| | | AUGUST | 7 | THURSDAY
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| Sheep or Goats?
“Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
— Matthew 25:40
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| READ: Matthew 25:31-46
REFLECT: Matthew records the parable of the sheep and the goats as the last teaching Jesus gives before the events of his passion unfold. Jesus apparently reserved these words to be the ones he wanted his disciples to remember.
So Jesus tells the story with familiar images. The sheep, humble and obedient, follow the instructions of their shepherd to care for the needy. Once again, Jesus emphasizes the need to act on faith. Works are not the basis for salvation but evidence of it. A changed heart brings about a lifestyle that seeks to treat “the least of these” like members of Christ’s family.
The goat, however, is associated with sin. Much like the goats associated with atonement for sin in the Old Testament (see Leviticus 16), the goats in Jesus’ parable also carry sin. In this case, it is the sin of omission. They are rebuked for what they did not do. There was no action that demonstrated their “faith.”
The sheep had not expected such attention for their actions, since they seemed taken aback by the fact that God noticed their work. This shows that they were not working out of obligation or to receive recognition but to perfect their faith by truly loving their neighbor. Jesus is asking us not just to pray for the needy, but also to actually love them through our actions.
— Jennifer Esbenshade
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| RESPOND: Show me today, Lord, those in need physically, spiritually, or emotionally so that I can be a healing balm in their lives.
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