Sheep and Goats

“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.” 
(Matthew 25:31-33 NCV)

Am I a Sheep or a Goat? 

In recognizing the duality of human nature, these verses lead us into a dramatic pause where we really have no choice but to ask the question above, which am I?  As the seconds tick by, our minds may also have time to wonder which is more desirable, the Sheep or the Goat?  Then as the third second ticks on we will find ourselves wondering about Left and Right – where would I rather end up?  Are the destinations significantly different or is it simply like having an even or odd street address? 

Odd or even?  Left or right?  Sheep or Goat?  Ohhh, my aching head.  There are way too many options here.  Where will I end up? Will it be a place of comfort or discomfort?  Is there anything I can do to stack the deck?  Am I good enough to be chosen rightly?

As it turns out, Jesus plans to tell us which is which.  Over the next thirteen verses he clearly outlines on what basis the sorting is made; what can be done to affect the outcome; and what the ramifications will be after the sorting.  Here’s a small sampling of how he identifies the Goat people:

“I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.” 

(Matthew 25:42-43 MSG)

Uh-oh. I think I’m feeling a sudden kinship with goats.  Surely he doesn’t mean this in the strictest sense, right?  I mean, I’ve sent money to the Red Cross and have even volunteered in a soup kitchen once.  Isn’t that enough?

“‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed 
to do one of these things to someone 
who was being overlooked or ignored, 
that was me—you failed to do it to me.’

(Matthew 25:45 MSG)

“Whenever?”  Did he really say ‘whenever’?  Ouch.  That can’t be good.  But what about all the other stuff?  What about weekly church attendance and ushering and singing in the choir and tithing and small group attendance and Bible study and...  Am I really being sorted as a goat simply because I didn’t give that homeless guy last week any time, food or money?  Is serving those who are poor, hungry, homeless, and in prison really that important?

““Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.” (Matt. 25: 46 MSG)

Oh.  I guess it is.

Joy in Mudville

”But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift.”  (Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 MSG)

Eat, Drink, and be Merry!  This certainly doesn’t sound biblical, does it?

And yet, it may be entirely possible that we take life all too seriously at times.  This chapter in Ecclesiastes leading into the quote above is the well-known “for-everything-there-is-a-season” verses.

There is a time for everything,
    and everything on earth has its special season.
² There is a time to be born
    and a time to die.
There is a time to plant
    and a time to pull up plants.
³ There is a time to kill
    and a time to heal.
There is a time to destroy
    and a time to build.
⁴ There is a time to cry
    and a time to laugh.
There is a time to be sad
    and a time to dance.
⁵ There is a time to throw away stones
     and a time to gather them.

There is a time to hug
    and a time not to hug.
⁶ There is a time to look for something
    and a time to stop looking for it.
There is a time to keep things
    and a time to throw things away.
⁷ There is a time to tear apart
    and a time to sew together.
There is a time to be silent
    and a time to speak.
⁸ There is a time to love
    and a time to hate.
There is a time for war
    and a time for peace.

So why are we so darn serious all the time when it comes to our faith?  Why do we feel that when we are having fun, something must be wrong or we become overwhelmed by feelings of guilt?  Perhaps we think we are sinning in some way when we experience unbridled joy.  Should our feelings of happiness and joy be considered sinful?  Are feelings of seriousness, worry, and fear to be considered more appropriate forms of “religious” or “worshipful” attitudes?

Yes, in some churches, worship services can become a little raucous at times and in our small groups, there are usually times of laughter as we tease one another in loving ways.  But when we “get-down” to important worshiping, studying, praying, or sharing, our brows knit and our attitude becomes quiet, if not somber. 

As we face the beginning of the New Year and, once again, develop a list of things we want to do or achieve to make our lives better, we have to remember that in God’s created meristic world, there is balance.  When there is no laughter in Mudville, there is no God.  When we remain serious at all times and never find time to dance, we grow out of balance and the lives we are called to live along with the ministries we are called to lead become less than half of what God inspired.

“Be full of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy.”

(Philippians 4:4-7 NCV)

May you be filled with the joy and peace of Christ this New Year.