The Sheep and the Goats

Jesus taught with a weighty image about the Son of Man coming in glory, with the angels, and sitting on his glorious throne. All the nations are gathered before him. Then he separates people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats, placing one group on the right and the other on the left.

In this teaching image, the King welcomes those on his right. He calls them blessed and says they will inherit the kingdom prepared for them. He explains that they gave food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the needy, visited the sick, and came to those in prison.

The righteous are surprised. They ask when they ever saw the King hungry, thirsty, a stranger, without clothes, sick, or in prison, and helped him. The King answers that whatever they did for one of the least of his brothers, they did for him.

Then the King speaks to those on the left. He tells them to depart into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, because they did not help him when he was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, without clothes, sick, or in prison. They also ask when they failed to help him.

The King replies that when they did not do these things for one of the least of these, they did not do them for him. Jesus ends with a sober contrast: these go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. What does this teaching ask us to notice and do?