The Sheep and the Goats- Matthew 25:31-46
Why does Jesus put special emphasis on “the least” of his brothers?
Bible Study
Matt 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32 “All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
33 “And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 ‘for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36 ‘I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 ‘When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39 ‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 ‘for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
43 ‘I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
45 “Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
46 “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
(NKJ)
Food for Thought
1. How do people usually determine whether they should be nice to somebody?
2. What is the difference between sheep and goats?
3. What is the relationship between “a stranger” and “a prisoner?”
Bible Study
4. According to Jesus, how will the people on earth be divided? (25:32-33)
5. Why will the group on Jesus’ right hand be blessed? (25:35)
6. Are people divided into sheep and goats on the basis of their faith or their works? (25:35-36)
7. What criterion will Jesus use to bless the people? (25:40)
8. What will cause the goats to be judged? (25:42-43)
9. What defense will those on Jesus’ left use to justify themselves? (25:44)
Kingdom Dynamics
10. What kind of king is Jesus?
11. What kind of kingdom is he trying to build?
12. Does everybody we meet represent Jesus?
13. Should you treat every person in your life as if they were Jesus?
14. Does Jesus identify himself with the poor of this world?
15. Is Abraham the father of Moslems?
16. Is God the father of unbelievers? (Eph 4:6)
17. Who are the brothers of Jesus?
18. Why does Jesus put special emphasis on “the least” of his brothers?
19. Does Jesus have rich brothers?
20. Why should a man who commits a crime and is imprisoned qualify for special treatment?
21. Would Jesus be in support of a ministry established to cater for the poor?
22. What is the basis of Jesus’ interest in the poor?
23. Does Jesus have an interest in increasing our material welfare?
24. In what specific way has your faith in Christ changed you?
25. Who are the needy people around you and what can you do for them?
26. Why are there no other categories but sheep and goats?
Practical Christianity
27. Are you prepared to suffer persecution for confessing the words of Jesus?
28. Are you prepared to forsake all for the sake of the gospel?