Reflections on Matthew 25

Matthew 25 (Contemporary English Version)


1. The kingdom of heaven is like what happened one night when ten girls took their oil lamps and went to a wedding to meet the groom.
   
2. While the foolish girls were on their way to get some oil, the groom arrived. The girls who were ready went into the wedding, and the doors were closed.
   
3. Later the other girls returned and shouted, "Sir, sir! Open the door for us!"
   
4. But the groom replied, "I don't even know you!"
   
5. So, my disciples, always be ready! You don't know the day or the time when all this will happen.
   
6. The kingdom is also like what happened when a man went away and put his three servants in charge of all he owned.
   
7. The man knew what each servant could do. So he handed five thousand coins to the first servant, two thousand to the second, and one thousand to the third. Then he left the country.
   
8. As soon as the man had gone, the servant with the five thousand coins used them to earn five thousand more.
   
9. The servant who had two thousand coins did the same with his money and earned two thousand more.
   
10. But the servant with one thousand coins dug a hole and hid his master's money in the ground.
    
11. Some time later the master of those servants returned. He called them in and asked what they had done with his money.
    
12. Five of the girls were foolish and five were wise.
    
13. The servant who had been given five thousand coins brought them in with the five thousand that he had earned. He said, "Sir, you gave me five thousand coins, and I have earned five thousand more."
    
14. "Wonderful!" his master replied. "You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!"
    
15. Next, the servant who had been given two thousand coins came in and said, "Sir, you gave me two thousand coins, and I have earned two thousand more."
    
16. "Wonderful!" his master replied. "You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!"
    
17. The servant who had been given one thousand coins then came in and said, "Sir, I know that you are hard to get along with. You harvest what you don't plant and gather crops where you haven't scattered seed.
    
18. I was frightened and went out and hid your money in the ground. Here is every single coin!"
    
19. The master of the servant told him, "You are lazy and good-for-nothing! You know that I harvest what I don't plant and gather crops where I haven't scattered seed.
    
20. You could have at least put my money in the bank, so that I could have earned interest on it."
    
21. Then the master said, "Now your money will be taken away and given to the servant with ten thousand coins!
    
22. Everyone who has something will be given more, and they will have more than enough. But everything will be taken from those who don't have anything.
    
23. The foolish ones took their lamps, but no extra oil.
    
24. You are a worthless servant, and you will be thrown out into the dark where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain."
    
25. When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all of his angels, he will sit on his royal throne.
    
26. The people of all nations will be brought before him, and he will separate them, as shepherds separate their sheep from their goats.
    
27. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
    
28. Then the king will say to those on his right, "My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created.
    
29. When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me,
    
30. and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me."
    
31. Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, "When did we give you something to eat or drink?
    
32. When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear
    
33. or visit you while you were sick or in jail?"
    
34. The ones who were wise took along extra oil for their lamps.
    
35. The king will answer, "Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me."
    
36. Then the king will say to those on his left, "Get away from me! You are under God's curse. Go into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels!
    
37. I was hungry, but you did not give me anything to eat, and I was thirsty, but you did not give me anything to drink.
    
38. I was a stranger, but you did not welcome me, and I was naked, but you did not give me any clothes to wear. I was sick and in jail, but you did not take care of me."
    
39. Then the people will ask, "Lord, when did we fail to help you when you were hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in jail?"
    
40. The king will say to them, "Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me."
    
41. Then Jesus said, "Those people will be punished forever. But the ones who pleased God will have eternal life."
    
42. The groom was late arriving, and the girls became drowsy and fell asleep.
    
43. Then in the middle of the night someone shouted, "Here's the groom! Come to meet him!"
    
44. When the girls got up and started getting their lamps ready,
    
45. the foolish ones said to the others, "Let us have some of your oil! Our lamps are going out."
    
46. The girls who were wise answered, "There's not enough oil for all of us! Go and buy some for yourselves."
    

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The parables of chapter 25 are a continuation of a discussion between Jesus and His apostles begun in chapter 24 in which Jesus was answering the question, "And what is the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?" (24:3) In response to this question Jesus gave a few indicators of His return and then concluded it with the statement, "Now concerning that day and hour no one knows--neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son--except the Father only." (24:36) Then, beginning with verse 37 and continuing through chapter 25, He told a series of four parables emphasizing our need to be prepared for His return.

We can easily become caught up with the question of when and fail to give attention to the question of what we should be doing in His absence in preparation for His return. What difference would it make if we knew exactly when He would return? One difference it might make is to contribute to our slothfulness. If we knew, we might be tempted to do nothing until near the time of His return. But since we do not know we must be prepared at all times.

Beginning with 24:37, Jesus' series of four parables tell us:

• We should not become weary in waiting for His return. It is "That slave whose master finds him working when he comes (who) will be rewarded."
  
• We should keep a sufficient source of light on hand until His return as with the virgins who had oil enough for their lamps as they waited for the return of the bridegroom. Therefore, darkness did not overtake them in their wait. Evidently the light from the lamps of others was not adequate nor did any others have sufficient oil for their lamps and the lamps of those who ran out.
  
• We should put to good use what He has entrusted to us in His absence. On His return there will be an accounting of what we did with what He entrusted to us.
  
• We should serve Him in His absence by serving those in need.
  

What do we learn from these parables? One thing we learn is that we should not be concerned about the question of when Christ will return. The question we need to be concerned with is what we should be doing during the wait. How one handles waiting is one of the most significant issues they will encounter in their spiritual journey. Throughout life, the follower of Christ finds himself at various times to be waiting as he finds one door to be closing or already closed and waits for the next to be opened, not knowing what door will open or when. What we do during the wait will determine whether we will even be aware when a door opens and whether or not we are prepared to enter the open door. Periods of waiting are not periods of doing nothing. The question of when a door will open or when the Lord will return is less about the timing of that open door or of His arrival and more about our readiness. And as these parables teach us, doing nothing fails to prepare us for the open door or Christ's return.

Waiting tests our faith, separating the sheep from the goats as in the fourth parable. Only true believers endure the wait. And endurance is not determined by merely showing up when the wait is over, as in the case of the foolish virgins. It has to do with our faithfulness during the wait. Serving faithfully in the Master's absence, confident of His return, even when it seems delayed.