Alternate Plans
Bible Order: Lev 26–27
Chronological Order: Exod 29–31

 

Don’t Be A Goat!

Matthew 25:31–46

Many years ago as a sophomore in high school I performed in our school production of Godspell.  This musical was based on the Gospel of Matthew and I remember vividly the moment in the play that corresponds with today’s reading.  Jesus was separating the sheep from the goats; I unfortunately was a goat and attempted to sneak over to the right side with the sheep.  Jesus caught me and said “No, no Billy, you’re a goat.  Hey you’re a Billy goat!”  A small chuckle was heard from the audience as I sadly slunk back to the left side where I belonged.  Funny then, but how awful it will be when Jesus really does come and separates the saved from the condemned.

Now what was the difference between the lambs and the goats?  Well the lambs fed the hungry, watered the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, and visited the sick and imprisoned while the goats did not.  This seems to be a pretty clear analogy about what Christians are supposed to do, and certainly having compassion on the poor and hurting is a natural thing for a person whose heart belongs to Christ to do.  I think, however, that we are missing an important part of this analogy.

Man does not live by bread alone.  Jesus said that to Satan while being tempted in the wilderness.  In fact Jesus is the Bread of Life and Living Water.  While it is good for Christians to meet the physical needs of needful people, they have even greater needs.  They are dying of spiritual thirst and hunger.  They are estranged from God and their sin is laid bare before Him.  They are sick in their souls and their sin has imprisoned their future in Hell.  A Christian’s job is to offer the spiritually hungry the Bread of Life, and the spiritually thirsty Living Water.   A Christian is to not only welcome but call the lost to the House of God so that they may know Him as their Savior and be clothed in snow white robes.  A Christian is to point the lost to the Great Physician so that they me be made free of the sin that sickens and imprisons them.

When you do this for the least of our fellow man it is as if we were doing it for Christ.

Matthew 25:40 ESV

“…Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

Brothers, don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you volunteer for the soup kitchen once a year or donate clothing to Goodwill or shoved a couple of bucks out the window to the guy with the “will work for food” sign that you’ve met your responsibilities as a child of God; you haven’t.  You should meet the needs of the poor but do not neglect the bigger issue.  Invite people to church.  Tell people about the hope that you have found in Jesus Christ.  Share the Bread of Life with a starving world.  Don’t be a goat!

Have a blessed day!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!