The Sheep and The Goats

"Christians who take a neutral stance in the conflict between Israel and her enemies, or worse, side with the enemies of Israel, prove themselves to be the "Goats" of the parable of "The Sheep and The Goats". This demands repentance. The outcome for those who ignore this warning is everlasting fire. Hatred of Jews is by definition hatred of Yeshua the Jewish Messiah and Saviour of all who receive Him."

-Yaakov Ben Yehoshua

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
 
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Matthew 25:31-46
 
Introduction
 
Matthew chapters 24 and 25 record a series of warnings from Yeshua regarding the last days. What begins as a literal warning of events and the coming of, “The Son of Man,” continues in chapter 25 as a series of משלות mashlot/parables that reinforce the weightiness of this teaching.
 
For those who are misled into predictive eschatology (theology of the end times), it’s important to note that all of these parables are premised on the fact that, “The day and the hour are unknown” [Deut. 29:29].
 
Yeshua is quoted at the end of chapter 24 as saying:
 
“Therefore, be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”
 
–Mattitiyahu/Matthew 24:42
 
And at the beginning of chapter 25 says:
 
“Keep watch therefore, for you do not know the day or the hour of My return.”
 
–Mattitiyahu/Matthew 25:13

“6 Then they gathered around Yeshua (Him) and asked Him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ 7 He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority.’”
​
–Acts 1:6-7
 
The משלות mashlot/parables of chapter 25 are all warnings, beginning with the parable of the ten virgins and continuing with the parable of entrusted wealth, Yeshua intends to emphasize the fact that one who genuinely follows his Lord, acts righteously without a second thought.
 
The counterpoint to this is the wicked servant or servants, who are preoccupied with selfish inaction.
 
Yeshua is not changing the rules of salvation here. These parables do not teach that righteous acts bring about salvation, on the contrary, they show that righteous acts are the natural outworking of an already transformed person.
 
Yeshua places great importance on identifying Himself as, “The Son of Man,” prior to the telling of these משלות mashlot/parables. Why is that? He is bringing His Jewish listeners back to the beginning of the end, the prophecies of the great prophet Daniel and his contemporary Ezekiel. We will be unable to understand the משל mashal of the Sheep and the Goats if we do not first understand what it means for Yeshua to be, “The Son of Man”.
 
The Mashal (Parable) Of the Sheep And The Goats
 
31 “And when the Son of Man comes in His Kavod (glory), and all the malakhim (angelic messengers) with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the goyim nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of 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 invited Me in;36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to 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 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers and sisters of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ 41 Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been 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 did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
 
-Matthew 25:31-46
 
The Mashal (Parable) Of The Sheep And The Goats begins:
 
31 “And when the Son of Man comes in His Kavod (glory), and all the malakhim (angelic messengers) with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
 
-Matthew 25:31
 
Who is this mysterious “Son of Man”?
 
13 “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. 14 “And to Him was given dominion, glory and sovereignty, over all the peoples/tribes (ethnic), nations (national collective) and human beings (humanity) of every language, that they might serve Him, His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.
 
–Daniel 7:13-14
 
Many have attempted to explain away this title as nothing more than a generic term referring to human beings, saying that Yeshua simply uses it as an example of what we can become.
 
While this may be true in some cases, it is not true in the context of this passage. On the contrary, the rabbis’ have understood this term to be Messianic for thousands of years. One rabbi in particular, Rabbi Nachman of the Talmud Bavliy, when commenting on Amos 9:11, calls the Messiah, “Bar Nafle—Son of the fallen (house of David).” In other words, “The one who will restore the fallen house of David,” that is, the Messiah. The Hebrew, Bar Nafle is generally assumed to represent the Greek equivalent phrase, meaning, “Son of the clouds,” which refers to the Messiah coming in the clouds as alluded to in Daniel 7:13-14.
 
By using the title Son of Man, Yeshua knew that His Jewish listeners would identify it as a reference to the coming Messiah. It’s important to note that Yeshua’s candid admission to the High priest in Mark 14:62 is immediately followed by His being condemned by the High priest:
 
“I AM,” answered Yeshua. “Moreover, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of HaG’vurah (The mighty/powerful One) and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 63 At this, the high priest (Kohen hagadol) tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? 64 You heard him blaspheme! What is your decision?” And they all declared him guilty and subject to the death penalty.
 
–Mark 14:62-64
 
Yeshua uses this title a number of times in the New Testament and is clearly referencing His second coming (Mark 8:31; Mark 14:62; 2 Th. 1:7; Rev19:11-16).
 
As a contextual concern relating to our present mashal/parable, we must consider the preceding chapter of Matthew and in particular the quoted words of Yeshua in Matthew 24:30-31:
 
“And, then the banner (nisi) of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the land (eretz: land of Israel) will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. (Daniel 7:13) 31 And He will send forth His angelic messengers with A GREAT SHOFAR SOUNDING and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect (Israel, empirical, ethnic—not the Church) from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”
 
- Matthew 24:30-31
 
Yeshua is quoting two key passages from the TaNakh (OT) here.
 
First, He quotes Zechariah 12:10-14, which refers to the day when the people of Israel (empirical, ethnic) will mourn over God Whom they’ve pierced as they would mourn over a firstborn son (John 19:37).
 
Second, He quotes the Daniel 7:13 passage, thus affirming His status as the Son of Man and the One Who will gather Israel (empirical, ethnic), the elect from the corners of the earth. This event happens prior to the separating of the nations (goyim) in the mashal/parable of the Sheep and the Goats.
 
Understanding this chronology is essential in order to properly understand the mashal.
 
The calling and ingathering of Israel, the elect (empirical, ethnic, not the Church), happens prior to the gathering together of the nations. Why is this? It’s because Judgement comes first to the Jews and also to the goyim (nations) [Romans 2:9].
 
32 All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
 
-Matthew 25:32
 
Although Israel is a goy (nation), she is not included here. As we have seen from the context of this portion of Matthew’s gospel, the elect people of Israel have already been gathered prior to this scene in the parable of the sheep and goats. Yeshua indicates in verse 40, that the righteous acts of the sheep have been done to His brothers and sisters, fellow Jews. Therefore Israel (empirical, ethnic), is not part of the gathering of nations in this mashal/parable.
 
In fact, throughout the Bible whenever God speaks to chosen, ethnic Israel through His prophets concerning the nations, He is distinguishing the nations from Israel, the Jewish people. Thus, in this parable Yeshua’s Jewish listeners understand that He is NOT including them in the gathering of the goyim, whom they understand to be everyone other than Israel, the Jewish people.
 
Why does Yeshua use sheep and goats to represent the righteous and the unrighteous? Are sheep more righteous than goats? Of course not. Though many have sought to give more complex meaning to this symbolism, the truth is that it is an example much like that of the agricultural example of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-30). Anyone who has seen a picture of wheat and tares growing together will agree that it is very difficult to determine one from the other. The same is true of the varieties of sheep and goats herded in the land of Israel and throughout the Middle East. The point is that it’s the farmer or the shepherd who is best equipped to identify one from the other.
 
33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
 
-Matthew 25:33
 
The symbolism here is simple, the right hand is the hand of strength, progeny, righteousness and power; whereas the left hand is a symbol of weakness, subjugation, loss and condemnation.
 
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
 
-Matthew 25:34
 
Who are these sheep? They are blessed of the Father and have been chosen to be His children from before the creation of the world. They will inherit the kingdom, Olam haba, and everlasting life.
 
We know that no one can come to the Father except through the Son (Yeshua) [John 14:6]. We also know that followers of Yeshua (Jesus) are chosen from the foundation of the world [Eph. 1:4]. In addition, we know that those who have accepted Messiah have been promised eternal life [John 3, 4].
 
Therefore, the sheep are Gentile disciples of Yeshua, the Gentile component of the Ecclesia, Body of believers (Church), put simply, the sheep of this parable are Gentile Christians.
 
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 invited Me in;36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to 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 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
 
-Matthew 25:35-39
 
Notice that the sheep are unaware of their many acts of righteousness. Why is this? It is because as believers in Yeshua we act from His life in us rather than from our fallen nature. We don’t act righteously in order to win His approval, on the contrary, we act righteously because we have His approval. All that we do for Him is sin because it is initiated from our desire to save ourselves through our own actions, however, all that we do from Him is righteousness, that is, Messiah in us works mitzvot (good deeds).
 
Thus, we act in Him and with Him as lovers of His ethnic brothers and sisters the Jewish people. Notice that this requires action. When the Jewish people are attacked and Christians fail to act to protect them, or side with the enemies of Israel, or remain neutral, they prove themselves either to be grieving the Holy Spirit and in danger of discipline, or devoid of the Spirit of God’s Son. This will require repentance or the result will be everlasting torment for those who act this way.
 
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
 
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
 
We should take great comfort in the fact that this parable doesn’t threaten our eternal security, rather it shows us that we need not keep an account of righteous deeds or manufacture deeds of our own, rather, we should simply live according to the Spirit of Messiah in us and in doing so we will act righteously of Him rather than of our sin nature.
 
40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers and sisters of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
 
-Matthew 25:40
 
It’s true that we should act in righteousness toward all human beings, however this mashal/parable doesn’t teach this as a general principle, rather it’s addressing the specific acts of righteousness that believers who live among the nations perform toward the Jewish people (Israel, ethnic, empirical).
 
Some will say, “The brethren Jesus (Yeshua) refers to here are all believers, because He says elsewhere, ‘Those who do the will of my Father in heaven are my mother and brothers’” (Matthew 12:46-50). However, here Yeshua makes a clear distinction between those that act righteously (the sheep) and those who have been the recipients of that action (His brothers and sisters), therefore the sheep are the believers that act righteously toward the “brothers and sisters” of Yeshua. The brothers and sisters therefore, are chosen, empirical, ethnic, Israel, Yeshua’s brothers and sisters by blood, the ethnic progeny of Jacob the Patriarch.
 
41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been 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 did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these My brothers and sisters, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
 
-Matthew 25:41-46
 
This is just one of many times that eternal punishment is spoken of in the Bible. The Greek aionion literally, figuratively, metaphorically and allegorically means: forever, perpetual, eternal and everlasting. This punishment is not hades or hell but the eternal fire that comes after the final judgement [Rev. 20:14-15].
 
Some have said this parable is simply an allegory and really refers to something temporal or something that isn’t quite as bad as it sounds.
 
If as some say, it’s simply an allegory then one must accept that it’s an allegory for something that is spiritually eternal and torturous (Rev 20:14-15). An allegory cannot contradict itself in conveying its message.
 
The same Greek word, aionion (eternal) is used to describe eternal life (John 3:16; 4:14; Acts 13:46; Romans 6:22 to name a few). Is our hope in eternal life really just a hope in temporary life? Seriously, what would be the point? A curse on that idea!
 
The same Greek word, aionion (eternal) is used to describe God Himself (Romans 16:26). Is God not eternal? What utter nonsense it is to suggest that there is no eternal punishment simply because we don’t like the idea of it. What are we being saved from if not the rightful punishment for our sin? What hope do we have if neither God nor His promise of life are eternal?
 
Thank God, we do have an eternal hope in Him through His Son our Messiah Yeshua.
 
We note that the unrighteous (goats) are as surprised as their counterparts.
 
“Surely, we’ve helped the poor and the sick, when did we not help them? Show us some specific examples.”
 
Yeshua’s answer is plain, allow me to put it into a modern context for you:
 
“When you didn’t stand up for my people Israel, the Jewish people (chosen, empirical, ethnic) while the nations verbally abused them, the majority media siding against them. When you didn’t help the Jewish poor and sick, when you rallied against them in the streets and helped to send them to labor camps and prisons where they were murdered. When you supported so called social justice groups that opposed my people’s safety and their right to self-defense. When you hid beneath the guise of open-minded liberalism while My people were being bombed and persecuted from every side. When you prayed prosperity for the enemies of Israel, the Nazis, the Palestinian majority, the nations of the Islamic dominion, and their satanic cause. When you posted online in support of the genocidal cry of the Palestinian people, who chant for the annihilation of the Jews “From the river Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea”, echoing the Nazi final solution. When you remained neutral, falsely claiming moral equity between My people and their enemies because My people Israel chose to defend themselves against their enemies, who have raped Jewish women, lynched and murdered Jewish civilians, cut of the heads of Jewish infants. When you denied the legitimate claim of the Jewish people to their God given land and the right to live un-harassed in the Land of Israel. When you rage against them, that’s when you reject Me the Jewish King Messiah and Savior of all those people who come to Me. You have failed to recognize Me! Away with you into everlasting punishment, But the righteous will go into the Olam Haba—Eternal life.”
 
Copyright 2023 Yaakov Ben Yehoshua (Brown)