Gospel in Art: A shepherd separates the sheep from the goats

The Shepherd Separating Sheep from Goats, by Pieter Nagel after Gerard van Groeningen, 1571 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 10 March 2025
Matthew 25:31-46

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, 'When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." Then the righteous will answer him, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?" And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me."

'Then he will say to those on his left, "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me." Then they also will answer, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?" Then he will answer them, saying, "Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.'

Reflection on the engraving

In today's Gospel reading, we find ourselves in Matthew 25, where he presents the last of Jesus' great parables. After all his teachings, he now divides the world into two distinct groups: the good and the bad. This passage, one of Jesus' final teachings before His Passion and death, carries particular weight and urgency. Of all the Gospel accounts, this is the passage where Jesus explicitly tells us who will enter Heaven and who will not. He separates humanity into two groups: the sheep and the goats. The sheep, placed at his right hand, are blessed because they showed compassion and mercy, helping the most vulnerable in society. The goats, on the other hand, are sent to "the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41) because they failed to care for those in need.

In our engraving, issued in 1571, we see the shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. The sheep are to the shepherds right and the goats to his left. In the background we see people who have been judged descend into hell. Jesus is sitting in the heavens surrounded by choirs of angels.

While we cannot know the full mystery of the final judgement, today's Gospel is a wake-up call. It is an urgent reminder for us to take stock and assess how we are doing in our relationship with God. Perhaps the most powerful moment in this passage is Jesus' striking identification with the needy: "Whatever you did to the least of these, you did it to me." Not for me, but to me. Clear language. Jesus does not merely care for the poor... he became them!

This means that every act of kindness or neglect towards another is an act towards Christ Himself. In this season of reflection, this passage invites us to ask ourselves: do we recognise Christ in those who suffer? Do we truly see Him in the hungry, the lonely, the forgotten? Our response to this question will determine not only how we live now, but where we will stand in the Kingdom to come.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-25-31-46-2025/ (with audio)