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.
Matthew 25:32
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Sheep and goats
This is the end of Jesus' last great discourse in Matthew. First the Son of Man on a throne, with all the nations before him. Then something from village life. Shepherds let sheep and goats graze together during the day. In the evening they separated them.
The striking thing: the flock doesn't sort itself. The shepherd does that. We are often quick to sort people into good and bad. Jesus keeps that judgment to himself. That is serious. But it also brings rest: I don't have to sort anyone.
Question for today
Which judgment about someone else can I hand back to Jesus today?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the shepherd who will one day judge rightly. Take the judging of others out of my hands, and keep me humble about my own place. Amen.
My prayer
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