to be the Good Shepherd of His people, and pronounce a fierce judgment against the faithless shepherds of His people: And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats” (Ezekiel‬ ‭34‬:‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬, emphasis added).

The goats are therefore the corrupt leaders of the nation of Israel; and Jesus is proclaiming that He is the Lord who will seek out and rescue His sheep and pass judgment upon the goats: I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own (John‬ ‭10‬:‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

In Christ’s day, the shepherds of Israel were the oppressive scribes and Pharisees; the unbelieving Sadducees; the corrupt priesthood; and the collaborating pretenders to the throne in Jerusalem, the Herods. Listen to some of the things Jesus said about them:

But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation …

Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate.

Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭13‬-‭14‬, ‭32‬-‭38‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Christ’s immediate judgment came to pass when Jerusalem was sacked and the Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70. That event left the “house” of the goats—the false shepherds—desolate, and demonstrated who were the sheep and who were the goats. Jesus had been speaking of that event between this portion of Matthew 23 and our text in Matthew 25 (see Matthew 24).

So in the parable’s immediate context, the sheep are those who believe in Jesus; and the goats are the unbelieving leaders of the Jews who either actively persecuted them; or left them to fend for themselves while they were persecuted.

The goats, in other words, are not simply those who didn’t volunteer at the soup kitchen, or who had a different opinion than you about border security and immigration. I’m not saying those aren’t important matters that should be informed by our faith in Christ. I am saying Jesus wasn’t threatening people with Hell over them in this parable.

And the reason a lot of us don’t know that, is because we’ve neglected the Old Testament. So we don’t notice when Jesus is literally building His parable around a passage from Ezekiel.

But then why is it a Judgment of the Nations?

Someone will ask (reasonably): But if the reference to sheep and goats is those Jews who believed in Jesus vs. the unbelieving Jewish leaders who ignored or abused them, why does it say: All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats?

Because that’s not all Jesus’ parable refers to or applies to. That’s the immediate point of reference in light of Ezekiel 34, but the parable does extend further. There’s more to it than local flavor, in other words.

For here, Jesus speaks of when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. This is His Second Coming, when He will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom (2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). His holy angels come with Him to gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and … cast them into the furnace of fire (Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭41‬-‭42‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). His Kingdom is the world (Matthew 13:37); and when He returns it will be said: The kingdoms of the world are our Lord’s, and his Christ’s, and he shall reign for evermore (Revelation 11:15 1599 Geneva Bible).

The judgement of A.D. 70, like all the previous judgements in time—the Flood in Noah’s Day, the crushing of Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea, and the conquest of Canaan—was a foretaste and a foreshadowing of the final judgment.

In light of Ezekiel 34, every nation has shepherds, not just Israel. And they are accountable to God. The rulers of nations, and the magistrates, are God’s minister to you for good … an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil (Romans‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

But we see throughout the book of Acts, in early Church history, during the days of the Reformation, and in nations of the world today where Christians are persecuted; that there are shepherds of nations who execute wrath on well-doing believers, instead of protecting them from abuse. These also are among the goats.

But ultimately, the goats include all those who are unbelieving, especially those who have wickedly opposed the Gospel, suppressed the Church, and abused Christ’s sheep. Thus St. Paul declares: it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe (2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

Ultimately, then, the sheep are believers—His saints and … all those who believe; and the goats are unbelievers—those who do not know God, and who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats portrays the final Judgment of all the living and the dead from every nation—all who have ever lived—for which the fiery, violent judgment against Jerusalem in A.D. 70 was but a dress rehearsal.

When Christ calls the nations before His throne for judgment, He will separate out His sheep from among them, and there will be sheep from every nation, for St. John foresaw a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”(Revelation‬ ‭7‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

Who are “the least of these my brethren”?

This is where the rubber meats the interpretive road. Jesus tells the sheep: I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 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, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

The goats are told the same things, only in reverse: inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.

There’s only one other place in Scripture where Jesus uses this kind of language, identifying Himself so closely with a group of people that what one does to them, they do to Him.

Before he was the St. Paul we all know and love, the venerable Apostle had been Saul the dogged persecutor of the Church. When Christ confronted Him on the road to Damascus, He said: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? To which Saul replied: Who are You, Lord? And Jesus answered, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting (Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬, emphasis added).

It is only His spiritual brothers and sisters—Christians—with whom Christ identifies so intimately, for we are joined to Him by faith. It is not just any poor person, hungry person, homeless person, sick person, or prisoner.

Christ is not speaking of just any good deeds to any person. He means the good that believers do for fellow believers!

Let’s be honest. There are atheists, pagans, and heathens who feed and clothe the poor, work to mitigate homelessness, take care of their sick, and visit their relatives in prison: For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not the tax collectors also do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing that is remarkable? Do not the Gentiles also do the same? (Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭46‬-‭47‬ ‭LEB‬‬)

If Jesus meant that every hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless, sick, and imprisoned person are His brethren; then are unbelievers in every nation who could rightly object: Wait, Lord—but we also visited our brethren who were poor and sick and in prison. But that’s not the point Jesus is making. He says, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren. He is speaking of Christians helping Christians.

This is confirmed , first, when Jesus tells His disciples: He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me … And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward (Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭40‬, ‭42‬ ‭NKJV‬‬, emphasis added). And again: For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward (Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭41‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

Thus, Jesus is not saying that salvation depends upon doing good works to the poor in general. Again, Christians ought to help the poor, for it is God’s command. But we are also told: Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV, emphasis added‬‬). The reward spoken of by Jesus in our parable applies specifically to aid given to poor believers.

And these things we see the early Christians doing in the pages of the New Testament: Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common … Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need (Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭32‬, ‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). And: Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them (Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭39‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). And Paul, from prison, wrote to Timothy that Luke was with him, and to bring Mark along to visit, along with the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments (2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

The pages of the New Testament come alive with examples of Christians feeding and clothing one another; showing hospitality to one another; caring for their sick; and visiting those who had been imprisoned—like Paul—for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel.

Therefore, a survey of the pertinent New Testament data proves that when Jesus spoke of doing good to the least of these My brethren; as good done to Him; He means good works done to Christians by Christians.

Meanwhile, the goats ask Christ: 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? (Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭44‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). Just as there were those who knew Jesus was good, but would not speak openly of Him for fear of the Jews (John‬ ‭7‬:‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬); there were those who, though they could see that Christ’s sheep were being abused, out of fear or some other ungodly motivation, refused to speak up or give them aid.

St. Paul declares that even unbelievers show the work of the law written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts one after another accusing or even defending them on the day when God judges the secret things of people, according to my gospel, through Christ Jesus (Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭LEB‬‬). Their consciences may have excused them when they failed to care for believers they saw being mistreated during life. But at the final Judgment, their consciences will only accuse and condemn them.

And if this is true of those who simply failed to give aid, imagine how much worse it will be for those who persecute and oppress Christ’s little flock! As James, the brother of our Lord, warned: Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you (James‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

Just as Jesus told the unbelieving Saul that when He persecuted the Church, He was persecuting Christ Himself; the goats who oppressed the sheep or selfishly withheld aid, did evil to Christ.

But Doesn’t it Say They’re Saved or Condemned Because of What They Did or Didn’t Do?

Not exactly. The blessing Christ speaks upon His sheep is of a different character than the condemnation He declares upon the goats.

The first thing to keep in mind is sheep and goats are different animals, who do different things by nature. In other words the sheep aren’t sheep because of what they do; they do what they do because they’re sheep. Likewise, it’s not what the goats didn’t do that made them into goats; they didn’t do those things because they’re goats.

Notice how Jesus welcomes the sheep: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

First, the sheep are called blessed of the Father; and called to inherit the kingdom. Does one earn an inheritance? No, one is given an inheritance by their father: For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children (2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). Again: Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt (Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). And again: The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

In other words, it would be a grievous mistake indeed to say that the sheep earned eternal life as their wage; as if feeding the hungry and tending to the sick merited eternal life.

Rather, it says: inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit know the sheep from eternity. Thus, it is written: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will (Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). And: [God] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began (2 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). And St. Peter declares that the saints are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

The sheep do not earn the kingdom and glory by what they did. Rather, they inherit the kingdom that the Father—who foreknew them—has prepared for them from eternity. Thus Chrysostom (4th century A.D.), recognized: And He said not, Take, but, “Inherit,” as one’s own, as your Father’s, as yours, as due to you from the first. For, before you were, saith He, these things had been prepared, and made ready for you, forasmuch as I knew you would be such as you are.

So when Jesus says to the sheep: 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 …; we should by no means read that for as a simple matter of cause and effect, as if they merited eternal glory by their works.

Rather, their works proved who they were. Their mode of life demonstrated they were sheep. As our Lord says: I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own … But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep … My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John‬ ‭10‬:‭14, 26‬-‭27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). By their obedience to Jesus, they showed that they were His sheep, known by Him from eternity. Meanwhile the goats proved that they were not His sheep, for they neither believed in nor listened to Him.

So notice how the curse is pronounced upon the goats is markedly different from the blessing pronounced on the sheep: Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food …

While the sheep are blessed of the Father, and are therefore said to receive an inheritance by grace; the goats are merely cursed. For they have earned their condemnation. God has not cursed them as He blessed the sheep; they have cursed themselves. For our Lord declared: He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil (John‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). And again, St. Paul teaches: the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

While the sheep will obey God’s Law imperfectly, they inherit the eternal Kingdom because they have trusted Christ and followed their Good Shepherd, to dwell in the house of the LORD for ever (Psalm‬ ‭23‬:‭6‬ ‭KJV‬‬). But the goats have not believed in Christ, and so have rejected all goodness, truth, and beauty; and have spurned both love and justice.

And while the kingdom the sheep inherit was prepared for them from the foundation of the world; the everlasting fire into which the goats depart was prepared for the devil and his angels. This is not to say it was not prepared for rebellious humans, also. Rather, it underscores two important truths. First, that while the heavens and earth were created for man’s eternal abode with God, and so will be given back to the saints, purged of sin and renewed (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-5); Hell was prepared later, after Satan and his angels had rebelled (2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 12:7-9). And second, that while the Gospel calls all mankind to the hope of salvation, they have rejected the grace of God and cast themselves into Hell.

In short, what we actually learn from this passage, is not: the only difference between the sheep and the goats, according to this Scripture, is what they did and didn’t do! Rather, it is what St. Paul says in Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (NKJV‬‬). For the wages of sin is death—the goats earned their condemnation. Hell is paid to them as their wages. But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord—the sheep are said to inherit a kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. They receive it as a blessing from the Father. It’s a gift.

Then What’s the Point?

In our passage, Jesus is calling His followers to holy living—not teaching them how to be saved.

He presents first the blessings His sheep will receive to comfort them as they live in a world that often gives them abuse and cause for anxiety. By showing them the eternal bliss they will inherit, Christ encourages them as St. Paul would later, as we saw before: let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). And again: be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭58‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

Likewise, by way of admonition, He warns them of the curse of Hell awaiting the unbelieving and wicked, who seem now to live contentedly while hardening their hearts against both God and their neighbor, that the saints might not envy their lot. The Psalmist indeed described this very temptation: But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled. My steps had nearly slipped, because I envied the boastful when I saw the well-being of the wicked. See, these are the wicked, and they increase wealth, ever carefree. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure, and washed my hands in innocence. And I have been plagued all day and rebuked every morning (Psalm 73‬:‭2‬-‭3‬, ‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭LEB‬‬). Christ reminds His flock of God’s promise: Their foot shall slide in due time: For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things that shall come upon them make haste (Deuteronomy‬ ‭32‬:‭35‬ ‭KJV‬‬), and shows what that calamity shall be.

Just as the promise of blessing goads His sheep forward to their goal; the warning of the curse is like the crook our Good Shepherd uses to lift His sheep back onto the paths of righteousness (Psalm 23:3).