The Sheep and the Goats Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Son of Man

This is referenced in verse 31: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory."

The idiom "Son of Man" is usually interpreted as referring to the Messiah in the New Testament, and Jesus is very explicit in this identification several times, including John 9: 35-37: "Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?' 'Who is he, sir?' the man asked. 'Tell me so that I may believe in him.' Jesus said, 'You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.'" All together, "Son of Man" is used 82 times throughout the gospels. Interestingly enough, however, the idiom is used in several parts of the Hebrew Scriptures as well. The prophet Ezekiel is called "son of man" 94 times in the book that bears his name, and the angel Gabriel refers to the prophet Daniel this way as well.

Answer: At his right hand

The righteous souls' placement at the Son of Man's right hand is an interesting turn of phrase here, as Jesus' own placement in heaven is at the right hand of the father, as described in each of the canonical gospels and echoed in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed (as promulgated at the 381 CE Council of Constantinople). Similar uses are found in the Hebrew Scriptures, especially Psalm 110:1: "The Lord says to my lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.'"

Answer: The foundation of the world

This phrase brings to mind references to "inheriting" the "kingdom" in Matthew 5:3-10, commonly called the Beatitudes:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Answer: Something to drink

Both water and wine have prominent places throughout the gospel narrative, both literally and metaphorically. In the fourth chapter of John (a passage commonly called "the woman at the well"), Jesus refers to his teaching as "living water." He does likewise in John 7:37, referencing the prophet Jeremiah who likened the Lord to living water. If anything, wine is even more ubiquitous as an analogy for a spiritual gift, as in Matthew 9:17 - "Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved." Of course, wine is proclaimed to be Jesus' blood in all four gospels (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and, perhaps, John 6). Whether this is meant as a metaphor or to be taken literally is a topic for another quiz.

Answer: Welcomed

Inhospitality was viewed much more strongly in Biblical times than it is now. Some theologians believe that this was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. As Ezekiel 16:49-50 states: "This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.

They were haughty, and did abominable things before me; therefore I removed them when I saw it." Lack of generosity is not just a discourtesy here; in an ancient society with primitive means of transportation, failing to welcome strangers could easily mean their deaths.

Answer: Visited me

Prison is an ever-present threat in the Gospel narrative, particularly for debtors. Jesus uses debtors' prison as an analogy for holding grudges in the Sermon on the Mount, and imprisonment for debt is the driving motif in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18). In both cases, it is made clear that the proper thing for a creditor to do is to show mercy.

Answer: The least of these members of my family

Those used to the classic language of the King James Bible may be wondering about the phrasing here. As stated in the introduction, the language of this quiz is drawn from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. This scholarly tour de force was produced by the National Council of Churches' Division of Christian Education in 1989.

In addition to utilizing refined philological techniques, the NRSV's translators had access to many ancient manuscripts that had been newly discovered and cataloged through the twentieth century, producing a more accurate view of what the "consensus" scripture would have been in late antiquity. One of the major goals of the NRSV was to avoid sexist language in favor of gender inclusiveness, and as such the phrase "the least of these my brethren" from the King James version of Shakespeare's day was rendered more accurately as "the least of these members of my family."

Answer: "Depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

This passage seems to echo the words of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:12 - "His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." It may also prefigure the torment described in Revelation 20:10-15, where the dead are judged and, if found wanting, thrown into the lake of fire.

Answer: The least of these

To quote the passage at more length: "They also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.'"

The plain reading of "The Sheep and the Goats" is that it is a call for social compassion and care for those who are in need. Various authors have posed alternate meanings, however. Baptist theologian John Gill, for example, held that "the least of these" only referred to other Christians, not to humanity as a whole. In a related vein, Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon argue that texts like these do not promote social responsibility in the usual sense. Rather, they argue that Christianity's central mission is worship and conversion, and that readings like the "Sermon on the Mount" point toward personal transformation rather than activism. Perhaps these writers' great erudition is lost on an old Unitarian Universalist like me, who sees passages like these as a rather unambiguous call to action beyond oneself, specifically to the most needy among us. Your mileage may vary.

Answer: Matthew 25: 31-46

Matthew 5: 3-12 is part of the "Sermon on the Mount" where Jesus enumerates the virtues commonly known as "the Beatitudes". Matthew 6: 5-15 is also part of the "Sermon on the Mount" wherein Jesus deals with prayer; the "Lord's Prayer" (or "Our Father") is derived from this passage, though the context in which it is presented may cause one to reflect on how that prayer is often used. Matthew 27: 26-54 describes the crucifixion.