Matthew 25
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” Matthew 25:1 NIV
The seemingly literal explanation of this chapter is for us to not stop in our walk with Christ. However, this can lead to a sense that my salvation is dependant upon my willpower to “keep watch” over my own holiness. Although some might argue that this is in fact the gospel, then I ask… How are you doing? How much is enough willpower to keep you from sin? The pressure to perform and do right never ends. This understanding about salvation is contradicted by statements like “even when you are faithless, I am faithful” (2 Timothy 2:13). I don’t offer any conclusion, only a caution…our salvation comes from the person of Jesus, not our own willpower to follow Him. The desire to follow is a natural byproduct of our true identity as adopted children of Christ. The desire to follow is not the price tag of our adoption; that was a free gift (see Ephesians 2:8). Following the LORD and His plans is easy, once we understand that He placed us on the path of righteousness and it is His finished work that keeps us there.
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with Him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ But He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Matthew 25:1-13 NIV
In this parable Jesus is trying to clarify what it means to be ready for His return and is teaching us how to live until He comes back. Here we are taught that every person is responsible for his or her own spiritual condition. The oil in the lamps is a symbol of the Holy Spirit in us. Spiritual preparation cannot be bought or borrowed at the last minute. Our relationship with God must be nurtured every day by us, and we cannot rely on others. This is our own personal relationship with God. Through prayer and diligent Bible study, we are told to do our part to maintain and develop this relationship, so we are ready when He returns.
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 25:14-30 NIV
In this story of the three servants, Jesus is teaching us that we need to use what God has entrusted to us. We need to use our money, talents, time and opportunities to do good works “in Jesus’ name, and do it for Jesus’ fame” (quote from Collin Barnes). In doing so, more people will be intrigued by God’s kingdom and excited to become a part of it. This is one of our main Christian duties: to make sure we spread the Good News of the gospel to as many people as possible.
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.’ Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’ They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46 NIV
In this parable we see that Jesus knows His true church by their love for those in need and their hearts of compassion. Jesus tell us in John 13:35 that “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” The Bible makes it clear that a true spiritual regeneration will result in a heart that is more loving towards our fellow human beings, and especially to our brothers and sisters in Christ. If you find yourself lacking in this area, don’t be discouraged, just ask God: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly” (Psalms 84:11).