goats, sheep, and...

More thoughts on the parable of the sheep and goats (which start here)...

It also seemed odd to me that not only the "goats" but also the "sheep" have no idea that their actions had something to do with Jesus. If the sheep are Jesus' faithful followers, shouldn't they know what they are doing when they love those in need? (Especially since they have this parable...) It leads me to think that this is a judgment scene of those who acted rightly (or wrongly), but in ignorance of what was really going on. That doesn't sound like a description of Jesus' followers, who he called friends, "for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you." (Jn 15.15)

Jesus does mention "my brethren" in the parable, but this doesn't refer to either the goats or the sheep. It refers to ones who are hungry, imprisoned, strangers, etc. Not that everyone who suffers is Jesus' brethren; he never taught that. But he did teach that those who followed him would suffer persecutions like these, just as he did. Jesus also taught that anyone who helped his followers would be rewarded. Such as in this passage earlier in Matthew:

"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward." (Mt 10.40-42)

In this passage we also see Jesus identifying himself with his followers ("He who receives you receives me"), just as he identifies himself with "the least of these my brethren" in the parable ("Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me"). The parable also has no mention of these brethren being judged like the others.

This all supports the interpretation that those being judged are not Jesus' "brethren," his faithful followers, but others. Ethnos, "the nations," those who did not understand what Jesus was doing in the world. But the parable does mention Jesus' faithful followers, and gives an image of what their lives looked like.

More later...