The early Bible Students understood the expression rendered in the King James Version “my brethren” to refer to those who would rule with Christ as well as to all of mankind after they are restored to earthly perfection.

The Watch Tower of October 15, 1923, affirmed that “the Son of man” is Jesus. However, it presented sound Scriptural arguments that limited the identity of Christ’s brothers to those who would rule with him in heaven, and it described the sheep as those who hope to live on earth under the rule of Christ’s Kingdom.

Those referred to as “my brothers” are spirit-anointed men and women, who will rule with Christ from heaven. (Rom. 8:16, 17)

Likewise, he is not saying that each individual judged to be a sheep must literally feed, clothe, nurse, or visit one of his brothers in prison. Rather, he is illustrating the attitude that the figurative sheep display toward his brothers. He describes the sheep as “righteous” because they recognize that Christ has a group of anointed brothers still on earth, and the sheep loyally support the anointed during these critical last days.​—Matt. 10:40-42; 25:40, 46; 2 Tim. 3:1-5.

10. How can the sheep show kindness to Christ’s brothers?

¹⁰ Second, consider the context of Jesus’ words. He is discussing the sign of his presence and the conclusion of the system of things. (Matt. 24:3) Early in his discourse, Jesus indicated that the sign would include a remarkable feature​—the good news of the Kingdom would “be preached in all the inhabited earth.” (Matt. 24:14) And just prior to talking about the sheep and the goats, he related the illustration of the talents. As discussed in the preceding article, Jesus gave that illustration to stress to his spirit-anointed disciples, his “brothers,” that they must zealously engage in the preaching work. However, the small number of anointed ones left on earth during Jesus’ presence face an enormous challenge​—that of preaching to “all the nations” before the end comes. The illustration of the sheep and the goats shows that the anointed would have help. Therefore, one of the primary ways that those judged to be sheep show kindness to Christ’s brothers is by supporting them in the preaching work.