A parable is defined as a short story that teaches a moral or a spiritual lesson (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). Combined, there are approximately thirty parables (taught by the Master) recorded in the four books of the Gospel. Undoubtedly, this was the Lord Jesus’ preferred method of teaching His lessons centralized on the importance of spiritual diligence. Like our definition states, the Lord masterfully used t his method implementing it with everyday life events that His audience could relate to. In the purest way of demonstrating to the world that He is truly “not the author of confusion, but of peace,” He chose this simple style of teaching (1st Corinthians 14:33). Since these parables are short stories, the use of figurative language (symbolism, metaphors, similes, etc.) becomes a consistent part of a parable. Upon that realization, logic dictates that to be able to fully grasp the entire meaning of a parable its reader must have an understanding of the everyday life from the period of time our Lord taught His moral lessons. Because the Master chose to teach His doctrine with this method, it is wise to realize the gravity of taking His parables too literal. Although He is using literal things from life, we must understand that they are being used in a figurative sense representing something else. Therefore, correctly interpreting the meaning of the Lord’s parables begins by understanding the event He chose quite literally. Doing so, opens the mind to have a better comprehension of what His spiritual lesson is. For example, a very modern and popular use of figurative language is the phrase “never judge a book by its cover.” Viewed from a literal sense, it easy to understand that if a book is to be determined entertaining or not from the artwork on the cover and not by actually reading it is quite ludicrous. From a metaphorical standpoint, the same teaching is true when the book represents a person and the cover that persons demeanor. The lesson, therefore, is to avoid making rash judgments based on appearances both literally or metaphorically. It is in this exact rationale that parables must be studied if they are to be appropriately understood. Because the purpose of using parables was to alert His disciples of spiritual enlightenment, one must give due diligence to the study of these literary gems. One such lesson illustrates the events of what many have come to recognize as Judgment Day (Matthew 25:31-46). At the beginning of the parable, the Master uses the example of shepherding to begin to explain the current status of the world. He states, “All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32). In this passage, Christ illustrates how it is that the world is currently mixed together; the righteous with the unrighteous. He begins His teaching this way to make it very clear that even though “all the nations will be gathered before Him,” they are all not the same nor are they all His. What He explains, through the example of a shepherd, is that on that day He will be selecting from the mixed masses, those that belong to Him. All other animals that are not part of His flock, will be “separated” from His property. Let us recall that the Greek word thanatos (death) means a separation between soul and body. However, because the Lord Jesus is speaking about Judgment Day, His lesson begins to illuminate a different type of death. In His revelation to John, this spiritual separation is called “the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Hence, how it is that from the very beginning, the Lord begins to describe this spiritual separation. It begins by setting apart those animals that belong to Him from those who were not His. This same lesson is confirmed by Him when He establishes that “he who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (Matthew 12:30). Therefore, His flock will be easily identified by their obedience and distinguished from those who were rebellious to His commandments. This distinction is further emphasized in the types of animals the Master chooses to use in His parable; sheep and goats. Once more, to comprehend the Lord’s spiritual message one must first understand the literal part of the figure being used. The fact that both, righteous and unrighteous, will all be gathered before the throne of Christ is amplified by the literal fact that both sheep and goats eat from the pastures. It was not uncommon for a shepherd to have his sheep feed from the same pastures a goat would feed from, at the same time. However, it is quite simple to see that a sheep is very distinguishable from a goat. Again, the emphasis of our Savior as to how obvious the differences will be between obedient children and rebellious children. Yet, an interesting fact about these animals during the times of Jesus amplifies His warning. According to Holman’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, the goats that roamed the Middle East during biblical times most commonly had black hair (Holman, p. 267). It was a rarity to see goats with a different color coat roaming in those regions during the time Jesus used this parable. Due to this revelation, it becomes very apparent that a goat with black hair could be very easily picked out from a sheep with white wool. For centuries, and in many cultures, these two opposite colors have always been used in poems, prose, myths, and legends to depict good and evil. Often times the color white has represented that which is pure, holy, and good whereas black is associated with all that is contaminated, dirty, and evil. This is also very true with biblical language. For example, observe the words spoken by the prophet in describing God’s cleansing power: “’Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool‘” (Isaiah 1:18). In His plea to Israel to cease their wicked ways, God encourages them to “wash yourselves” from their sinful ways in a simile where the cleansing power of His grace is compared to “wool” (Isaiah 1:16). Wool is undoubtedly a direct reference to the brilliant, white coat of the sheep used to represent a forgiven, repented soul. Like the prophet, the Master uses a similar analogy in this parable, but later claims the sheep as His. They belonged to Him because their unwavering faithfulness was splendidly visible from the luminescence of their lives. It is unwise, however, to limit the Lord’s use of these two animals to simply the colors of their coats. As is always true with the Master’s teachings, there are several other reasons for specifically choosing the sheep and the goat to illustrate the righteous and the unrighteous. In an effort to delve in deeper to grasp the entirety of His lesson let us not forget to examine these two animals, literally. To be continued…
