Are you a Sheep or a Goat?
Posted on Nov 26, 2017 by Shera Payne No comments
Today is Christ the King Sunday.
In verse 31 it says:
31 ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ”
The image here is of Jesus in his power, glory and splendour; the splendour of the King.
We also see in this passage the separation of sheep from goats.
So, what are the characteristics of goats and sheep:
Goats – Independent, huge appetites, motivated by their own desires, selfish-based.
Sheep – they require a lot of help to keep them alive. If they fall on their back it’s difficult for them to right themselves. Sheep get distressed easily, but they calm down when a leader or shepherd is around, and learn to trust him.
One thing they have in common as we see in verse 35,36 and 42: nobody knew where to find the King:
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink…”
The question here is “When did I do that?”. Are you surprised when Jesus shows up?
Love, sacrifice, and service are what God’s Kingdom is about. The opposite to this is what the world professes; celebrity, money, fame.
People expect to see a king in a palace, but instead we see Jesus on a cross.
When did you last see Jesus?
Where are you looking for him?
We can see him easily enough in our every day, ordinary lives if we participate in his Kingdom, deliberately and intentionally.
As we prepare for Advent, which for the Church of England is the start of the Christian calendar, we look back over the last year to see where Jesus has been. We then look forward, to see where he will be. Jesus meets us in a stable, on a donkey, and on a cross.
How we decide to live our lives matters.
Let’s focus on helping to build the reign of Jesus here on earth.