Dear Explorer,
Let's look at the third story that Jesus told in this series of teachings during His last week on earth as a human.
Read Matthew 25:31-33
Jesus is speaking to the crowds, so He is teaching very simply and clearly.
Who is the Son of Man?
This is just another name for Jesus (His favorite).
When does this story happen?
When Jesus comes back to earth the next time. We're told that He will sit on His judgment throne and call all the nations before Him. That's a LOT of people.
Now instead of a parable, He's telling what will actually happen. Here He uses a simile to help us understand. Jesus says that the people from all the nations will be divided into two groups like what?
People will be divided just like a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. Jesus will put the sheep on His right and the goats to His left. That brings us to a question.
How do shepherds know the difference between sheep and goats?
I decided to study this several years ago and downloaded and printed 15 different pictures of both sheep and goats. I mixed them up and passed them around to my class of adults and asked them to write down whether each picture was a sheep or a goat. They looked at all 15 pictures and made their guess. What do you think was the result?
50-50 on most of the pictures. In other words, you can't tell by looking!
If you think it's easy to determine, then download a bunch of pictures of sheep and of goats and you'll find that you can't tell the difference either. A lot of sheep look like goats and a lot of goats look like sheep.
But you know what? The shepherd knows the difference because he's worked closely with them and loves them individually. Sheep and goats are two completely different species – they do not mate with each other. They are as different as horses and dogs. So, it would not take a shepherd long to figure out which category the sheep or goat fits into – but you can't tell by just looking at a picture!
Now, Jesus says He will divide people into two categories just like a shepherd does. He knows which category to put them in based on their behavior toward the other animals!
But here's the big truth I want you to fully understand.
Following Jesus is not a religion. Following Jesus is not a belief system. Following Jesus is not a bunch of rules and regulations. Following Jesus is a relationship with Jesus such that when you invite Him into your life, He transforms you into a different species! Over and over in Scripture we see references to the old life and the new life. We see references to the old man and the new man. We see metamorphosis. We see a change that transforms who we are at the very core of our being. Throughout history, we have seen men and women who have been transformed from their old way of thinking and being and doing to a brand-new life, a NEW WAY of living.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17
Now there's one more word picture that I want you to understand here. When a shepherd needed to separate a sheep or goat, he couldn't just yell, “Hey, sheep – go to the right and you goats go to the left.” No, he generally called them by name – like you would a pet – or sometimes he whistled for them – each one knowing their personal whistle. In other words, it was done personally, one by one. The shepherd knew his sheep and goats intimately and he led them where they needed to be.
I believe that that picture helps us to see that Jesus didn't just say – all you people from Canada go to the left, or all you people from the Philippines go to the right. No. I believe the picture that Jesus gives is one of personal attention and intimacy with each one individually.
We'll continue this discussion tomorrow.
In His service, dale
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