Sheep on the RIght, Goats on the Left

Matthew 25:32 – “The sheep he will put on his right and the goats on the left.”

What does it mean that the sheep are on the right and the goats are on the left? Merriam-Webster has a great discussion of how words that mean ‘left’ or ‘on the left hand side’, in particular the Latin word sinister, are associated with evil. Even “demonic possession.” Words associated with ‘right,’ therefore, mean correct, good, angelic. In English, we have the term ‘right-hand man’ meaning someone we depend upon. This distinction seems to have arisen because only ten percent of people are left-handed. Even though we know that left-handed people are not, in fact, possessed by demons, our language still contains those associations. This parable is part of the reason for that! 

We’ve been discussing these three parables in the context of being ready for Jesus to return. It is no coincidence that the Son of Humanity put the goats on the left. The goats on the left, of course, were wicked. The sheep on the right were good. It is clear that the sheep were ready while the goats were not. Unlike the other parables, this one doesn’t translate well into our own context, because Christians have been reading this parable for thousands of years. We’ve known about the criteria involved, whereas the sheep and the goats are both characterized as ignorant of those criteria.

 

With this verse, the stage is set for the judgment that follows. With this parable, we get another set of criteria, more explicit than the others. Yet, it still boils down to: Love your neighbor. Who is your neighbor? Everyone. Everyone is your neighbor.

While we all hunker down in our homes out of love for our neighbors, let’s not forget that many are not able to. Homeless people, for instance. In Cleveland, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless is using a Days Inn. They have 25 rooms set aside for up to 50 people to shelter-in-place. What is your city or county doing? Contact your representatives and find out. Maybe you could be the catalyst for this in your community.

Whatever you do, stay at home as much as you can to deny this virus opportunities to spread. It’s what the sheep on God’s right hand would do.

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