One of the unique things about God’s character is that God never rushes to judgment.
Why does Jesus wait until the end of the age to do the separating? I can think of one important reason. If there is further food for thought beyond who the sheep and the goats are it would be this. Why Does He Wait Until the End to Separate Them? I believe within this one passage it sums up the difference between the sheep and the goats. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. It wasn’t usually the socially elite, but often it was the least of these. When you study the Gospels, pay attention to the ones Jesus spent time with. Jesus did this constantly when he walked the earth. This could be food, shelter, or maybe just companionship. In many instances, the best way to open the door to preach the gospel is to simply meet a need someone has. The sheep because they care for the flock recognize this. Sometimes before you can address the spiritual need of an individual you must acknowledge their physical need. I think there is another truth here that we need to understand about the people Jesus is talking to. The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ – Matthew 25:40 The Gospel in Action When we do this, we are doing it unto Jesus. Yet, these are the very ones that Jesus loves and encourages us to show love and compassion to. Maybe they get the short end of the stick. What these people all have in common is that these are the ones that often get rejected in our society. If we are going to be the body of Christ, then we can’t look past these people. They exist in every ethnic group, age range, and literally all throughout our society. The truth is that there are those in our society who are the least of these. Jesus uses a term in verses 40 and 45 calling them the least of these. The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the unclothed, the sick, and the prisoner. I think it is important not to overlook or casually dismiss the ones that Jesus mentions in these verses. 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. - Matthew 25:41-43 Notice the Ones Jesus Mentions Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Instead of caring for these Jesus loves they despise them. In fact, they display their love for Jesus by how they show love to the ones that Jesus loves. Clearly, these people care about the herd. If sheep tend to be more content to stay with the herd then this is a perfect description of those people here in Matthew. Here is a direct quote from their website which I think is very helpful in understanding this analogy Jesus used. To help me understand the differences I turned to National Geographic. I’ve seen lots of dogs, cats, and pigeons but not sheep and goats. Since I am not a farmer or shepherd, I grew up in NYC and there are not a lot of goats and sheep walking around NYC. If we are going to talk about sheep and goats let’s consider what their natural characteristics are like. What Is the Nature of a Sheep and a Goat?
After all, what is so special or different about sheep and goats? When you begin looking closely at what Jesus says especially after making this analogy it brings into clear perspective who are the sheep and goats that Jesus is talking about in Matthew 25. Yet, this comparison causes me to wonder why Jesus would use such an analogy. In the middle of a conversation with his disciples about the end of the age, Jesus begins to talk about, of all things, sheep and goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.