The Sheep and the Goats
Matthew 25:31-46
One day Fred went to see a psychiatrist. “Doc,” he said, “I’ve got real trouble. Every time I get into bed, I’m sure that there’s somebody underneath it. I haven’t slept in a week. I’m going crazy.” The doctor said to him: “If you come to me three times a week, I think I can cure your fears.” “How much do you charge?” asked Fred. “A hundred dollars per visit.” Not too surprisingly, Fred didn’t come back. Well, about six months later, the doctor met Fred on the street. “Why didn’t you ever come back to see me again?” “Actually,” said Fred, “a bartender cured me for only $10.” “How did he do that?” asked the doctor. “He told me to cut the legs off the bed!”
Fear – it can be a very troubling thing. Fear of being robbed, fear of illness or financial ruin, fear of an attack from our enemies – those fears can grip us in a stranglehold that won’t let go. But perhaps the worst fear of all is fear of the future, fear of what will happen when we die, fear of Judgment Day. Our Lord Jesus addressed those fears in our Gospel lesson for today with the assurance that He is our kind, wise Heavenly Physician, who can cure all our fears. Indeed, He has laid all our fears and anxieties to rest, by defeating our enemies sin, death and hell once and for all.
My friends, that’s the thought behind our text for today, where Jesus tells us that on the Last Day, when He comes again in glory, He will separate the sheep from the goats, the believers from the unbelievers. You see, goats love the cold night air and insist in roaming about, refusing to come inside. But the sheep need shelter; they need the warmth and protection of an enclosure. And so, like a tender, loving Shepherd on Judgment Day Jesus will gather His flock into the safety of His Heavenly sheepfold, where their predators hell and Satan can no longer attack them and their fears can no longer assail them.
You know, that thought is actually taken from the prophecy of Ezekiel, where the people of God were being preyed upon by their own leaders, who were acting like faithless shepherds. And so God promised to send them a Good Shepherd, who would save them from their enemies. In Ezekiel 34:22-24 He said: “I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.” Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of David is that Good Shepherd, who came to tend and nourish us with forgiveness and life, by dying on the cross to save us from the sins and fears that plunder us. And that’s why the Shepherd separates the sheep from the goats – in order to rescue His people from being left out in the cold, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth – in order to save us from hell.
Unfortunately though, when many people read our Gospel lesson for today, they misunderstand it. Because the Shepherd separates the sheep from the goats and then lists the good things they’ve done, some people mistakenly think this is saying we’re saved not by Jesus the Good Shepherd, but by our own works, that the judgment is based not on what Jesus has done, but on something we must do, that the only way to remove our fears is to do enough good things to make ourselves pleasing to God, instead of resting in the assurance that Jesus has already made us pleasing to God.
However, nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved only by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. For instance, Ephesians 2:8-9 states: “FOR IT IS BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED THROUGH FAITH, AND THIS NOT FROM YOURSELVES, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD, NOT BY WORKS, SO THAT NO ONE CAN BOAST.” And Romans 3:28 says, “FOR WE MAINTAIN THAT A MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, APART FROM OBSERVING THE LAW!”
Therefore, the good works spoken of in our text are not the means of our salvation. Instead, they are the evidence that we have received the gift of saving faith in Christ. This is brought out in our text by the fact that, the works aren’t even mentioned until after the separation takes place. In other words, the gift of heaven is first bestowed and then the works are viewed. It’s a reminder that good works are not the cause of our salvation but rather a natural outpouring of it. They are not the root of grace, but the fruit of faith.
Martin Luther used to describe this with the illustration of a tree. A tree is not good because its fruit is good, but the other way around. If a tree is good, it will naturally bear good fruit. Likewise, since we have been made by the death of Christ and declared good in our Baptism by being clothed with His righteousness as a gift of God, then we will naturally bear good fruit for Him. In other words, if we believe in Jesus as our Savior and have received His gift of forgiveness, then we will show that love for Jesus, by loving Jesus’ servants – even the least of them, as Jesus mentions in our text. Whether it’s helping the poor and needy, or providing food, clothing and shelter for the homeless, like the victims of the hurricanes in Florida, as well as Louisiana and Texas. Whether it’s visiting our sick and shut-in, or being a Stephen Minister. Whether it’s helping our nominating committee out and agreeing to serve as a member of the Board of Elders, Education or Evangelism. These are concrete ways to demonstrate our living faith in Christ. But more importantly, it’s the way for us to express our gratitude to Jesus for the free gift of salvation.
Which is why in our text, the attitude of the believers and the unbelievers is quite different. The believers are filled with humble trust. In humility they as: “Lord, when did we do all these things?” You see, in repentance and faith they realize that nothing good dwells in them. It dwells only in their Savior Jesus Christ and His righteousness. But the Good News of the Gospel is that the righteousness He won for you and me on Calvary, that He purchased with His blood, is the righteousness He clothes us with to blot out all our sin and guilt. And we receive that as a free gift simply through faith, simply through humble repentance and trust in Him.
The unbelievers, on the other hand, are so blinded by their own pride, that they cannot even see their sin. They must have Jesus show it to them: “Lord, when didn't we do all these things?” they arrogantly ask. Consequently their prideful unbelief is what brings them under the curse of hell. And for that reason the unbelievers have only bad things spoken about them. By way of contrast the believers have only good things spoken about them. Why is that? Is it because once you become a Christian you’re no longer a sinner? Absolutely not! The Bible plainly teaches that we’re just as sinful as the rest of the world. The only difference is that we’re forgiven. No, the fact the nothing bad is said about us is a sign of God’s kindness and compassion. Because of Jesus Christ our Savior, God the merciful Judge buries all our failures in forgiving silence and remembers our guilt no more.
Dear friends, it is for that reason that He says to us: “COME, YOU ARE WHO BLESSED BY MY FAITHER; TAKE YOUR INHERITANCE, THE KINGDOM PREPARED FOR YOU SINCE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD.” Notice that we’re not blessed by our works. The text says that we’re blessed by our Father – blessed with the forgiveness of our sins, salvation from death and hell, and eternal life in God’s Heavenly sheepfold. And all of that as a free gift, which is why Jesus refers to it as our inheritance. After all, an inheritance is not something you earn. It’s a gift that’s bequeathed to you by someone who loves you, and it’s put into effect when that loved one dies. Well, Jesus our beloved, loved us so much that He died on the cross to erase all our guilt and shame. And at His death our inheritance was put into effect. We have inherited the blessing of His eternal pardon and peace. And when He comes again in glory, we will receive the best blessing of all – He will invite us to come into the mansion He has prepared for us, the Heavenly Sheepfold, where there will be no more pain or sadness, no more fear or death. That’s the inheritance that is ours, as a free gift through faith in His name!
A man was walking on the beach one day, when he found a magic lamp. When he rubbed it, a genie appeared and told him that he would be granted one wish. Immediately the man asked for a copy of the newspaper with the stock market report that would be published one year from that day. Suddenly the paper was in his hands and the genie disappeared. With greedy eyes the man scanned the columns and saw stocks in which he could invest and make millions. Pleased with himself and his plans, he turned the page and noticed the obituary column. His name was on top of the list!
Like that man the end is coming for all of us soon, either our own end at death or the end of the world at Jesus’ coming. And the only way to prepare for that is not by looking to ourselves and our own plans and resources for security, but resting confidently in what Jesus Christ has done to save us. He has freely bestowed upon us the greatest treasures of all – forgiveness, life and salvation. Out of thanks for all of that, may the Holy Spirit empower us to express our gratitude, by doing loving works of faith in Jesus’ name to the least of His servants, until He comes again in glory. Amen.
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12/06/2005