Once upon a time, there was a shepherd who had a flock of sheep and a herd of goats. He loved them all dearly and took great care of them. Every day, he would lead them out to the fields to graze and make sure they were safe and happy.
One day, the shepherd had to go away for a while and he asked his two sons to take care of the flock and herd in his absence. The older son was in charge of the sheep and the younger son was in charge of the goats.
The older son was very diligent and took great care of the sheep. He made sure they had plenty of food and water and kept them safe from harm. He was very kind and gentle with them and they loved him dearly.
The younger son, however, was not so diligent. He was lazy and careless and did not take good care of the goats. He did not give them enough food or water and he did not protect them from harm. The goats were very unhappy and they did not love him.
When the shepherd returned, he was very angry with his younger son. He said to him, “You have not taken good care of my goats. You have not given them enough food or water and you have not protected them from harm. Therefore, you will be punished.”
The shepherd then said to his older son, “You have taken good care of my sheep. You have given them plenty of food and water and you have kept them safe from harm. Therefore, you will be rewarded.”
The shepherd then told his sons a parable. He said, “When I come again, I will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep will be on my right hand and the goats will be on my left hand. To the sheep I will say, ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ But to the goats I will say, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’”
The shepherd’s sons understood the parable and they knew that it was a warning to them. They knew that if they did not take good care of the flock and herd, they would be punished. But if they did take good care of them, they would be rewarded.
The moral of this story is that we should always take good care of those who are entrusted to us. We should be kind and gentle and make sure they have everything they need. If we do this, we will be rewarded. But if we do not, we will be punished.
