Steve and I began my spring break on Saturday morning by moving furniture around. . .followed by two days to recoup and rejuvenate from the experience! I awakened this morning and decided to read through some dissertation materials for a friend (around 3:00). Then after the alarm sounded, I cut Steve's hair (he doesn't have enough left on his head to warrant a barber's touch), cooked breakfast for him, made a pot of French vanilla coffee for myself, and sent him off to work.
I decided it was time to open my bible, and was drawn to Matthew 21, and the story of the fig tree that withered away after Jesus commanded it to do so. A card with verse 22, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (NIV), fell from the pages as I opened the text. How interesting that this prophetic verse was found sandwiched between the pages depicting the sheep and the goats passage of Matthew 25. I was reminded of a time in high school when Renee, Ronnie, Timmy, and myself participated in the UIL one act play competition with Rise and Shine, a comedy depicting the interactions among two individuals who died in their youth (one the grandmother who died giving birth, and of the younger who died in a car accident after prom), and two who died in their elder years (the gentleman, the spouse of the young grandma, and his second wife, Jane--the part I played) on judgement day. The play ends with Henry (Timmy) commenting to Jane (myself) that the sheep are being divided from the goats, and it's beginning to look as though we (Henry and Jane) are the goats.
In retrospect, there are two interpretations of the judgement depicted in Matthew 25. One concludes that the judgement will actually occur at the beginning of Christ's millennial earthly kingdom to determine who will be allowed to enter, and is based on how a person treats others during the period of great tribulation. The other, refers to the end of the age to determine who will be allowed entrance into the eternal kingdom and who will be condemned to eternal punishment with judgement based on whether or not love was shown to God's people. Either, interpretation is centered on love.
"We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth" (NIV, 1 Jn. 3:14-18). Love one another. . .old goats.
~~Dr. D.
