Fleece as White as Snow
Mt 25:33
"And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left."
Been thinking about this teaching of Jesus. Trying to figure out why goats are sent to the left. I kind of like goats. There is a farm close by where I, on occasion, feed them hay. They don't seem particularly wicked. In fact, compared to sheep who are kind of generic-looking and dull, goats are pretty cool...they are colorful and have hip beards and spots and all. Probably would be funner to go to a loud and crazy goat party. The sheep would all probably sit around and play board games and drink Pepsi, nibbling on Nilla wafers, all night.
What is it about goats that make them doomed for Hell? The best I can discern is that goats are independent. They do what they want to do. Sheep, for all of their stupidity, at least know one thing well. They follow...except for the really stupid one, who wanders off and gets lost. But, Jesus does not speak of 99 sheep out of a 100 getting lost. It is one. The other 99 stay close. With goats, it would probably be the 99 getting lost (if they were being herded) with one staying close.
Now, I am pretty sure that both sheep and goats are about the same I.Q. So, the difference is not intellectual; it is a inclination of dependence vs. independence from what I can tell. I am no expert on sheep vs. goat cognitive abilities though. Not a major emphasis in my Ph.D program.
If we follow Jesus, we are going to do what He did while on Earth. These verses make it clear that we are to serve other sheep. And sheep are pretty simple creatures. Sheep need water, food, warmth, and protection. A "sheep" sermon would not do much good to the flock if it was only mere words with no action. The sheep know the Good Shepherd's voice and His voice is connected to actions.
After the snowstorm, a couple of neighbors and Lina and I went around the neighborhood to help shovel people out. I nicknamed ourselves "Amish Snow Removal Services" because it was all by hand and shovel alone.
We on the crew started to joke around to pass the time and to distract us from the drudgery. I joshed that all of this snow shoveling could be equated to "works righteousness." I joked that with every shovel-full of snow that I heaved, I was lessening my weight of sin guilt. Then, to show that I was not depending on works to be saved, I was going to quit shoveling and start drinking beer instead in my Great Room, leaving my neighbors snowed-in. My fleece is already white as snow...why not go relax? Why break my back if I was already saved?
I am going to try and work through "works" this week....
"And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left."
Been thinking about this teaching of Jesus. Trying to figure out why goats are sent to the left. I kind of like goats. There is a farm close by where I, on occasion, feed them hay. They don't seem particularly wicked. In fact, compared to sheep who are kind of generic-looking and dull, goats are pretty cool...they are colorful and have hip beards and spots and all. Probably would be funner to go to a loud and crazy goat party. The sheep would all probably sit around and play board games and drink Pepsi, nibbling on Nilla wafers, all night.
What is it about goats that make them doomed for Hell? The best I can discern is that goats are independent. They do what they want to do. Sheep, for all of their stupidity, at least know one thing well. They follow...except for the really stupid one, who wanders off and gets lost. But, Jesus does not speak of 99 sheep out of a 100 getting lost. It is one. The other 99 stay close. With goats, it would probably be the 99 getting lost (if they were being herded) with one staying close.
Now, I am pretty sure that both sheep and goats are about the same I.Q. So, the difference is not intellectual; it is a inclination of dependence vs. independence from what I can tell. I am no expert on sheep vs. goat cognitive abilities though. Not a major emphasis in my Ph.D program.
If we follow Jesus, we are going to do what He did while on Earth. These verses make it clear that we are to serve other sheep. And sheep are pretty simple creatures. Sheep need water, food, warmth, and protection. A "sheep" sermon would not do much good to the flock if it was only mere words with no action. The sheep know the Good Shepherd's voice and His voice is connected to actions.
After the snowstorm, a couple of neighbors and Lina and I went around the neighborhood to help shovel people out. I nicknamed ourselves "Amish Snow Removal Services" because it was all by hand and shovel alone.
We on the crew started to joke around to pass the time and to distract us from the drudgery. I joshed that all of this snow shoveling could be equated to "works righteousness." I joked that with every shovel-full of snow that I heaved, I was lessening my weight of sin guilt. Then, to show that I was not depending on works to be saved, I was going to quit shoveling and start drinking beer instead in my Great Room, leaving my neighbors snowed-in. My fleece is already white as snow...why not go relax? Why break my back if I was already saved?
I am going to try and work through "works" this week....
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