Sheep & Goats

“All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” (Matthew 25:32 NWT) Watchtower publications teach that the sheep in this passage are faithful Jehovah’s Witnesses of the “great crowd” of “other sheep.”

How would you explain the difference between sheep and goats to someone who is unfamiliar with either animal? (Consider Matthew 25:31-34) Think about it: Goats smell bad, but sheep don’t smell good. Sheep have split hooves, and so do goats. Goats have horns, and so do sheep. If they have horns, sheep horns are wide and curl on loops around the head and goat horns are narrower and upright. Sheep have wool, and so do goats. Sheep grow wool that must be sheared in the domesticated breeds, and goats have hair that does not have to be sheared or combed. Sheep do not have beards and some sheep have manes, and some goat breeds have beards. Sheep are bulkier than goats and goats are thinner than sheep. Sheep have long hanging tails that are usually cut short for sanitary reasons, and a goat has a short tail that usually points up. Sheep have a divided upper lip that is very noticeable, and goats do not. Both animals butt heads, but a sheep backs away and then charges while a goat stands up on his hind legs and comes down with force. Sheep prefer grass and clover and goats prefer shrubs, leaves, and twigs. Sheep prefer to stick with the flock while goats tend to be more independent and curious; on the other hand, a sheep likes quiet solitude where a goat likes a whirlwind of activity.

One especially noteworthy characteristic of goats is that a goat is the most religious animal; goats spend more time on their knees keeping up an appearance of piety than any other animal. (Being more religious does not necessarily mean being more spiritual or closer to the truth; it often means the opposite.)

In a conservative, Bible-believing, evangelical church it is not unusual to find or observe that 5% to 20 % of the regular active members are the walk-the-walk variety of Christians while the rest are the talk-the-talk variety. On the one hand, this is a cause for concern. On the other hand, this is a reminder that genuine born-again Christians are human, and a reminder of the Bible warnings about false professors and false teachers and does not necessarily mean that a church is practicing a false religion or on the wrong track.

If a religious group teaches a salvation by works and practices shunning (as the Watchtower Organization does) it should not be a surprise to find or observe that most of the membership work more and put forth a much greater effort to keep up an appearance. Watchtower publications put all other professed Christians in the same category and focus attention on unpleasant or inconvenient realities that are present in any religious organization or denomination (including the Watchtower Organization, a reality they tend to obscure or dismiss) and compare this to the Watchtower facade and insist that the Watchtower Organization stands out compared to the churches of Christendom. Watchtower indoctrination thus trains JWs to view the Watchtower Organization through rose coloured glasses.

“Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6) “There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.” (Proverbs 30:12) “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” (II Corinthians 10:12) Like the Pharisees of old, the Watchtower Organization replaces true faith and genuine spirituality with self-righteousness. “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:2-3) Self-righteousness makes someone insist that he is just as good as those people in the churches instead of recognizing that he is a sinner that cannot save himself and needs the grace of God just as much as those people in the churches.

Salvation is a personal experience with Jesus Christ. “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” John 5:39-40) “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” (John 10:14) “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

 

Further reading:

WITNESSING TO JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES