Sheep and Goats

Rev. Matt Wietfeldt, director of admissions and director of the Christ Academy program at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus concludes His final discourse by teaching His disciples about His coming in glory on the Last Day. Though Jesus compares the Last Day to a shepherd separating sheep and goats, this is not a parable; rather, Jesus is describing what will actually happen on the Last Day. As God and man, Jesus will sit on His glorious throne and separate those who have faith in Him from those who do not. The sheep are those blessed by God with the gift of faith in Christ. They will inherit the kingdom the Father has prepared for them from before the foundation of the world. Their works of love for their neighbor have been done because they are in Christ; all that has happened to Him has happened to them. The goats are those cursed because they have rejected Christ’s salvation. Though they assume they have done good works, they have not because they are not in Christ. The goats are sent into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels, but the sheep are welcomed into the eternal kingdom of God that is theirs as a gift because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. “All Righteousness Fulfilled” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that digs into the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The first evangelist proclaims Jesus to Jews and Gentiles alike as the fulfillment of God’s saving words and acts throughout the Old Testament. As the Christ in the line of David and Abraham, Jesus is the promised King who comes to bring sinners from every nation to live under His gracious reign.