Wednesday, January 22, 2020
“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.” (Matthew 25: 32 – 33) 

                Perhaps, it takes an old goat like me to raise goats.

                It has become my retirement fantasy to own a small hobby farm and raise a few animals. At first, I was just interested in donkeys. But ever since I started watching some of the veterinary-based  TV shows, like The Incredible Dr. Pol,  I have become fascinated with goats, especially pygmy goats, miniature versions of the typical herd goats. They are cute as the dickens, playful, smart, easily trained, and just fun to be around from all that I see.

And oh yeah, maybe still a couple of donkeys. Apparently, they get along with goats very well and will act as guardians of the flock.

                For Christmas, I received the book, Raising Goats for Dummies, everything one needs to know about keeping, caring and living with goats. Sure, they take a little work each and every day, but I am only thinking about having a few of them, not a gigantic herd of little goats. They are relatively low maintenance, as long as you pay attention to their basic needs. I would not be raising them for meat or dairy or their fibrous fur (angora goats). I don’t want to breed them, but simply train them to be friendly and safe, especially around the grandchildren.

                Dang, but they are cute. And the grandchildren aren’t bad-looking either!

                Once my love affair with goats began, I became a little distressed about Jesus’ parable in which the king separates the sheep from the goats. The “goats” are the bad guys in the parable. They are the people who are accursed (25:41) because they didn’t care for the needs of the poor, the hungry, the imprisoned, the sick and those in rags. They are shocked and amazed at the claim of their ineptitude as Christ-followers. But just because they didn’t recognized Jesus in the people who had such great needs, it doesn’t keep them out of hot water with Jesus.

                Now I don’t feel about sheep the same way as I do about goats, so I am wondering why goats are used as the metaphor for thoughtless and uncaring people in the parable. Goats and sheep were a sign of wealth, blessing and prosperity in the Old Testament (see for example, Genesis 24:35). The more sheep and goats a man had, the more prestige and affluence he enjoyed and was deemed successful among his peers. Goats were a necessity for their milk, meat and hides.

                But only goats were used for sacrifice for sin offerings. Goats paid the penalty for individual and corporate sin (Leviticus 4:23, 28).  Most of us are familiar with the term, “scapegoat”. It too comes from OT laws and customs. Once as year, a goat was chosen to “carry the sins of the people into the wilderness.” (Lev. 16:8) We are given the picture the priest “will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness. As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land.” (Lev. 16:21-22, NLT)

                PETA would have a hissy-fit.  But it does sound very odd and harsh by today’s standards. Thankfully, animal sacrifices are no longer a part of our religous customs  although scientific tests on animals are not much different really. Nevertheless, perhaps, and it is only my personal conjecture, that it is this image of the sins of the people on the head of the goat which has shaped Jesus’ parable.

                What is important here is not the animal per se but the neglect by those who are failing to do  the loving work and compassionate deeds that Jesus requires of us. Jesus stressed that others will best recognize the love of God by our personal acts of love. He insisted that his followers copy his example to “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind” (Luke 14:13) into our feasts and celebrations, to include them and make room for them at the banquet table of our Lord. The “sheep” in the parable get it, “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!’” (Matthew 25: 40, NLT) 

                I guess when I get my little goats, we are going to have to have a little talk.


Dale