THE PARABLE of the Sheep and Goats in Matthew 25:31-46 is, I think, one of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible. Like other people, I spent years misunderstanding it and worrying about what it meant. But once you find the key, it makes perfect sense.
The thing about the Parable of the Sheep and Goats is this: the New Testament tells us clearly that we are saved by faith, not by works. But in popular interpretations of this parable, salvation is definitely by works. The popular interpretation says the Sheep are saved because they helped the poor, naked, and imprisoned; the Goats are damned because they did not help them. Salvation by works.
SALVATION BY FAITH OR BY WORKS
Now the compromise that some people make is just to say, “We are saved by faith, but by works too.” That may sound contradictory. But the Epistle of James is sometimes (incorrectly) interpreted this way too: God gives us faith, but faith must result in good works or we are not saved. (Yes, faith should result in good deeds; but it’s the faith that saves, not the good deeds.) And people who read the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats this way are left in a position of trying to earn salvation by their good deeds. But that, of course, is just what most of the New Testament says is the wrong approach.
For the Apostle Paul says,
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. (Eph. 2:8-9)
And the Apostle Peter speaks of
an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Pet. 1:4-5)
And John the Apostle says,
God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
And Jesus himself says,
Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come into judgment. He has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24)
So the dominant teaching of Jesus and the apostles is that we are saved by believing the gospel. So reading the Parable of the Sheep and Goats as salvation by works opposes the clearest teaching of Jesus and the New Testament. Now, I believe Jesus didn’t contradict himself. And so we should ask if perhaps we are not reading the parable correctly. So let’s see if there is another way to read it…
RE-READING THE PARABLE OF THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS
The Parable of the Sheep and Goats starts with “the king” seated on “the throne of his glory”. All the nations are gathered together before him—just like when the Messiah appears in Zechariah 14—and he separates all the people into two groups. One group go to his right hand, the place of favour. They are called sheep. The other group go to his left hand, the place of disfavour. And they are called goats. And a quick reading of the parable might leave you thinking that there are only three actors in the drama: the King, the Sheep, and the Goats.
THE BROTHERS OF THE KING
But wait a moment. If we read carefully, we see that there is another group. You see, the Sheep and the Goats are judged according to whether they did or did not do to help the King’s brothers when they were in distress. Now note that the King calls his brothers, “these brothers of mine”. This means that he is pointing to them. And that means that they are present during the proceedings. They are silent, to be sure. But they are there, standing around the King and listening to his judgment. So the actors of the Parable of the Sheep and Goats have increased. Perhaps it should now be called the Parable of the King, his Brothers, the Sheep, and the Goats. If we wanted to make another picture it would look like this.
These silent Brothers of the King are Very Important People, for everything that is going to happen to the Sheep and the Goats depends on how they treated the Brothers of the King. The Sheep, who showed kindness to the King’s Brothers, receive eternal life. But the Goats will be cast into eternal fire because they scorned the King’s Brothers. Clearly, the King thinks his brothers are very important people indeed.
WHO ARE THE BROTHERS OF THE KING?
So who are the King’s brothers? Someone might reply that they are his “brothers after the flesh”, that is, all the Hebrews, including the first-century Judahites and Zadokites. But, remember, many of them opposed Jesus completely and persecuted him to death. That’s not very brotherly. Remember too that brothers share the same father. But Jesus says of the Judahites who opposed him, “You are from your father, the devil” (John 8:44). So they can’t be his brothers.
Jesus himself tells us who his brothers are. When his mother and brothers want him to come home quietly, he says, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matt. 12:48-50)
So that seems pretty clear. The King’s Brothers are the ones who do the will of his Father in heaven. They are his disciples, people who follow his teaching. They have the same Father as Jesus, for he taught them to pray, “Our Father in heaven”. That is, they are ordinary followers of Jesus, whether first-century Galileans or modern people like you and me, scattered all through the world.
THEY DON’T COME INTO JUDGEMENT
See too how the King’s Brothers are not being judged. The Sheep are judged, and so are the Goats. But the King’s Brothers are standing there with the judge. They are not in the dock. It is a perfect picture of what Jesus said: “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come into judgment.” (John 5:24)
And it’s good to see, isn’t it, that the King’s Brothers aren’t just bros, but there are sisters in there too (Matt. 12:50). Women are co-heirs with men of the kingdom of God. This is something unique to the Christian faith. The other Abrahamic faiths tend to put women in a lower place both here and hereafter.
SO WHAT IS THE PARABLE OF THE SHEEP AND GOATS ABOUT?
So the King’s Brothers in the Parable of the Sheep and Goats are his disciples, Christian believers. And from that we must conclude that the Sheep and the Goats are not his disciples. Neither the Sheep nor the Goats are Christian folk.
This makes a big difference to how we interpret the parable. Now it is not about how Christian disciples receive eternal life. It’s about how non-Christian non-disciples may or may not receive life. And it all depends on how they treat the Brothers of the King. Let me give you an example…
A FEW EXAMPLES…
In Pakistan, there is frequent persecution of Christians. Some use the country’s blasphemy laws to accuse Christians, to drive them off their land, and persecute them to death. Year on year, vigilantes kill Christians for alleged blasphemy. Meanwhile militias carry out cruel attacks on Christian people and communities. Yet amidst all this, some individuals risk their lives trying to protect Christians.
Rashid Rehman was a prominent Pakistani lawyer. When he became the defence lawyer for Junaid Hafeez, a Christian accused of blaspheming the Islamic faith, he received death-threats. In fact, the final threats came from prosecution lawyers within the court-room itself. But Rehman refused to abandon the case. A month later, in May 2014, he was shot dead by two armed men who came to his office posing as clients.
Similarly, Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab province, took it upon himself to defend Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy. He soon became an object of hatred and required bodyguards for his protection. Eventually, one of his own bodyguards shot and killed him inside his own car in January 2011.
WHERE ELSE DOES JESUS SAY THE SAME THING?
Such stories illustrate the teaching of the Parable of the Sheep and Goats. People who are not Christians yet who help Christians in trouble will be counted among the Sheep. Yet those who carry out cruel attacks on them, without mercy or remorse, will be found among the Goats. And the reason why this happens is because the King loves his brothers and sisters.
Now this is not the only place where Jesus teaches this. There’s a close parallel in Matthew 10:
40 He that receives you receives me, and he that receives me receives him that sent me. 41 He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever shall give a cup of cold water to drink to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.
Here Jesus is saying that whoever receives a Christian because he is a disciple of Jesus shall receive the same reward as the disciple himself. This may seem like a big promise. But, you see, whoever shows kindness to the king’s brother, shows kindness to the king too, and so he or she will be rewarded.
ANOTHER STORY
I could tell you another story about this. When I was a young teacher in southern Africa, living alone like a monk, I would come from school every day and my neighbour, Mrs Garnie, would call to me over the garden hedge. “I just made you some curry.” Mrs Garnie came from a Hindu background but had converted to Islam when she married. And she showed me remarkable kindness over and over again. She sometimes asked me about my faith and my church, but she remained a Muslim. Then, after I’d known her three years, she became ill and was taken to hospital. I was concerned for her and prayed about this situation. The Lord answered me with the passage above, Matthew 10:40–42. And I understood that he had taken her kindness to me as acts of devotion to himself.
I went to the hospital where she was in a coma. Her husband told me, “She can’t move, but she hears everything we are saying.” I asked him if I could speak to her about Jesus. He said, “All right,” and he left the room. I said to her, “Mrs Garnie, trust in Jesus and he will bring you to eternal life. Do you understand?” Her eye blinked. And shortly afterwards, she passed away. The Lord, in his own way had already turned her heart to him, and she showed it in her acts of kindness toward the young teacher living next door. I believe she trusted in the Lord before she died. And many like her may receive mercy among the Sheep on that day.
A FEW CAVEATS…
Now it’s fair to say too that misinterpretation of the parable has led to much harm. The social justice movement has used this parable to undermine the true gospel of faith and to promote their own interpretation of what is just.
Of course, Christians should certainly be ready to do good, as it is said:
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Gal. 6:10)
But let’s remember that the Bible does set rules about who we should and should not help. First, the apostle says we should not hurry to help those who are not prepared to do anything for themselves.
If a man shall not work, he shall not eat. (2 Thess. 3:10)
And the apostle John made it clear that we should not give material assistance to those who come to us and do not believe in the Trinity.
Whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work. (2 John 9-11)
And evidence of Christian character should be taken into account before providing material assistance.
No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. (1 Tim. 5:9-10)
CONCLUSION
So let’s pay attention to this parable and interpret it correctly. Let’s remember the Brothers of the Lord. They are the key to interpreting it. The Lord’s Brothers and Sisters do not come into judgment. They are saved by faith. Let no-one tell you that you haven’t done enough to please the Lord. His children are saved by faith.
Happy are those who are counted among the brothers and sisters of the Lord.