The Sheep and the Goats

What do Christians believe about ‘eschatology’? To do... In this passage from Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus uses imagery which would have As you read, been familiar to people in Israel at the time when he lived, of a shepherd dividing highlight what his animals into diff erent types. This passage is about what Christians call the passage ‘eschatology’, beliefs about the last days of the world. (‘Eschaton’ means about says will be the last things in ancient Greek.) Like most early Christians, Matthew was sure done by that the end of the world was very close. people who are righteous In this passage, it is Jesus who is speaking. (on the right) To do... and by the Who do others (on the “When the Son of Man comes as King and all the angels people need left), using a with him, he will sit on his royal throne, and the people to help others diff erent colour of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he in order to for each. will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd be called separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the ‘righteous’? righteous people on his right and the others on his left. Jesus often Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, referred to you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess himself as ‘the the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since Son of Man’. the creation of the world. I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed ‘Righteous’ me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and means behaving you visited me.’ The righteous will then answer him, in a pure, fair and ‘When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or just way. thirsty and give you a drink? When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, By ‘members of my family’, and visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever Jesus probably you did this for one of the least important of these meant all people, members of my family, you did it for me!’ or possibly all To do... Christians, not “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Away from me, you just his literal that are under God’s curse! Away to the eternal re which What do you family. has been prepared for the Devil and his angels! I was think is meant hungry but you would not feed me, thirsty but you would by the ‘eternal not give me a drink; I was a stranger but you would not fi r e ’ ? welcome me in your homes, naked but you would not clothe me; I was sick and in prison but you would not take care of me.’ Then they will answer him, ‘When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and would not help you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you refused to help one of these least important ones, you refused to help me.’ These, then, will be sent o to eternal punishment, but the righteous will go to eternal life.”

Matthew chapter 25 verses 31-46

© Bible Society 2017. Permission is granted for copies to be made for use by your school. Matthew isn’t describing an actual event – this is a passage with symbolic In addition to meaning. There are different ways to interpret this story, but Christians usually heaven and understand it as meaning that at the end of the world, Jesus will return and hell, Catholics everyone who has lived will be judged by him. People who have lived a also believe righteous life will go to heaven and the others, who have been unrighteous, in purgatory, will go to hell. where souls undergo a time of purification in To do... order to become holy enough to List three actions that Jesus describes List three actions that Jesus describes go on to enter as righteous. as unrighteous. heaven.

What will happen to the righteous What will happen to the unrighteous people? people?

What does this passage tell Christians today about how to treat others?

How might they put this into practice in their everyday lives? Try to relate your answer to the work done by charities and how Christians could be involved with it.

© Bible Society 2017. Permission is granted for copies to be made for use by your school. This passage comes from the second letter which Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, probably in 53 or 54 CE. Like the story of the sheep and goats, this is an ‘eschatological’ passage – it tries to explain what Christians believe will happen at the end of people’s lives. Paul uses a tent as an image to represent his and his readers’ human bodies.

To do...

In this passage, every time it refers to a tent, write ‘body’ next to it.

For we know that when this tent we live in—our body To do... here on earth—is torn down, God will have a house in Answer the following heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, questions by drawing lines to the right part(s) of the passage: which will last for ever. And now we sigh, so great is our desire that our home which comes from heaven should What image does Paul use to be put on over us; by being clothed with it we shall not describe the body? be without a body. While we live in this earthly tent, we What image does he use to groan with a feeling of oppression; it is not that we want describe death? to get rid of our earthly body, but that we want to have the heavenly one put on over us, so that what is mortal What image does he use to describe heaven? will be transformed by life. God is the one who has prepared us for this change, and he gave us his Spirit as Where does he recognise that the guarantee of all that he has in store for us. life on earth can be diffi cult?

Where does he say that the So we are always full of courage. We know that as long as Holy Spirit guarantees what we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord’s God has in store? home. For our life is a matter of faith, not of sight. We are Where does he say that his full of courage and would much prefer to leave our home readers should look forward to in the body and be at home with the Lord. More than being in heaven? anything else, however, we want to please him, whether What image does he use to in our home here or there. For all of us must appear describe what happens after before Christ, to be judged by him. We will each receive death? what we deserve, according to everything we have done, good or bad, in our bodily life.

2 Corinthians chapter 5 verses 1-10

To do... Highlight uses of the word ‘courage’. Highlight the use of the word ‘judge’ in a diff erent colour. What does Paul suggest should give his readers courage? Who will judge humans at the end of their lives?

© Bible Society 2017. Permission is granted for copies to be made for use by your school. To do... Paul makes a contrast between people’s earthly bodies (represented by the tent) and heaven (represented by the house/home).

Match these words to tent/house to explore what Paul saw as the differences between what life on earth is like and what heaven will be like.

fragile Tent comfortable

temporary House permanent

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