Sheep and Goats, Lambs and Rams, Shows us Where the Kingdom of God is at Hand

 

In some offerings, a goat and a lamb are used interchangeably. For instance, on a fellowship offering, you could bring a lamb from your flock or a goat and offer it to the Lord (Leviticus 3:6,12) or even an Ox (Leviticus 4:10).

As some were called to be female and some male, I could see where it would take experts in the law to keep it all straight. In many cases, the sacrifice had to do with stature. I understand that male goats or lambs were more costly than female. Rulers were required to sacrifice male animals, while common people sacrificed female. Leviticus 5:7 tells us that if anyone can’t afford a lamb, they could bring two doves or two young pigeons for penalty for their sin.

While goats and lambs are sometimes both allowed interchangeably as a sacrifice, the goat has a special role as a scapegoat. In Leviticus 16:9-10, one goat is chosen by lot as a scapegoat and the other for the Lord. The one for the LORD is sacrificed as a sin offering. And the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat is presented alive before the LORD to be used in making atonement by sending it into the wilderness.

Sheep, as we see them also used later in Matthew 25, are symbolic of an attitude and a way of living. Here, Jesus makes a clear distinction between sheep and goats. Here, they represent people. In these incredible verses, Jesus also gives us a picture of what His return will look like and with it, Him separating people into the categories of sheep and goats.

He says about His return, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put sheep on the right and goats on His left.” (Matthew 25:31-33)

Sheep are submitted, trusting, follow along with their shepherd. They are soft and gentle and often need some help by their Shepherd to survive. Their nature is loving, kind and patient. Sheep also produce by just being who they are not by what they do. They grow a heavy coat that needs to be sheered down and can be used for clothes for others. They always have something to give out of just who God created them to be.

Sheep are symbolic of those that are sacrificial as Jesus was the Lamb who was slain. And it says about Christians, that if we want to be His follower, we must give up demanding our own way and take up our cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). He goes on to say that if we try to hang onto our lives like goats, we will lose it, but if we sacrifice it like sheep led to the slaughter we will save it.

Sheep are symbolic of the meek. They are the ones who, like spoken of in Micah 6:8, do what is good and required of them: do what is just, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. They represent those who follow, are submitted, trusting, sacrificial, soft and gentle.

In Matthew 25:34, the sheep are the ones that made a difference with who they were (this new nature they are given). It says, “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, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

They didn’t’ even realize they were doing this and ask, when Lord? And the reply was, “Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brother and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40).

Sheep represent the redeemed nature. Those who have been redeemed will display this new nature. Like wool, it will grow out of who they are in their new nature and not on works or performance. They will demonstrate a meek and sacrificial nature that just naturally looks out for others and makes room for them.

This is compared as a goat being the opposite. Goats are typically independent by nature, self-willed, stubborn, strong willed, and resistant. Rather than go along and follow the shepherd, they are resistant, stubborn and push and shove to get their own way. Goats are taking and not patient to wait their own turn. And they eat and take in anything as they are always craving more.

In Matthew 25:41-43, Jesus says that those who are ‘goats’ are cursed, “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.”

Again, they ask, when did we see you and not help you and He said that He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Matthew 25:44).

Goats here represent our sinful nature. In our sinful nature, we are unable to give and produce from a pure heart. Our works are burned up in the fire. While we may consider ourselves as ‘good’, in our old sinful nature, we are unable to fulfill the calling that God has for our lives to be fruitful and multiply. It is only as we receive Christ and die to this old nature that we bear fruit.

Like sheep, in being trusting, meek, sacrificial and non-resistant, we are called into fulfilling the Lord’s purpose for our lives to produce and make a difference. While those who stay unredeemed cannot fulfill this call. Goats even paint a picture of being resistant to fulfilling one’s call.

Jesus says in these verses that the sheep (those with the redeemed nature) will fully inherit the Kingdom of God that was prepared for them from the salvation of the world. So what is He speaking of here?

The Kingdom of God came as Jesus came to the earth. Jesus says in Luke 9:27 that some standing there at that time would not die until they see the Kingdom of God. And Mark 1:15 says, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.

He is the also the Door and the Stairway that angels come up and down from heaven. This is because Jesus created the open heaven as He fulfilled the law and was baptized (Matthew 3:16). When we accept Christ, we are seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). It goes on in the next verse to say the reason for this is “in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7)

We have entrance into this Kingdom realm, are to learn how to access it through Jesus and the Covenant, and to live out of it. It is not hard to find or difficult to enter. Everyone who asks receives; the door is wide open when one knocks (Matthew 7:7). We are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and we will have all that we need provided by the Lord (Matthew 6:33). As mentioned in Ephesians, it demonstrates His incomparable riches of grace expressed to us.

We also know what the fruits of the Kingdom of God look like. It is the opposite of the “kingdom of this world” that is rooted in indulgence. Romans 14:17 tell us “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

The Kingdom of God is accessed through fulfilling the law and righteousness so only Jesus could open the way. He is the only One who is worthy. Along these lines, in Matthew 5:19-20, Jesus tells us that anyone who disregards even the least of the commands, will be least in the Kingdom of heaven, but those who practice and teach them, will be called great. Yet, without righteousness greater than the Pharisees and teachers of the law, one cannot enter (Matthew 5:19-20).

It is impossible, especially for those who see themselves as “rich” to enter the Kingdom of God but all things are possible with Jesus as He made the way. As Christians, Matthew 5:3 tells us that those who know their need (are poor and meek like sheep) and seek Jesus, are blessed because theirs is the Kingdom of heaven – giving them access to unlimited resources.

Jesus tells parables in Matthew about what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. He says it is like a great treasure that it is worth selling all you own to obtain it (Matthew 13:44-45). It is like a fishing net that gathers all good and bad and separates and holds onto all that is good while the bad is discarded (Matthew 13:47-50).

He also says that someone who is a teacher of the law and becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like an owner of a house that has old and new treasures (Matthew 13:52) which speaks of both its pricelessness as well as authority upon entering.

It is also like the smallest of all seeds that, when planted, grows into a fruitful tree that is the center of the garden (Matthew 13:32). In addition, He says it is like yeast that when mixed in with the dough, impacts the whole batch and rises (Matthew 13:34). This demonstrates that even a small sliver from the Kingdom of God brings things into line.

I other words, it is this immense inheritance that is a priceless treasure. It influences everything it touches and gives one authority, like the owner of the house. It also is incredibly fruitful and noticeable. It is this Zoe material of life that brings fruitfulness out of everything.

It cannot be described as one single thing like miracles, deliverances, healings or other signs. But yet, it contains them. It also cannot be described as the blind seeing and the lame walking but it includes them. It includes freedom, grace, and incredible authority.

Jesus tells John, as a representation of the Kingdom of God upon them in Luke 7:22, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:20 that the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk and discussion but of His power. His power causes everything to transform and flourish. We are not to conform to the world but be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit in renewing our minds by His Word.

In all of this, Jesus tells us in the verses in Matthew 25,34 that when He comes and returns, He not only will separate out those who know Him and have the new nature from those who resisted, were strong willed, independent and refused to believe in Him. But, He will provide this full inheritance of the Kingdom of God that has been prepared for us since the creation of the world. We will no longer live in two realms. We will live fully out of this unseen Kingdom realm that is nothing like the kingdom of this world. We will have incredible authority and life abounding everywhere.

Lord Jesus, we long for more of Your Kingdom to come and more of Your will to be done. Let it pervade the world around us in a way that shifts what is wrong to that which is right, from that which is resistant, craving and self-willed to that which is sacrificial, gentle, humble, meek and filled with Your power.