"Don't be a goat..."

I got some letters yesterday from some of the boys in my congregation back home. One of the boys told me that in their Sunday school class they talked about the parable of the sheep and the goats(Matthew 25:31-46). He said, "Don't be a goat because goats go to the devil, be a sheep so you can go to heaven." After I stopped chuckling at his blunt statement, I started thinking more about that parable. It starts out by talking about when the Savior will come again and all of the people of the world will stand before him.

"...and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats"(Matthew 25:32)

I don't understand much about shepherding but I was always sad that the goats represented the wicked. I love goats, if I ever live on a farm getting a goat will be my first order of business. I know that they eat everything and just cause a general mess, but don't most farm animals do that?

Even if I don't love the comparison of the goat, I know I shouldn't get hung up on that. The point of the parable is that Jesus expects us to be like the "sheep" if we want to enter into the kingdom of His father.

"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34)

So, how can we become like sheep? The Savior makes it clear in the next few verses,

"For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me." (Matthew 25:35-36)

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40)

A prophet in The Book of Mormon spoke about the same subject, he said:

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17)

We must serve others who stand in need of help, when we do that we are serving Him and becoming His sheep and we will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

So I think I will take my friend's advice, even though I love goats, I love my Savior more, so I will be a sheep for Him.