Sheep and the Goats

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

The Bible is filled with powerful words that can actually move my heart to want to change. One of the more powerful passages (for me) is from Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus tells the story of what will happen in the Day of Judgment. The story is commonly referred to as “The Story of the Sheep and the Goats”. In the story, Jesus tells us that the only difference between the sheep and the goats, according to this scripture, is what they did and didn’t do.

We are saved by grace, not works; but how we live and care for one another make a huge difference as to whether or not we are really followers of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus replied: “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. ‘This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ‘There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)

One of my favorite versions of Matthew 25:31-46 comes from Keith Green; a Christian song writer and singer who died way too young in a plane crash. Keith, in his own unique way, re-tells the passage in modern conversation between Jesus and the sheep and the goats. The video only takes 7 or 8 minutes; but what is that in light of eternity?

Here is Keith Green’s version of Matthew 25:31-46