The Sheep and the Goats
When did we see you hungry?
This teaching speaks of God's final judgment, eternal fire, and eternal punishment.
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Jesus: The one the Gospels present as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. Here he calls himself the Son of Man and the King.
- The disciples: Jesus's closest followers. They are listening in private (24:3).
- In Jesus's picture: All the nations, the angels, the people on the King's right, and the people on his left.
Setting
- The Mount of Olives, a hill across a small valley from Jerusalem and its temple (24:3).
When
- Two days before Passover, about 2,000 years ago (26:2). This is the last teaching Matthew records before Jesus is arrested.
Before the Story
Jesus is talking about the end. His disciples asked him about "the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age" (24:3). His answer fills Matthew 24 and 25.
The Son of Man. This is the name Jesus most often used for himself. It comes from the prophet Daniel, who saw "One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven" (Daniel 7:13).
This is a teaching about the last day. Jesus describes the day he will judge the world. Christians call it the Last Judgment.
Here's what you know that almost nobody in this story knows: In a few days, Jesus himself would be a prisoner. He would be stripped of his clothes and given sour wine to drink (27:28, 27:48).
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The King on his throne | 25:31-33 | All nations gather. The King separates them |
| 2. "Come, you who are blessed" | 25:34-36 | The King welcomes the people on his right |
| 3. "When did we see You?" | 25:37-40 | They are surprised. The King explains |
| 4. The people on the left | 25:41-45 | The King sends others away |
| 5. Two ways to go | 25:46 | Eternal punishment and eternal life |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 5The King on His Throne
Jesus sat with his disciples on the Mount of Olives. He told them about a day in the future.
On that day, the Son of Man will come in his glory. All the angels will come with him. He will sit on his glorious throne. A throne is the seat of a king.
Jesus was talking about himself. At that time he was a traveling teacher with no home of his own. But he said that someday he will sit as King over the whole world.
"All the nations will be gathered before Him" (25:32). People from every nation on earth will be there.
Then the King will separate the people one from another, "as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats" (25:32). This is a comparison. Jesus's listeners knew the picture. Shepherds often kept sheep and goats in one flock, and sometimes they sorted them apart.
The King will put the sheep on his right. He will put the goats on his left.
Scene 2 of 5"Come, You Who Are Blessed"
The King will speak to the people on his right. "Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (25:34).
Inherit means to receive something as a gift because of whose family you are in. This kingdom was not built as a prize for them. God got it ready for them before the world began.
Then the King will tell them why. "For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat" (25:35).
The King will go on. "I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in."
"I had no clothes, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you looked after me. I was in prison, and you visited me."
Scene 3 of 5"When Did We See You?"
The people on the right will be confused. The Bible calls them "the righteous" (25:37). They will ask, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?" (25:37).
They will keep asking. "When did we see you as a stranger? When did we see you with no clothes? When did we see you sick or in prison?"
When these people helped, they did not know they were helping the King. They saw only a hungry person. They saw only someone sick or locked up.
The King will answer them. "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me" (25:40).
The least means the smallest and the most easily ignored. The King says he was there all along, in those people in need.
Scene 4 of 5The People on the Left
Then the King will turn to the people on his left. His words are hard to hear. "Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (25:41).
Cursed is the opposite of blessed. It means cut off from God's favor.
The King will tell them why. "I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink."
The King will go on. "I was a stranger, and you did not take me in. I had no clothes, and you did not clothe me. I was sick and in prison, and you did not visit me."
These people will be surprised too. They will ask, "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?" (25:44). To minister means to serve and take care of someone.
The King will answer, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me" (25:45).
Scene 5 of 5Two Ways to Go
Jesus ended by telling where each group will go. "And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (25:46).
This is one of the hardest things Jesus ever said. He said it plainly, and so we say it plainly too.
Jesus finished this teaching. Then he told his disciples that the Passover was two days away. He said he would be handed over to be crucified.
About two days later, Jesus was arrested (26:50). The King became the prisoner. His own disciples ran away (26:56). Soldiers stripped him of his clothes (27:28).
Then Jesus went to the cross. The Judge on the throne gave his life for the very people he will judge.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "The Son of Man comes in His glory" (25:31) | Jesus will come back as King. Christians say this in the Apostles' Creed: "He will come to judge the living and the dead." |
| "As a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats" (25:32) | This is a comparison. Only Jesus knows who is who. People do not sort each other. |
| "Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (25:34) | God's kingdom is a family gift. God planned it for his people before they had done anything at all. |
| "When did we see You hungry" (25:37) | The righteous did not know they had served the King. |
| "The least of these brothers of Mine" (25:40) | People who are small, poor, or easy to overlook. Christians read this phrase in two ways. See the alert below. |
| "The eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (25:41) | The fire was prepared for the devil, not for people. The kingdom was prepared for people (25:34). |
| "Eternal punishment" (25:46) | The King says "Depart from Me" (25:41). So eternal punishment means being sent away from God's life forever. This is a hard text. See the alert below. |
Back Then
Sheep and goats in one flock. Shepherds often kept both animals together. Jacob's flocks had sheep and goats (Genesis 30:32). Goats were a big part of a family's wealth (Easton's Bible Dictionary).
Goats were good animals. Families drank goats' milk (Proverbs 27:27). Goat hair was woven into curtains for the tent of worship in the wilderness (Exodus 26:7). The Passover lamb could be taken "from the sheep or the goats" (Exodus 12:5).
The right side. In the Bible, the right hand is the place of honor. A king seated his most trusted one at his right hand (Psalm 110:1).
Literal Reader Alert
Are goats bad animals? No. This is a comparison. Jesus uses sheep and goats because shepherds sorted them. God made goats, and the Bible treats them as useful and good. Some older books treat the goat in this passage as a picture of wicked people (Easton's Bible Dictionary). But the picture is about sorting, not about goats.
Can I earn heaven by doing enough good things? No. The King says "inherit," and an inheritance is a gift (25:34). The righteous did not even know they had served the King. Paul wrote, "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). Good works grow out of faith, like fruit grows on a tree. See the Good News below.
Am I a goat if I haven't helped enough? Everyone has walked past someone in need. Jesus's own disciples ran away when he was arrested (26:56). After he rose, he still called them "My brothers" (28:10). This teaching is not a test for you to grade yourself. Jesus said, "the one who comes to Me I will never drive away" (John 6:37). If this fear stays with you, talk with a pastor or someone you trust.
Who are "the least of these brothers"? Careful readers have asked about this for centuries. Many Christians say it means every person in need. Others point to how Jesus talks about his followers in Matthew. He calls them his brothers and sisters, his brothers, and "little ones" (12:49-50, 28:10, 10:42). Either way, the church is called to serve. Paul wrote, "let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith" (Galatians 6:10).
What about eternal punishment? Christians have struggled with this passage for a long time. Jesus meant this warning seriously, and we don't explain it away. The Bible describes eternal punishment with pictures like fire and darkness (8:12). Christians do not agree on every detail. But we know who the Judge is. He is the same Jesus who said, "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him" (John 3:17). When this passage feels frightening, look at Jesus on the cross. Jesus on the cross is the clearest picture of who God is. If this story brings up big feelings, talk with a parent, pastor, or trusted adult.
What if I'm the hungry one? Then Jesus is saying he is with you. Jesus does not think less of people who need help. If you don't have enough food or a safe place to live, please tell a trusted adult today. In the United States, you can call 211 any time. It is free, and it connects you to local help with food and housing.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The people on the right | Surprised | They did not know they had helped the King (25:37-39) |
| The people on the left | Surprised | They did not think they had ever passed him by (25:44) |
| The King | Close to the needy | He says what was done for the least was done for him (25:40) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
How does this teaching feel to you? Tap one.
I'm the hungry one
Jesus says he is with people who are hungry, sick, or alone. You are not a burden to him. Please tell a trusted adult if you don't have enough. In the U.S., you can call 211 for local help with food and housing.
I haven't done enough
Nobody has. Jesus's own disciples ran away. He still called them his brothers. Your place with God is a gift from Jesus, not a score.
Afraid I'm a goat
Jesus never drives away anyone who comes to him (John 6:37). Talk with a pastor about this fear. You don't have to face it alone.
I want to help
Start small. A meal, a visit, a kind word. Jesus says he is there in the person you help.
It's really bad right now
You can tell God exactly how you feel. Please also tell a trusted adult today. In the U.S., call or text 988. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
You Might Have Heard
"To get into heaven, you have to do enough good deeds."
What's true: Jesus cares deeply how we treat hungry, sick, and lonely people. He counts what we do for them as done for him (25:40).
What the passage is mainly about: A King who is present in the least, even when nobody sees him there. The people on the right did not earn the kingdom. It was prepared for them before the world began (25:34). They did not know they had been serving the King. Their love grew from a life joined to Jesus. Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Love is the Spirit's fruit too (Galatians 5:22).
Where Jesus is: He is on the throne, and he is in the prisoner. A few days after this teaching, Jesus became a prisoner himself, and soldiers stripped him (26:50, 27:28). He took the judgment on the cross so that sinners could hear, "Come, you who are blessed by My Father" (25:34).
Good News
This teaching shows us the Law, what God asks of us. Every one of us has walked past Jesus in someone who needed help.
But look at who the Judge is. He is the King who died for the people who deserted him. Paul wrote, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). In Baptism, God puts you in Christ and names you his child.
Then something new happens. Loved by God, we start to love the people Jesus loves. We don't do it to be saved. We do it because we are saved.
The kingdom was prepared for you before the world began, and Jesus gives it to you as a gift.
Big Idea
Jesus, the King who will judge the world, gives his kingdom as a gift and meets us in the least of his brothers and sisters.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
The Augsburg Confession (1530) was written by Philip Melanchthon, Luther's co-worker, and Luther approved it. Article 6, "Of New Obedience," teaches that faith is bound to bring forth good fruits. We should do the good works God commands, because God wants them. But we should not rely on those works to earn being right with God. Being right with God comes by faith (Concordia Triglotta English, 1921).
In his Preface to the Epistle to the Romans (1522), Luther said faith is a living, busy, active thing. It does not stop to ask whether good works should be done. Before anyone asks, faith has already done them. Luther's words fit the people on the right in Jesus's teaching. They were surprised to hear what they had done for the King.
In Church
Many churches follow a reading plan called the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads Matthew 25:31-46 on Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday after Pentecost, in Year A. It is also read on New Year's Day every year. Many Lutheran churches keep January 1 as the Name of Jesus instead, with other readings.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.
How did that feel?