More Perspectives on Prisons

The Sheep and the Goats

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

- Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV)

It is significant that the story of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46) comes right after the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). The sheep are those who 'use whatever gift [they have] received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms' (1 Peter 4:10, NIV), while the goats are those who do not.

"For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." - Matthew 25:29 (NIV)

The Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevksy once remarked that 'the degree of civilisation in a society can be judged by entering its prisons'. Indeed, we will be judged on how we treat those who are in prison - along with how we treat those who are hungry, those who are thirsty, those who are strangers, those who need clothes and those who are sick.

Of course, there is a difference between not using a talent and not having a talent. We will be judged on what we do with what we have, not on what we do not do with what we do not have.

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." - Luke 12:48b (NIV)

"For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have." - 2 Corinthians 8:12 (NIV)

Links: Perspectives on Prisons (24 Nov 09), Even More Perspectives on Prisons (30 Nov 09)