A Goat in Sheep’s Clothing

I believe there are three kinds of people.

There are those who engage in acts of kindness because of what’s inside of them, those who don’t because of what’s not inside them, and then there are those who engage in acts of kindness to make it look like something is inside them that really isn’t.

This brings me to what Jesus talks about in Matthew 25 and 26.

In Matthew 25, Jesus says that at the time of His return, He will separate the goats from the sheep. His sheep will be placed on His right hand and receive the inheritance of the Kingdom of God because…

“I was hungry and you gave something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came and sat with me.”

- Matthew 25v35-36

The goats, however, get placed on His left hand, and do not receive the inheritance of the Kingdom of God because they did not do any of the above for the King.

What’s interesting is that both groups give very similar answers to the Lord’s judgment.

The sheep say, "When did we see you in this state and do these things for you?" And the goats say, “When did we see you in this state and not do these things for you?”

Neither of them believed that they had actually seen the Lord in a state of poverty.

Here’s my point…

Jesus says that when you do these things for the least of these, you are doing them for Him.

He says the poor are just as valuable to Him as any person with perceived status. He makes it clear that to serve them is the same as serving Him, and that choosing not to acknowledge them is the same as not serving Him.

So, is serving the poor because they might be a King the lesson to be learned here, or is that just the work of a goat in sheep's clothing?

Now, in the very next chapter (Matthew 26), the disciples get indignant when a woman pours some very expensive perfume over the head of Jesus. The perfume, the disciples say, could have been sold and that money could have been given to the poor!

Sounds very sheep-like, doesn’t it?

After all, Jesus had just taught them that to serve the poor is to serve the King.

Jesus, however, corrects them and reveals what I think the real truth is: He tells them to do what comes out of the heart as a result of being with Him and seeing what He does.

He goes on to say that what she has done for Him is a very beautiful thing (and insightful I might add), as this woman could see the position of poverty Jesus was taking on. She recognized Jesus as the King, and could see the sacrifice He was making for the salvation of God’s people. So, she did for Jesus what one would do for a person who had died at that time in history, only, she did it before His death.

Her offering came out of a heart that was willing to take a risk because of what love had inspired her to do, and her eyes could see a clear picture of who Jesus was and where He was going.

She actually could see a King as a poor person, and then gave to the poor.

Little should move us more than to see the position our King has taken to redeem us back to love. Jesus saves us from things, but what is awe-inspiring is how He reconciles us to His right hand.

May this truth inspire us this week and in the weeks to come,

Dean