📖 Biblical Definition
Christ's climactic Olivet parable in which the Son of Man, returning in glory, separates all nations as a shepherd divides sheep from goats — the sheep on the right inherit the kingdom; the goats on the left depart into eternal fire. The visible mark separating them is treatment of the least of these my brethren: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoner.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
SHEEP, n.
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An animal of the genus Ovis, the most useful of the domestic animals. Sheep and goats — in the parable of Christ, the symbols of those approved and disapproved at the last judgment.
📖 Key Scripture
Matthew 25:32 — "Before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats."
Matthew 25:40 — "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
Matthew 25:41 — "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
Matthew 25:46 — "These shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern Christianity wants the inheritance without the brethren's test.
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The Sheep-and-Goats parable is the most uncomfortable judgment passage in the Gospels for modern evangelicals. The dividing line on the King's left and right is not creedal subscription, not church attendance, not even doctrinal precision — it is treatment of the least of these my brethren. The hungry fed; the stranger taken in; the naked clothed; the sick visited; the prisoner remembered.
This is not a works-righteousness verse. The sheep are surprised by the King's approval — they did not know He was in the prisoner. Their care for the brethren grew naturally out of saving faith; they were sheep before they fed sheep. But the parable is also unmistakable: faith that does not feed the hungry is not the faith of the sheep. James 2 says the same thing in different words. Examine yourself. The King is coming; the line will be clear; the surprise will be permanent.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek probaton (G4263); eriphos (G2056).
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Usage
"The line in Matthew 25 is real and final; the surprise will be permanent."
"Faith that does not feed the hungry is not the faith of the sheep."
"The least of these my brethren — the King hides Himself in them on purpose."