There are Christians who believe that the sheep are the "saved" who will go to heaven while the goats are the "unsaved"--the "unsaved" who will burn for eternity in hell.
Amy Jill Levine, who was one of my two Jewish teachers in graduate school, used to tease us saying, "If you end up in heaven and there are two lines, take the sheep line."
I call this parable the parable of the great suprise because both groups were suprised! Those who were blessed did not expect their blessing. Those who were cursed did not expect their plight.
The parable is not about charity. The parable is not even about right beliefs or doctrines. The parable is not even about loving God. The sheep did not do what they did for God. This is why they were surprised when they were blessed. They said, "We did not do any of these for you!"
And the cursed ones? They did not do anything to help their sisters and brothers. Even if they did help, they would be doing it for God. Again, the parable is not about loving God, or about not loving God. It's about loving one's neighbor.
Never forget this: the blessing is based on what we do for people for people's sake; not what we do for people for God's sake.
Surprised?! SURPRISE!
P.S. Now, Netanyahu and his ilk are much worse than the goats who fail to love their neighbor. As expressions of their "right to self defense", they willfully starve, dispossess, dehumanize, and murder their neighbors. If there's a place worse than hell, that's where God will send them.
*art, "Food for the Hungry, Drink for the Thirsty," relief sculpture at the Hospital of the Holy Spirit (Biberach, Germany), from the vanderbilt divinity library digital archives.
