Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by 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,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal 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,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”
Lectio (Reading)
Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.Meditatio (Reflecting)
Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left…
Oratio (Responding)
Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.Why sheep and goats? I once read a book about Jesus the Shepherd, from the perspective of a real life shepherd. It was truly enlightening. The book concludes, with many clear examples, that sheep are very meek, they seem born to follow and need to be shepherded. Whereas goats are stubborn, independent, and hard to lead.
From this perspective, it seems clear which Jesus would prefer, and whom He would choose to lead. Jesus called himself the good shepherd, and His followers know His voice, and He knows each by name. This does not mean that He does not want to lead the goats, but they will not follow unless they ultimately change their nature, and become like sheep. And at the end of the time the goats that remain goat-like will be separated, and damned for eternity.
Goats and their natural stubbornness, have been embraced by the evil one, and his followers. They wear goat heads during their demonic practices, in order that they would more obviously reveal their prideful independence from God and complete rejection of Him.
Sheep (lambs) on the other hand, with their meek and trusting nature, are used, all throughout the new testament, as reference to Jesus allowing Himself to be tortured, and killed because of His love and trust in God. This is not weakness, or stupidity, it is a total trust in God the shepherd, that surpasses everything, even death.
We are all called to this same level of trust. That God will provide, and give us everything we need. And even if we die at the hands of the goats, then we can rest assured that the good shepherd will be there waiting for us, to enter into His kingdom. I pray that we all can accomplish this sheep-like nature, and follow the good shepherd. And on that final day be on the “right,” destined for Heaven, and not on the left with the damned. Amen.
Contemplatio (Contemplating)
Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.Resolutio (Resolving)
Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.Oh lord, guide me to the pastures of heaven, and do not let me fall victim to the wolves. Call my name and I will follow. Amen.