This week, we step into one of the most sobering and beautiful teachings Jesus ever gave—His final words before the cross. After 16 months in Matthew, we now land at the passage where Jesus describes the moment when He returns, gathers all nations, and separates people like a shepherd separates sheep and goats. It’s not a parable. It’s a picture of the final judgment.
Jesus makes the dividing line unmistakably clear: our lives reveal whose voice we’ve been following. Sheep follow the Shepherd. Goats follow themselves. And the evidence Jesus points to isn’t knowledge, attendance, or religious activity—it’s love. Not generalized, vague love, but love that moves toward the most vulnerable.
In this teaching, you’ll hear how Jesus ties genuine faith to simple acts of mercy—feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, caring for the sick, visiting the imprisoned. Not because these actions earn salvation, but because they naturally flow from a heart transformed by the voice of the Shepherd. You’ll also learn why both the righteous and the unrighteous are shocked in Jesus’ story, and what that reveals about the hidden significance of everyday compassion.
We’ll talk about:
• Why judgment isn’t God being cruel—but God honoring human choice
• What separates sheep and goats in the everyday, ordinary moments of life
• How “the least of these” reflects the heart of Jesus
• Why our treatment of the overlooked exposes the true orientation of our hearts
• How moving toward the vulnerable is a mark of Kingdom people
• And how your decisions today shape your eternity
The BIG IDEA we’re walking away with: Genuine faith is revealed by love that moves toward the vulnerable.
Not spectacular heroism. Not public activism. Just ordinary, Spirit-led mercy—one small step at a time. www.movementcolumbus.com
