Jesus was talking to His followers about the final judgement (Matthew 25:31-46, New Living Translation).

But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.”

Then these righteous ones will reply, “Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?”

And the King will say, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!”

Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, “Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.”

Then they will reply, “Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?”

And he will answer, “I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.” And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

Over more than 20 years in China, I’ve been on the receiving end of both sheep and goat behavior.

The goats have treated me with wariness, warned people to stay away from me, and when hundreds of thousands of people in my home country were dying because of COVID, they treated me like a pariah.

Overwhelmingly, though, people in China have been much more like sheep. Most I’ve met don’t know the Shepherd and have never read these words of His. Yet, they’ve invited me—a stranger—into their lives and homes.

Around the world, people like me could tell story after story about the hospitality we have received though living as strangers in faraway places. Communicating with us requires effort—I think of my sometimes halting attempts to speak Chinese. But over and again people gladly and willingly stretch their circles to include us. Every single time we break their social rules, they forgive. Even when we know exactly what we’re doing wrong, choose to stick to our norms anyway, and then sometimes piously explain why our ways are better, they respond with grace and offer hospitality again.

When He comes in His glory, I don’t know what the King will do with this sheep-like behavior. I wonder what He will say to people who have not called on His name but have been sheep to people like me. Even giving a cup of cold water to the lowest of His followers makes them eligible for a reward.

On the other side of the ocean in my home country, news articles and social media posts from people who call on the King’s name cause me to wonder again about the day of judgment. What will He say to those who cry out, “Lord! Lord!” but then bleat like goats.

What will the King say to some of those who years ago sent people like me off to the nations as ambassadors of peace? Although perhaps at times doubting our worthiness, they trusted us to love in Jesus’ name. They poured out their hearts before the throne on behalf of the least we wrote home about.

Now, paradoxically, as the nations move into my birth country, the stranger into our communities, some of these same people have closed their hearts. Like the prodigal son, they appear to be squandering their inheritance on selfish living. Like his older brother, they seem too afraid of losing their position to join the celebration. The joy of forgiveness is for every sinner, younger or older, insider or outsider, legal or illegal. Us and Them.

Having worn the label myself for many years, my heart aches for the stranger in our midst. I also hurt for the few—I hope they are few!—who with one breath cry out “Lord! Lord!” and with another bleat like goats. O the now and future rewards they’re missing out on! There is joy in connecting across cultural boundaries in this life and a huge celebration to come with every tribe and people and nation and tongue gathered harmoniously around the throne.

What would move these few from lefthand to righthand, from goats to sheep? How can I help them offer dignity with their words and treat the stranger as if she or he is the King Himself? How can I help them love in Jesus’ name?

Photo: Wikipedia Commons