Growing up in America I always thought of sheep as short round and fluffy, goats on the other hand were rather tall, skinny, lean and of course had horns. Not too hard to tell the difference between the two. Consequently I never thought a big deal of the fact that Jesus separates the sheep from the goats. After all who can’t tell the difference? In India I ran into a little different perspective. The sheep are leaner, skinner and taller (although perhaps they only appear taller because they are leaner). The other week near Cudapah we drove up to a field where sheep were grazing. I knew instantly that they were sheep. There was no doubt about that in my mind. But what I found odd was that I didn’t know why I knew they were sheep. There was nothing in particular about them that I could point to and say that is the difference that is what makes them sheep and not goats. And although I knew those were sheep out there in the meadow, if someone had stuck a goat or two in among them I probably would not have known it. In fact I think it was Todd Ohlmann1 who was with me at another time in the car and said to me, “look at those sheep,” Except when we got there we saw they were not sheep but goats. At which point I told him it was a good thing he was not in charge of the separation on the last day.
My guess is that this is far closer to the way it was in Jesus’ time than my childhood images. That the very fact that Jesus can perfectly divide the sheep from the goats is a testament to His status as the Good Shepherd, thoroughly knowing his own and knowing his own despite how similar they are on the outside. This is also a reminder of what we see on this Earth. Often from the outside the sheep and goats look a lot alike. In fact I think it happens often that the goats look more like sheep than the sheep do, going far out of the way to help the poor and needy, while the sheep sit in church thinking I give my ten percent to church that is enough. This is very dangerous on two fronts; first because it makes Christ’s name a thing of mockery among the heathen. Christopher Hitchens’ recently wrote a best seller entitled God is not Great in which he attempts to prove that no God exists, or at least that all the religions of the world are phony. At one point he makes a statement to the effect that he has found that those who preach forgiveness and love are often the least likely to practice it. 2 There is no doubt in my mind that this is true in many instances. Christians can often be far more condemning of those who have fallen into sin even after they have repented than atheists. Contrary to what Hitchens’ says this of course doesn’t prove anything about the validity of the Bible, all it proves is that those who claim the name of Christ often fail to live lives reflecting Christ. The other danger comes from the Christian perspective when he sees secularists being far more loving than people in his own church, looking far more Christian than the Christians he knows, and begins to wonder if after all there really is a difference. This is of course a danger that Christ warns about in the parable of the wheat and the tares (or weeds for those of who speak modern English). Christ makes it very clear in that parable, that yes sometimes it will be very difficult to tell the difference but that this is not our job. He reminds us that it is not our duty to try to separate them and that if we were to try we would almost certainly pull out some of the wheat and miss some of the weeds. What we need to worry about is do I look like a goat? Can people tell when they see me that there is something different about me? Do I reflect the light of my Savior in my life? This is something we need to worry about not for Christ’s sake, He knows the difference we can’t fool him one way of the other, but for our neighbors sake. For the sake of those who do not yet know Christ. Can they tell the difference? As James says do they see our faith by our works? Because if they can’t see our faith in our works I assure you they can’t see it anywhere.
Once I realized that I didn’t know what the difference really was I thought I would ask and find out. I So I asked our men there, what is the difference? How can you tell apart the sheep from the goats? The response I got was that the goats hold their heads up but the sheep keep theirs down. Both animals of course must bend their heads over to eat, but the rest of the time sheeps’ are down, goats’ are up. What a wonderful description I thought about the true difference between Christians and non-Christians. What reason does a sheep have to raise its head? It has perfect trust and confidence in its Shepherd. He will lead it to good grazing ground. He will protect it from every danger. The sheep is content to graze and eat and need worry about nothing, the Shepherd is standing over head. The sheep can concentrate on the job at hand, pulling those succulent morsels of grass out of the ground. The goat however has no trust and no faith in the Shepherd. It must at all times constantly be on the alert for danger. It must at all times constantly be on the lookout for its own welfare. How else will it make sure that it gets to the choicest grazing first? How else will it make sure that it receives its fair share? The goat must keep its head up whenever possible to look out for number one, after all who else is going to do it for him? But the sheep relaxes in perfect contentment glad to leave that task up to it Shepherd, enjoying the gifts that He has given to it.
Praise be to God that He has given such a Shepherd to us.
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