Joel Russell-MacLean

Summer Series at First Baptist: The parables of Jesus from the Gospel According to Matthew.

Jesus engaged listeners with his parables. They weren’t straightforward and required reflection. Even after hearing the same story, time after time, there seems to be still more. Jesus also used them to present people with a choice. Would they hear and understand? Would they listen?

We conclude our summer series with the fitting, if unsettling, final story from Jesus.  “The sheep and the goats” is admittedly not a parable. While describing a scene of a final judgement for every human being, Jesus slipped in a snapshot of a shepherd separating animals in a flock. Even if it isn’t a parable, it isn’t a straightforward, literal description of exactly what will happen. The whole scene is a mix of story and “apocalyptic” (a dramatic genre of Jewish writing of those days). The severe message can’t be missed. Jesus is the king and is coming to judge every human being. We will be held accountable.