An old friend of mine who grew up in Chicago remembers that it was a goat who led the sheep into the slaughterhouse. My reply was to say, "I guess it matters who we follow."
I know what I meant. Do you? I'd be interested in hearing what you think about this Matthew 25 idea...
P.S. To comment, click on the word comment, not on the icon that looks like an envelope, okay guys?!?
Hi Whitney, I tried to look up this in the bible but I could not find this reference. I wanted to be able to make an intelligent comment. Could you send me a reference? Thank you. Hope you and Barry are well!
ReplyDeleteIt's the sheep and the goats distinction made in Matthew 25:32-33 and actually continues through the end of the chapter. Thanks for asking. I think the sheep - goats distinction is kinda important!
ReplyDeleteI finally had Dan help me set this up so I can comment on your post, so here goes: I like to eat lamb, and I am glad that a goat leads the sheep to the slaughterhouse. This way, the sheep know what to do and they are not afraid. The whole reason for these particular sheep having a life is to die to feed people, and pehaps to make something out of their skins. So this is not the same thing as a sheep being stolen from the flock by a wolf or lion. (Me and my contrarian views....)
ReplyDeleteYay, Wildermom -- yay, Dan! Interesting take on the purpose of some sheep. Here's what I know: I'm glad I am not counted among them. I believe the Shepherd pulled me out of that crowd heading into the slaughterhouse. Why me, I don't know. My guess is that my mother must have been praying the whole time (and I thought she was just sitting there). If not her, then who? My gratitude is great that He chose me to be a sheep in His good care, and not a goat destined for the slaughterhouse.
ReplyDeleteThis comments comes from Sheila in Nova Scotia, who tried to post it but for some reason could not.c There seems to be some problem with my comment feature -- I guess the best advice is to write down your comment until it finally takes -- or send it to me and I will post it for you. So -- here's what Sheila thinks about the sheep and. the goats:
ReplyDelete"Your friend was referring to the “Judas goat,” etymology obvious, which was trained to lead other animals, both into the slaughterhouse but also in general herding and management. The whole sheep/goat imagery in the bible is interesting. In Matthew’s parable the sheep are the saved and the goats are the damned. In Isaiah it is those who have gone astray who are compared to sheep. In Leviticus the goat takes on the sins of the community and is driven out to die with/for those sins, thus offering the community salvation. John the Baptist declares "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" when he sees Jesus. In Exodus it is specified that the lamb of atonement can be either the young of a sheep or a goat. Jesus is both sheep and goat - the lamb who takes away the sins of the world, and the scapegoat. That is, the scapegoat prefigures, if you’re into Old Testament foreshadowing of the New Testament, the figure of Agnus Dei."
"As for the particular parable under discussion, I’m afraid I tend to disregard the subtext about the damnation of those who don’t receive the messengers of early church with due respect and stick to the obvious lesson about treating others as if they were the lord himself. It isn’t possible but we are called to at least try. We all carry the spark of divinity, after all."
Thank you, Sheila, who encouraged me to do this blog in the first place. I hope others will chime in, because I don't want to be the only flight on this radar screen. All I can say is that I agree with you that all humanity if implanted with a divine spark -- I just don't agree on what that spark is. "Heliotropism" is my concept of what we are implanted with -- a yearning for relationship with our Maker that compels us to seek the "Sonlight" as a daffodil seeks the sun. But many of us anesthetize that yearning and many never even find their way through the hard ground. Without the "sun" we find all things impossible, but in the Son, we are led into full bloom. I am a sheep, and He is my Shepherd, and I live in Psalm 23. Honest!
ReplyDeleteWow - so true. May I follow closely after the Shepherd.
ReplyDeleteYay, you found us, Shannon! Thank you very much for the comment, and please feel very free to pipe up here anytime. I post weekly and notify peeps via FB, e-mail, and Twitter -- their preference. You are a welcome voice and welcome here to speak truth in love s best we can -- edifying, encouraging, sometimes exhorting... anyway, WELCOME!
ReplyDeleteInteresting dialogue - all I know is, I don't want to follow any goats - and there are enough out there.
ReplyDelete