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Parable of Sheep & Goats
A couple of Sundays ago the parable of the sheep & goats (Matt
25:31-46) was read in all Episcopal. (I don't know if it was also
scheduled in the Common and Catholic lectionaries.) Traditional reading of
this parable understands it as referring to the final judgment of humanity,
based on moral performance, specifically, service to neighbor. Recent
exegetes (Reginald Fuller, Jan Lambrecht, e.g.,) argue that the parable
refers to the judgment of the nations based of their response to the
mission of the Church. They argue that "my brethren" in v. 40 actually
refers to Christian disciples and
adduce 10:40-42 for support of this interpretation. Is this "newer"
interpretation as strong today as it was a few years ago?
Kyrie Eleison Alvin F. Kimel, Jr.
Christe Eleison 12701 Hall Shop Road
Kyrie Eleison Highland, Maryland 20777