“THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS."

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 464, 19 April 1890, Page 4

“THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS."

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Mr Varley’s reply to his questioner on Tuesday evening, as reported in your Wednesday’s issue, as to who were the sheep and who the goats referred to in Matthew xxv., does not appear to me very explicit. The separation of the nations spoken of in this chapter is something altogether distinct from the personal charges made against individuals upon which Mr Varley lays such stress. For instance “ before Him shall be gathered all nations and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats.” What is here separated, are not individuals as Mr Varley would have us believe, namely, Christians from infidels, friends of Christ from His enemies, but a nation, or nations from the other nations.

These nations are likened to two animals only, sheep and goats. Now, anyone with even a moderate knowledge of Scripture must be aware of the meaning and significance of this division. The people known in the Bible as God’s sheep are His own chosen people, Israel, the lineal and literal descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are frequently named in this manner, for instance, “Ye are my people and the sheep of rny pasture “I am not sent save unto the lost sheep of the House of Israel.” Evidently the sheep in the passage quoted is the true nation of Israel, and the goats are the Gentiles composed of all the other nations outside of them.

Our Lord when on earth had no dealings with the Gentiles, neither did He teach His early disciples during His sojourn on earth that the Gentiles might claim salvation through Him, as well as His own sheep of the House of Israel. Take His remark to the Gentile woman, “ Is it meet to take the children’s bread and throw it unto dogs ?” The children here were the same as the sheep alluded to in Matthew xxv., and the dogs of the one answers to tho goats of the other. If anyone doubts the correctness of this interpretation (always supposing him to be a Bible believer), let him turn bo the Acts of the Apostle and read carefully the story of the conversion of the Gentile Cornelius. He will there see that Peter, who baptised this Gentile, was recalled to Jerusalem by the early Church (all Israelites, not Jews nor Gentiles) to give an account of himself for having entered this Gentile’s house and baptised him and his family. Peter explained all the circumstances, and we are told that at its close, the assembled Christians praised God and said “ Now we see of a truth that salvation is also come to the Gentiles.” It must be remembered that this occurred several years after our Lord’ death and ascension, and as this was the first recorded conversion of a Gentile, and seeing the surprise it caused the early Christians, we can only infer one thing from it, that is, that Christ when on earth, came, as He said He came, to redeem His people Israel, and through His redeemed people, the literal nation of Israel, to bring salvation to all mankind ; this latter important portion of His mission, not being understood by the early Christians until after Christ’s death, in fact, not until Peter baptised Cornelius.—l am, etc., Bible Student.