Separating the Sheep from the Goats on Judgment Day

Victor R.Claveau, MJ

With regards to “Judgment Day,” sheep and goats are used as metaphors in the Bible. Sheep follow Christ, while goats chose not to follow Christ. Parables are based on the differences in behavior between sheep and goats. Sheep are gentle, quiet, innocent animals. Easily led, they do not give their shepherds a lot of problems. They are grazers, unlike the goat, which likes to browse. Goats are rebellious. In the Bible, goats are sometimes used to symbolize evil.

When it is time to separate the sheep, one shepherd after another will stand up and shout out a call of his own choice. The sheep will lift their heads, scramble about, and each one will begin following his master. When a shepherd is no longer capable of tending his sheep, or when he is about to retire, he must introduce a new shepherd along with himself for a period of time so that his flock will become accustomed to the new shepherd before the old shepherd leaves; otherwise, the sheep will not move when called. This is analogous to the passing on of papal authority in the biblical sense of the laying on of hands.

The shepherd forms a personal relationship with his sheep. Sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd; he calls them by name and they follow, but sheep will not follow strangers. Sheep recognize their own pet names, but they must gain trust and have faith in their shepherd before they will respond. So, the story in John’s gospel about the sheep hearing the shepherd’s voice and the shepherd calling home his sheep by name—that’s biblical and realistic.

The shepherd protects his flock and would give his life for them, as Jesus did. The shepherd is so acutely aware of each of his sheep that often he doesn’t even need to count them. He is able to sense the absence of any one of his sheep. When a shepherd of Lebanon was asked how he could keep track of his sheep if he didn’t count, he replied, “If you were to put a cloth over my eyes, and bring me any sheep and only let me put hands on its face, I could tell in a moment if it was mine or not.”

To pass the hours the shepherd plays with his sheep by pretending to run away. The sheep will soon overtake him and completely surround him, jumping and twisting with delight. The sheep intuitively know their shepherd will not leave them or turn them away.

As Catholics, we know that Christ is the Good Shepherd and we are His flock. As a Shepherd, He is incomplete without us, His flock. He loves us and He died for us to prove His love. Today all too often worldly people are sheep and television is their shepherd. Instead of going the way of the world, let us listen to the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. 

After reading all this, I can conclusively say that, as attractive a thought as it may seem, I do not want to be sleek and super-charged, cute and exotic, nor in a league all of my own. I want to be a sheep, not because of the interesting ovine facts I have found during my research but because it is the path Christ has chosen for me. I accept His divine invitation to journey along the humble road—to be meek, kind, obedient, righteous, sincere, compassionate and trusting in Him as my Shepherd. Deep in my heart and soul, I know it is what’s best for me because He, not I, chose it.