The right side..? What’s he talking about? Does he mean, the right side verses the wrong side, or is it the right side verses the left side? My answer to that is…yes. I’m pretty sure the first meaning is derived from the second meaning, which in turn has its roots in the Bible. The particular verse I’m referring to is the real topic of this post, but as usual I’m going to meander around for a while before we get there. First, let me ask you this…how do you tell a sheep from a goat?
“It’s a Goat.”
And your answer probably is…”who cares?” Well, my granddaughter for one. This happened years ago, but I will never forget it. It was spring–lambing time, and she and her sisters came for a visit. She was just a little thing, not yet speaking in full sentences, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a mind of her own. She was, and is, a very decisive young lady. Anyway, we were all out near the pasture and I saw the mama ewe’s with their lambs coming up to see if they could get a handout. I picked up my granddaughter and started walking over to the fence, asking her as we went, “Do you want to go see Papa’s sheep?”

Without missing a beat, she adamantly responded, “It’s a goat.” I laughed and gently explained that, yes, the ewe in question did look like a goat, but it that it was really a sheep. She pointed her little finger at the ewe and repeated, “It’s a goat.” We argued about it for quite some time before I finally relented and admitted it was a goat.
As you can see from the picture my sheep do look a lot like goats. But sometimes a goat can also look like a sheep. Either one of those scenarios can lead to big trouble.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Matthew 25:31-34 ESV
That scripture, it’s not a parable, it’s a prophesy. It really is going to happen, and you and I, all of our friends and family, and everyone who ever lived is going to be there. Now it would be nice to think that everyone is going to end up on the right side, the sheep side, but sadly we know that’s not true. We all understand that some people will end up in the goat line. What we won’t understand is why some of them do, and neither will a lot of those goats. That’s where the trouble comes in. If you read on in the above passage (you can do that right now by clicking the “Matthew” link) you’ll see that the sheep are confused about why the Lord considers them to be sheep and goats have the same, only much, much worse problem. And you’ll see this exact scene described again in Matthew 7 when the goats will ask our Lord why they are being rejected after doing so many things for Him. You’ll also notice that the sheep and goats don’t get to sort themselves out, the angels do it–because we can’t. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2. But don’t we still try, and not just with ourselves either, or maybe I should say especially not with ourselves? It is so easy for me to look at someone else and sort them by things like whether or not they go to church, or did they get baptized at some point, or did I hear somewhere that they were already a Christian? Or conversely, that they don’t go to church, and that they like to party or they swear, or…well, you get my gist. So inevitably, based on my observations of what I see on their outsides, “click”, they instantly get moved to the sheep or goat category in my mind. There are enormous issues with either of these scenarios, but let’s spend a few minutes focusing on the most dire problem, mistaking a goat for a sheep. We don’t have to look any further than the most famous goat of all time to know how easy it is to do that.

Jesus knew that Judas was a goat, but the other disciples didn’t have a clue. Many times the Lord told them that one of them would betray Him and invariably they were amazed and would ask who it was. None of them, as intertwined as they all were, could tell that Judas was any different than they were. When the Lord sent out the twelve to proclaim the gospel, cast out demons and heal the sick, Judas was on the team. We might like to think that he wasn’t able to do those things, but we’re not told that. We are told that Jesus gave all of them authority to do those things. And remember, some of those Judgement Day goats are going to cry out that they cast out demons in Jesus name. I’ve also heard people say that Judas might have been saved because he repented; remember he felt so guilty that he even gave the Pharisees back their thirty pieces of silver. But just feeling guilty, or trying to do the right thing, that doesn’t save anyone. The Lord said it would have been better if Judas had never been born. That tells us that Judas did not repent to the point of accepting the Lord’s saving grace, he was not washed by the blood. But he was born, and therefore he still exists today, and he will exist a billion years from now–he just wishes he didn’t. That would not apply if he had ever became a true sheep. Nope, Judas was a goat. But you and I would probably never have guessed that if we had known him personally. And it’s just not good to play a guessing game with anyone else either. Not when we don’t have to…and we don’t–not if we follow the Lord’s example of how to treat goats and sheep.
Care and Feeding of Sheep…and Goats.
Let’s start with this. Q: How did Jesus treat His only goat? A: Just like He did His sheep. I firmly believe a big problem that we, the church, have these days is not treating sheep (each other) properly. If we can get that right it doesn’t matter if we mistake a goat for a sheep or visa-versa. The way we help a goat become a sheep is the same way we help a sheep stay healthy…we do what the Lord told Peter to do…
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” and he said to Him, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. John 21:15-17 ESV
“Feed My lambs…Tend My sheep…Feed My sheep.” This conversation took place at a campfire on a beach between the time the Lord arose from the grave and ascended into Heaven. He wasn’t going to be physically present to feed and tend His sheep anymore…He was turning over most of that responsibility to His body on earth…the church. And it’s not that we don’t know how to do this? If we are in His Word…praying and worshiping in the spirit…and serving His Kingdom; if we are doing those things, we are being fed and tended. But the real key–especially when it comes to dealing with the sheep and goat problem, really comes down to whether or not we are doing this with each other?
Staying after Sunday Service for a potluck to chat with someone about sports, world events, the weather, etc; that’s all well and good, but if those are the only conversations you’re having, you could go through the serving line a dozen times and you’d still end up starved for real food. Now some of you may be saying that we get our food and tending from the sermon, and that’s partially true, but Sunday Morning Christianity alone is a starvation diet. You’re average goat is likely to be quite satisfied with that, but a sheep receiving such meager fare is likely to wander astray. And realistically, there doesn’t seem to be a difference between a wandering sheep and a lost goat…
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20 ESV
I think a quick analysis of the above passage will validate the sheep verses goat problem, and how much we need to be busy feeding and tending to both of them. First, notice the “anyone among you” piece. James is not referring to some outsider; he’s talking about our church brethren, and it could be any one of them. Next, let’s look at the “truth” part. That brother or sister was once standing in the truth before they wandered away from it. Number three, the “whoever turns them back” is directed at everyone James is addressing as brothers; that equals you and I, not just members of the clergy. And finally, the “save and cover” statement. Sheep or goat, if they get turned back, their sins get covered (by Jesus’ blood) and their souls are saved (by God’s grace). All of this raises an important but hard question…what happens to the wandering brother or sister if we don’t go after them and help turn them around? Twist it, turn it, look at it from any direction you want, it still comes down to the same answer…they join Judas in the goat line. So, my final exhortation for all of us is simply to listen to the Lord…if we love Him then we need to feed His lambs and tend His sheep.” I have to tell you, I think if we can all do a better job of that, come Judgement Day, then there will be a lot more of us who end up on the right side of eternity.
May you feast richly on the Bread of Life and drink deeply from the Living Water,
Mike
Postscript. A blog post like this one will likely cause some people to worry about their salvation. So let’s take a gospel minute to look at this most critical of all Christian issues. If by chance you are reading this and have never asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior; if you didn’t recognize that we are all sinners and that only through accepting the grace provided by His taking our sin to the cross so that His blood could wash us clean, but you do know that now; then all you have to do is cry out to Him and the Good Shepherd will not only answer you, He will come running to wrap you in His loving arms and lift you up on high. But it may also be that this post has led someone to question whether they really and truly ever did give their life to Christ? That in and of itself is not a bad thing; in fact Philippians 2:12 directs us to ‘work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.’ I stand by my earlier assertion that we can’t be absolutely certain of anyone else’s salvation, but the Word of God wouldn’t tell us to work out our own salvation if it couldn’t be done. The only way I know to do that is by studying the scriptures, the ones that deal with salvation, and ensuring they apply to us. Now there are many, but most of them are repeated several times over; and there are a couple of key fundamentals that run through all of them. First; is Jesus really your Lord? Is that a full blown truth and not just a title or a catchphrase? Is He your number one priority and do you count everything else in your life, even the most cherished things, as rubbish in comparison to Him? This is a hugely important theme throughout all scripture. Second; do you really know Him? Again, this is a much repeated theme. On Judgement Day the Lord will tell many professing Christians to depart from Him because He never knew them. So, ask yourself and give an honest answer…do you really know Him? If that is in question, then get to know Him. The way to do that is to spend time with Him: time with Him in His Word, time with Him in prayer, and just time abiding in Him. If Jesus truly is your Lord that shouldn’t be too hard to do. And the great news it that if you are lacking in these areas, they can easily and instantly be overcome by simply crying out to the One who’s eyes search to and fro across the earth looking to support those who’s heart belongs to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). But also remember, the Lord’s preferred method of providing that support is through His other children. With that in mind, as soon as you’ve gotten right with the Lord, please get busy feeding and tending to the rest of his sheep. One final note; all of this applies to wayward sheep as well. When we wander and stray we desperately need to return to the Shepherd…our first love. But to do that all we need is to cry out to Him, He is ever faithful. You can trust me on this, if it weren’t true, instead of this post being a few weeks later than I’d intended, it wouldn’t have been written at all.
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