The temple stood behind them,
massive as certainty,
stone upon stone,
a monument people thought would last forever.
And Jesus said
it would fall.
Judgement was coming.
Not one stone left on another.
The disciples saw one mountain.
Jesus saw a range—
peaks with valleys in between,
the temple’s fall,
and beyond it,
the coming of the Son of Man.
The King on the throne.
The Judge of all nations.
The one Daniel saw
beside the Ancient of Days.
And this King says
he is found among
the hungry,
the stranger,
the sick,
the prisoner,
the least of these.
So there are sheep
and there are goats.
Those who gather close,
and those who live goatly—
cold to the King,
careless with his people,
untouched by the needs around them.
The surprise is not the judgement.
The surprise is the presence.
When did we see you?
When were you hungry?
When were you alone?
And the King says:
when you loved my people,
you loved me.
When you turned away,
you turned from me.
This is Jesus’ word
before the cross:
be faithful,
be faithful,
be faithful.
The world will sometimes
treat his people goatly.
It treated him that way first.
So do not be shocked
when goats act goatly.
But do not become like them.
Use your money,
your mouth,
your moments,
your mission
to fan the flame among God’s people.
The King is nearer than we think,
hidden among his own.
So while we wait
between cross and coming,
teach us, Lord,
not to live goatly,
but to gather close,
to care for the flock,
and to love you
in the ones you place before us.
Original message by Lou Fortier, The Bridge Church Macquarie Park
12 April 2026
The Afterword 
Leave a comment