Matthew 25:31-33

Matthew 25:31-33

And when the Son of Man should come in His glory – and all the angels with Him – at that time He will sit upon His throne of glory.  And all the nations will be gathered in His presence.  And He will separate them one from another – as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  And in one case He will set the sheep on His right and in another case the goats on His left.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

We get three very quick and straightforward teachings in this parable before we even get to the sheep and the goats.  First, it is at the time of the next coming of the Son of Man that He will sit upon His throne.  It is His throne now, but He has not yet claimed it in order to rule over creation.  He is with the Father, but we are still in a time of grace.  God is giving humanity a chance to come to Him.  He is waiting for us to come to Him and receive His gift of salvation.  The throne of glory belongs to Him, but in His grace He has not yet claimed it.  But the time is coming when He will claim it and judge over the nations.

Why is it God’s grace that is responsible for the delay in His coming?  If it is really God’s grace that delay’s the coming of the Lord, what does it say about our perspective when we desire the Lord’s return on our timeline – IE, now?

Second Thought:

Second, all the nations will be gathered.  When the Lord comes, everyone will stand before Him in judgment.  Everyone will come before the Lord and be held accountable for their life and their time in His creation.  None will escape this moment and this judgment.

What does it mean to you that all will come before Him?  Is that a scary thought or a thought with which you have anticipation?  Why?

Third Thought:

The last point that we learn is that there will be a separation.  The sheep go on the right.  The goats go on the left.  In ancient culture, the right hand is the hand that is desirable.  Thus, Jesus is reinforcing the idea that you want to be a sheep and not a goat.  You want to be like the animal that follows and listens, not like the animal that stubbornly does his own thing and lives independent of outside suggestion.

Do we typically think of sheep favorably?  What kind of light are sheep usually cast in?  Are you a natural follower or are you a person who strikes out on their own?  Why is it good to know your tendencies?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 25:34-40