The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats Is Not a Parable -- it's what's going to happen when Jesus returns; a study of Matthew 25:31-46
- mww
- May 13
- 18 min read
Updated: May 14
When Jesus commanded us to love one another, He meant it.
Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Matthew 25:31-46
This famous passage (often called a parable) shows us how seriously Jesus takes His command for Christians to love one another. In the final judgment, He will use the way we treat and care about one another as proof of whether or not we are saved. The righteous will join Jesus is glorious eternal life; the wicked will be sent away into eternal punishment.
Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. (25:40)
Getting Started: Things to Think About
"There Are Two Kinds of People . . ."
This is an evergreen topic. And if you're the leader who likes your group to move around, this always works. Come on Sunday morning armed with a series of "this or that" --
Coke or Pepsi?
Coffee or tea?
Vacation or staycation?
Morning or night?
City or country?
Pancakes or waffles?
Indoors or outdoors?
You get the picture. Design a list that fits your unique group. This is the sort of thing AI was made for (but more on this in a sec).
The point? At the end of history, we're going to find out that every person is a sheep or a goat (so to speak). There is no third option.
Would You Like an AI Boss?
Here's a bizarre headline I saw a few weeks ago:
Let's be real -- whether or not it's at Meta, someone is going to try this soon (if they aren't already). Would you like to have an AI boss?
AI boss or real normal person boss?
My assumption is that everyone in every Bible study group that stumbles across this post would prefer a human boss (knowing that human bosses can be real pills). The point of this topic is 'why?'. What is it about having a human in such a position?
While you're chewing on that, chew on this next --
Would You Like an AI Priest?
If you thought things couldn't get any weirder, well, you were wrong. But you're probably not surprised. (Note: I'm not talking about the Catholic "Fr. Justin" from 2024. They learned some awkward lessons.)
While it sure reads like a publicity stunt, they formally ordained this robot -- so they're "stunting" with their own supposedly core beliefs.
And that comes just a month after Japan announced its own robot monk:
(This is all in addition to the myriad chatbots introduced by various churches.)
Would you like to have an AI priest? (For those of you who are Baptists, this doesn't remotely compute, so I suppose we ask, "Would you like to have an AI pastor?")
AI pastor or plain human pastor?
If the answer to this question is no, you need to ask "why not?".
This week's passage gives us the answer -- the human touch. Or more specifically, the Christian touch. There is supposed to be something truly unique about how a Christian approaches the world, and it cannot be replicated by a non-Christian (or an AI). Our goal this week is to make sure we understand what that is.
[Note: if those topics are too out-there for you, you could always just step back to the use of AI in any capacity -- Pastors, churchgoers see AI as concerning and confusing, according to Lifeway Research | Baptist Press. Or the use of AI in therapy and counseling -- AI in the therapist’s office: Uptake increases, caution persists. The point for this topic would be to identify the line at which "humanity" is necessary.]
Do You Prefer Good News or Bad News?
Good news or bad news?
Okay, I'm sorry. I'll stop with the "this or that".
For several years, it's been scientifically verified that people are drawn to negative news (like moth to a flame).
To test this, bring some headlines into your group (that would be of interest to your group) -- some positively worded, and some negatively worded. Ask them which one they would be more likely to read first.
The numbers say that most of them would be drawn to the negative story first. So, follow up with, "Do you eventually want to read some good news? If so, what do you consider good news and where do you go to find it?" (Note: There are lots of "daily good news" sites, and they all tend to have some theological excesses. Just be alert.)
For me, it's the stories of human kindness. Nothing gets to me quite like hearing about a human being decent and kind. Low bar, I know.
And here's the thing -- this week's passage is pretty clear that those kinds of stories should be characteristic of every Christian.
This Week's Big Idea: Conscientiousness
Last August, Derek Thompson released a podcast called "The Modern World Is Changing America's Personality for the Worse" in which he and his guest talked about the decline of "conscientiousness" among American youth. To them, conscientiousness means
dependable, disciplined, organized, and goal-oriented
In other words, simply being aware that there are other people in the world, and your behavior affects them. Again, a low bar.
I'm convinced that I talked about this in a previous post, but I can't find those notes. So, here it is again. My group actually brought up a similar topic last week when we talked about the Parables of the Servants, the Virgins, and the Talents -- "Are you the kind of person who tries to do the right thing even when you don't think anyone is watching?" Well, that's actually a step above conscientiousness, which is simply realizing that there are other people (who might be watching).
Have you observed a drop in conscientiousness among young people?
As its core, we can read this week's passage as a revelation of conscientiousness -- the righteous were conscientious of needs around them, and the wicked were not. Yes, it's just as important that the righteous were not only aware but also acted. But truly, we will find out that the wicked weren't really even aware that there were any needs around them at all. They were oblivious. They willfully ignored. We want to be aware. And we want to act within our power.
This Week's Bonus Big Idea: Major Biblical Concepts
Angels
This is one of those topics that could sidetrack you all morning. Carson gives us a set of related passages to use if someone asks about angels:
Matt 13:41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all who cause sin and those guilty of lawlessness. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
1 Thess 1:7 This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels, 8 when he takes vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Rev 14:17 Then another angel who also had a sharp sickle came out of the temple in heaven. 18 Yet another angel, who had authority over fire, came from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vineyard of the earth, because its grapes have ripened.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle at the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 Then the press was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press up to the horses’ bridles for about 180 miles.
We identify angels as created beings -- created by God to be His messengers, servants, and soldiers. When Jesus returns (see last week), angels will accompany Him to do the work of gathering all people, holding them for judgment, and executing Jesus' decree. That's really all you need to say about that this week.
"The Least of These"
This is enormously important to understand. Jesus specifically commends the sheep for doing good to "the least of these / the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine".
Some people have tried to interpret this to mean that salvation depends on if a person is sympathetic to human need. Those people have not read the rest of the Bible.
Some people have tried to interpret this to mean that Jesus is talking about the treatment of missionaries ("brothers" referring to the apostles). But Jesus uses that term for all of His disciples.
Some people think that "the least of these" is separated from "brothers" and refers to all people, especially poor people. In other words, they use this passage in defense of what is called the "Social Gospel". But "the least of these" is clearly linked to "brothers".
The best understanding of this phrase is how Jesus uses it elsewhere in the Gospels -- "the brothers [and sisters] of Mine" refers to all of His disciples. "The least" simply emphasizes that this behavior should not be restricted to "important" Christians (like the apostles) but every Christian, to the poorest and lowliest. The ones forgotten by everyone else.
A theme for these posts has been that for much of Christian history, and throughout much of the world, being a Christian is dangerous. Christians are disowned. Disenfranchised. Lose their job. Lose their property. Get thrown into prison. Get assaulted. And the only people in the world who might help them are other Christians. And Jesus expects those other Christians to do what is in their power to help them.
Jesus is not preventing Christians from helping non-Christians. But Jesus is saying that He expects Christians to be aware of the needs of their fellow Christians (in today's world, specifically fellow church members) and do what they can to help them in their need.
Hell
And then one last big topic that could derail your time if you're not paying attention. This passage is extremely clear about the reality and permanence of hell. Carson gives us another helpful list of verses to go to if people bring it up --
Matt 3:12 His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.
Matt 5:22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults his brother or sister will be subject to the court. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire.
Matt 18:8 If your hand or your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.
Jude 7 Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns committed sexual immorality and perversions, and serve as an example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
Rev 20:10 The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and one seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. 12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. 13 Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
The Bible is not very descriptive of hell, and I think that's on purpose -- we don't have words for it. These verses simply say that hell is a place prepared by God for the eternal judgment of His enemies where they will endure never-ending punishment for their rebellion. That's all you need to say about it.
Where We Are in Matthew
We are still in the Olivet Discourse. I covered that in relatively too much detail last week --
Here's the outline I shared:
24:4-14 Signs before the end (“immediately” before?)
Birth pains: wars, famines, earthquakes
Persecution and apostasy
False prophets
Increase of wickedness
Worldwide spread of the gospel
24:15-28 Prime example of a deceptive sign: the fall of Jerusalem
The greatest distress of history
Jews will expect Messiah’s return
Many false prophets will deceive
BUT no one will mistake Christ’s return
Vv. 22-28 apply both to this example and the entire age
24:29-31 Signs of the end (as a parenthetical aside)
Cosmic upheaval
Jesus riding through the clouds
Angels gathering the elect (cf. 1 Thess 4:17)
24:32-44 Lesson to be learned
When “these things” (vv. 4-28) happen, the time is near
“These things” will all happen in that generation
Comparison: the day of Noah; they knew yet they didn’t
Therefore, we must always be ready for the end.
24:45-25:46 Illustrations of the Lesson
The Faithful and Wicked Servants: the master came back unexpectedly; the emphasis is on the servants’ behavior when the master returns
The Wise and Foolish Virgins: the bridegroom was late in his coming; the emphasis is on how prepared the virgins were for the bridegroom’s lateness
The Wise and Foolish Servants (the Talents): the master came back right on time after a very long time; the emphasis is on what happened while he was gone
The Sheep and the Goats: not about length of time at all but the sort of behavior that will be rewarded and punished when Jesus returns.
For our study, we want to focus on those four parables* at the end -- Jesus intended all should be read together.
*This week's passage isn't really a "parable" -- it's an actual description of what will happen at the end of history. But Jesus uses "parabolic" terms to help us realize that He wants us to treat all four "stories" together.
Jesus might return early; He might return late; He might return after a long time.
It matters what we're doing when Jesus returns; it matters if we are prepared for Jesus to return; it matters what we were doing while Jesus was gone; it matters how we have treated one another during our lifetime.
In other words, these are all "both/and" so to speak. Because God does not want us to know when Jesus is returning, we have to live prepared for every possible circumstance.
This final passage focuses on how we treat one another. If you remember Jesus' final statement to His disciples in the Gospel of John -- the lesson in John 13-17 (which begins in the Upper Room) -- you know that this was so important to Jesus. In particular, think --
15:12 This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.
15:18 If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you.
That "one another" is also a reference to "fellow Christians". Why would it be so important to Jesus that His followers love (agape -- selfless) one another? Because the world will hate them, and so they will need one another.
Part 1: The Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-33)
1 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left.
Technically, this is not a parable. Jesus uses the illustration of a shepherd separating sheep from goats to describe how the Great White Throne Judgment (see the Rev 20 passage above) will work. This is like a parable, but it's really just an illustration.
Jesus is not disguising His language anymore. He is the Son of Man. (Jesus is answering the question of "His coming".) This is an Old Testament scene --
Dan 7:9 “As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire; its wheels were blazing fire. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from his presence. Thousands upon thousands served him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
11 “I watched, then, because of the sound of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued watching, the beast was killed and its body destroyed and given over to the burning fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but an extension of life was granted to them for a certain period of time. 13 I continued watching in the night visions,
and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. 14 He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.
Jesus reveals that not only does the Son of Man approach the Ancient of Days to receive a kingdom, but He also sits on the throne at His right hand -- as Judge and King.
And He will judge all the nations. (Remember the emphasis on "all" at the end of Matthew's Gospel.) Not just the Gentiles, but the Jews as well.
Separating sheep from goats is a normal scene for Jesus' audience. Sheep have a better tolerance for cold (thick wool). Don't get hung up on if Jesus has a problem with goats. That's not His point! The point is the separation, not the wickedness of goats. (And goodness, goats have been dragged into just about every occult iconography in all of history as a result of this. Granted, they have weird eyes.)
The place of honor is at the right hand of the king. In this illustration, where there are only two options, that means the left hand is the place of disgrace.
I think you're just going to be answering questions about background and terminology here. Worry about application after the next section.
Part 2: The Sheep (Matthew 25:34-40)
34 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. 35 “‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
The sheep on the right represent the right-eous. That's not a pun. These words are related.
Be very clear about what Jesus is not saying.
Jesus is not talking about works-based salvation. Note that the righteous were surprised by His response to their actions. Works-based salvation means you do something for the purpose of being saved. That's clearly not why these righteous did these things.
Jesus is not saying that these righteous fixed everything. They did not drag this person out of poverty. They did not rescue this person from prison. They did not heal this person of his disease. They just did what they could. Nothing more.
Jesus is not suggesting that this is a comprehensive list. These are illustrative situations -- a Christian who is hungry, who is alone, who is in danger, who is sick, and who is in prison. Those were common in Jesus' day. Other situations also exist today.
Jesus is not promoting a Social Gospel. I talked about this above -- "the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine" is a clear reference to disciples. Jesus expects Christians to look after other Christians (be conscientious of).
And again, I'm not saying that Christians should only help Christians any more than Jesus was saying that (remember the Parable of the Good Samaritan). I'm saying that at the judgment, proof of one's salvation will be how one treated fellow Christians.
And again, again, this is a major theme in Jesus' words after the Last Supper. I quoted John 15 above. Consider also John 13:
34 I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
This is a big deal to Jesus. Why is it a big deal?
Note the surprise of the righteous. They didn't think of themselves as doing anything extraordinary. They were just living what they thought to be a "normal" life. And that's exactly Jesus' point -- a person transformed by the Holy Spirit in salvation simply does these things. They don't have to be told. They don't think it's a big deal!
Because a church is supposed to be a congregation of baptized followers of Jesus (all true Christians), every church should have a natural way of taking care of the needs of its members to the best of its ability.
At First Baptist Church, our deacons have a ministry for our homebound members, for our widows and widowers, for those in the hospital, and for those in crisis. Many of our Sunday School classes do the same thing. Every day, we publish a prayer list that informs of immediate needs.
How conscientious are you of the needs of your fellow church members?
[Note: the importance of church membership. This is one reason why I believe it is so important for every Christian to be an active member of a local church. That church is your second line of defense against the evils of the world and the destructive power of sin. If you're just "floating through life on your own", how will anyone know when you are in need? Why would you expect anyone to know or care if you have no roots in a community of Christ's followers? This is also a mark against "virtual church" (just like it would be against an "AI pastor") -- is a virtual hospital visit the same as an in-person visit?]
Part 3: The Goats (Matthew 25:41-46)
41 “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me.’ 44 “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help you?’ 45 “Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Don't hold this against goats. They're just part of the illustration. They represent the ones on the king's left hand -- "the wicked". It's a very different scene from His interaction with the righteous. The wicked depart from the king; they are cursed.
Earlier, I talked about the surprise. The surprise is one reason we know that Jesus is not suggesting a works-based salvation. But Carson points out something I had not noticed -- pay attention to what causes the surprise. The "sheep" are not surprised that they are placed with the sheep any more than the goats are not surprised to be placed with the goats. In other words, the Christians are not surprised to be saved, and the wicked are not surprised to be cursed. But they are surprised at the reason given.
In other words, this situation removes all hypocrisy. It's like my class member said -- "It matters what you do when you think no one is watching." God is always watching.
Let's go back to the Parable of the Talents from last week (which Lifeway skipped but I recommended you cover). God was equally pleased with the servant who earned 5 talents as with 2 --
25:21 Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.
compare with
25:34 Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
It's not about the "quantity" (or even the "quality"); it's about the heart.
But what about the person whom God cursed in that parable? They did nothing with their "talent" (indeed, they said negative things about God -- they wanted no part of God in their life). Their wickedness was their selfishness and the blind eye they turned to everything else.
That's what Jesus is talking about here. These wicked ones simply paid no attention to what was happening around them. Their "world" ended at their nose. Proof of salvation includes a love for one's fellow Christian.
1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.
Are you going to argue with John the apostle?
Here, Jesus gives us a hint why that is true. Jesus identifies Himself with us. When He died on the cross, He took our sins upon Himself. As Paul says, we died with Christ. When we minister to one another, we are ministering to Jesus. When we reject one another, we are rejecting Jesus.
Paul (when he was still Saul) learned this lesson well --
Acts 9:3 As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul said. “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting,” he replied.
So, there you go. If your heart is cold toward the needs of your fellow church members, that's a really bad sign. You might need your own come-to-Jesus moment like Saul had. At the very least, talk about that with your Bible study group.
Maybe this passage has reminded you that every Christian has needs, and Jesus cares about those needs. Maybe God has given you the ability to meet them. But in any event, you can most certainly care and help and love.
God doesn't expect you to solve the problem -- just to be aware and to do what you can.
And finally, this passage is a harrowing reminder that according to Jesus, everyone who is not His follower will be cast out from the presence of God into eternal punishment. The damnation of the wicked is a consequence of their own choices.
Like it or not, that's what the Bible says. It's why Christians are to take all of these things so seriously. One day, these things will happen.
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