One of the most important parables in the Bible is the parable of the sheep and the goats. In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus Christ presents a parable about how he will divide his sheep from the goats, at the end of time. This parable builds upon preceding stories, teachings, and parables about how it is difficult for us to discern the difference between Christians and non-Christians. Of how, from a distance, sheep look like goats. Especially as they are intermingled in the same fold. This hearkens back to the parable of the wheat and the tares. That the wheat is of God, and the tares are not; yet they are in the same field and look alike. So, God will wait until the end of time, when both are matured to separate the wheat from the tares. Likewise, the sheep and the goats are analogous in how God will separate his people from those who look like his people, but are not. Therefore, at judgement, God will separate his sheep from the goats.
This parable is of particular significance due to the weightiness of the matter. This parable speaks on eternal judgement. And as such, many (if not most) Christian denominations interpret this passage as a means of including works as part of salvation. Some interpretations claim that you are saved by works, others claim that works are an inevitable result of faith\salvation. The former is explicitly rebutted by many scriptures (Romans 4:5, John 3:16, 1 John 5:9-13, John 6:47, Ephesians 2:8-9, and the list goes on) and the latter is a subtle heresy that is just as incorrect. I contend that neither are true. The real meaning is absolute free grace without any works at all. You can look up any Bible commentary and search the internet and you will never find an interpretation that is as correct as the one that I will present. It is because of parables like these that people either introduce heresies, or conclude that the Bible has contradictions. And most importantly, peoples’ misunderstanding of this mystery is sometimes the reason why people refuse to believe the saving message of free grace in the first place.
What makes this parable so blinding is the emotional baggage people attach to the symbols and characters that God decided to use. For example, no one argues that sheep are true believers in Christ, and that the goats are false Christians. This much is plainly understood. We know this because the sheep are able to talk, that they inherit eternal life, that they have done something that pleases God to inherit eternal life. Most every Bible expositor will admit that the sheep are true Christians. However, the other things that are mentioned in this parable: the actions of clothing, feeding, visiting, and giving to drink are almost always interpreted in a literal manner: That the sheep have actually given others water to drink, as well as clothed, visited, and ministered unto them. And they think that because they’ve done this for the poor, that they will get credit for doing this for Christ.
This is because all those virtuous acts seem like things that Christians ought to do. That we should literally feed, clothe, and help the brethren. This is true, but the context of the parable is in regard to eternal judgement. And the relationship between these literal actions and salvation contradict the simple gospel. The real gospel that says good actions and good works have nothing to do with salvation\righteousness (Romans 4:5).
That is why to understand this parable, as with most all other parables, you must deny your surface understanding of these symbols. Instead, focus on the relationship between the symbols. For example, we do not literally interpret the sheep to be the 4-legged animal with fur. Instead, we rightfully take note of how the sheep speak with god, that they are accountable to god, that they inherit eternal life. These attributes of the symbolic “sheep” obviously apply to saved people. That is why people seldom misinterpret the identity of the sheep in this passage.
But to understand the rest of the parable, we must keep in memory God’s word.
1 John 2:5, John 14:23
With that in mind, notice how God judges the goats:
Matthew 25
45 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.
The goats are condemned because they have not done “it” to 1 “of the least of these.” Meaning, they could have done “it” unto 1,999 people, but if they left just one of them undone, they have not done “it” unto Christ. Also notice how “it” isn’t plural. Which means to be justified, the goats would have to help each of the brethren, with each of the 6 needs (hunger, thirst, nakedness, homelessness, imprisonment, and sickness). If the goats leave any one of those listed actions undone, for any one of the brethren; they would be condemned. There is no grace here, there is no bending of the law, there is no hope. Christ will judge them with a “rod of ion” (Psalm 2:9).
But to the sheep, he says:
Matthew 25
40 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
Which implies that they could have left all the brethren un-helped, but if they did any one of those things unto just 1 of the least of the brethren, they have done it unto him. This is clearly favoritism, full grace.
So, the judgement is that of unanimity. The sheep are provided free access to the kingdom, so much so that they were not even aware of the things that they did: “Lord, when saw we thee an hungered…?” (Matthew 25:44). The goats, on the other hand, must do all those things for each of the “brethren,” otherwise none of their efforts will count.
What does this sound like? Yes, this sounds like how men will be judged by the law.
James 2
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Galatians 3
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
The goats are condemned for not keeping the whole law. Because they have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God, by faith in Christ.
Romans 10
3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
The “brethren” in the story is symbolic of the law. Notice how in Galatians 3:10, Paul says that the man that does not continue in all things in the book of the law is “cursed.” This is the same language Christ uses in the parable when he condemns the goats, telling them that they are “cursed.”
Matthew 25
41 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:
His deliberate choice of vocabulary is further demonstrated by use of the phrase “one of the least.” Christ echoed this phrase only once before; and when he did, it was in reference to the law.
Matthew 5
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
And in Romans 8, it is written that the law is fulfilled in those who walk in the Spirit. Which means to have faith in Christ, and to not be under the law.
Romans 8
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Galatians 5
5 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
The goats are judged by the harshness of the law, but the sheep are judged by the mercy of the gospel. Because the sheep have received the gospel, they have done the 1 thing that Christ asked us to do, which is to believe the gospel. The goats did not believe the gospel, and so they are debtors to do the whole law, which is a death sentence.
This is shown in other Bible verses where the 6 different virtuous acts are all metaphors of receiving and or giving the gospel.
Drink
John 4
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Feed
John 6
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
John 6
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Clothe
2 Corinthians 5
2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
Galatians 3
28 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Isaiah 61
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Shelter
Acts 7
48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
2 Corinthians 5
5 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Hebrews 9
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building
Revelation 21
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Prison/Captivity
Galatians 3
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
2 Timothy 2
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Luke 4
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised
Ephesians 4
8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Sickness
Matthew 8
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
Matthew 9
11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
There are many more examples, but that should prove the point. Those virtuous acts, in the literal sense, are good to do for others, no doubt. But they have absolutely nothing to do with salvation. In this parable, they are used figuratively in regard to the law/gospel. And so, it is about law of grace versus the law of works. The law of life and liberty (James) or the law of sin and death (Romans). To do the least of the law is to believe the gospel. If you have done this, you have done everything God has asked of you. Because if you were to give someone the gospel, that person receives the spirit of God. “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:17). Not only does a saved person know God, but “rather are known of God” (Galatians 4:9). Therefore, God can never say that he doesn’t know a saved person.
And it follows that if you were to believe the gospel, you have done “it” for yourself. Because you should “esteem other better than” yourself. Like Paul, who said “I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle” (1 Corinthians 15:9). Not just that, but that he is also the chiefest of sinners.
1 Timothy 1
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
That is why when you believe, you are saved. You did what Christ asked you to do, unto “one of the least of these my brethren.” Which is yourself. Not only that, but when you convert others to the faith, they are your reward in Heaven. That is why, the sheep are utterly unaware of having done any of those good deeds unto God. Because it is not about doing good deeds, it’s about receiving the forgiveness of God.
This makes even more sense when you look at John 4, the story about the woman at the well.
John 4
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
This passage used to puzzle me, because it makes no logistical sense. If Christ is asking her for water, why would he tell her to turn around and ask him for water? That makes no sense. Wouldn’t it make more sense for Christ to straightly ask: “do you want water?” But no, instead, Christ said, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”
This passage parallels the parable of sheep and goats perfectly:
- Christ asks the woman for water to drink.
- She is supposed to know the gift of God (the gospel) and ask Him for the water.
- He then gives her living water (salvation).
And in the Parable of the Sheep and Goats, God judges thusly:
- Christ asks you for water\food\shelter\clothing\support.
- You know the gift of God (the gospel) so you believe on him.
- He then gives you eternal life.
And all of the above coincides perfectly with the judgement, Christ laid out plainly, in John 5:
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
That is why Christ presents this seemingly awkward conversation in John 4, with the woman at the well. It’s because when we receive the gospel, we have given God faith in Christ. That is what God requires of us. That is why when you receive salvation (living water) you received it as response to Christ’s demand for water. That is why when you are saved, “ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Before I move on, one last observation that is a good segway into the next parable is the attitude of the sheep vs the attitude of the goats. The sheep were completely oblivious of the good works that they did unto the Lord. They responded unto God by saying, “when have we seen thee hungered?” This is because the sheep are justified by grace and they were not expecting to have these good works attributed to their account (on the basis of anything that they’ve done). But Jesus Christ says that all of his works are imputed to us, when we believe.
John 14
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Romans 4
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
But the goats were of a different mindset. They thought that they were doing good deeds for the Lord all this time:
Matthew 25
44 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?
The goats were operating as though every person in need is a chance to minister onto the Lord. That God would grant them salvation by their good deeds. But Christ told them, that if they were to be justified by those types of works, then they would have to keep the whole law. And this is an impossibility.
Also notice also how the goats envision their god as though he were a hungry, poor, homeless, thirsty, prisoner. As though God needs their help. That their god is so weak that he needs his creatures to minister unto him. The goats don’t see their own personal and dire need for help, instead they see god as needing their help. This reminds me of an old testament passage where God struck Uzzah dead for trying to keep the Ark of the Covenant from falling, for trying to help God. And again, in Revelation, God reveals this message to the church of Laodicea. He told them that they were lukewarm because they did not see how they themselves were poor, blind, and wretched.
In conclusion, this parable is really about works vs grace. And the difference is in man’s perception of God. The sheep perceive God as God, and that they could do nothing to gain salvation. The goats view their god as though he were a weak man and that they have to work to prove their loyalty to this god. That is an insult to God, but more importantly, that denies the gospel, which is the only way to enter into Heaven.
That is why Christ said to know God is eternal life (John 17:3).
So, we will move on to the Parable of Talents, with this in mind.