He will set the sheep on his right side, and the goats on the left side.
Jesus continues the scene of judgment, portraying the moment when the righteous and the unrighteous will be separated before him. The right side symbolizes salvation and acceptance, and the left side symbolizes rejection and condemnation. This image shows not a merely symbolic arrangement, but a real spiritual condition, where each person stands in the place that corresponds to the course of his life. The righteous stand on the right side because of their faithfulness, meekness, and a life lived in love, and the unrighteous on the left side because they did not accept God’s will and ignored the call of his love. Christ, as the righteous Judge, confirms this separation as a manifestation of eternal justice.