Matthew 25
Matthew 25:
1. Virgins: Those who have not defiled themselves with this world:- set apart as holy.
See Revelation 18:1-3
“For all nations have drunk
the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”
Whatever “Mystery Babylon” is - an unholy matrimony of political and religious power) we are warned here, to come away from this: Revelation 18:4-5
“Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.”
This could be the significance of these “Virgins”.
3-4.Think about Daniel 1:8-21 who, with his three friends would not compromise with the simple issue of food and because of this, they were able to face the fiery furnace, with no compromise for the glory of God: - they had extra oil!
So now is the time to prepare ourselves: As wholly committed to the Lord.
We read in Proverbs 9:10 that
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
So, who are these wise virgins? What did they do that was different?
Psalm 33:18
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,”
The wise virgins were the ones who waited...who hoped in his steadfast love.
Look back again at Matthew 24:42-51
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”
And 2Peter 3:2-6
“...knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
And
Matthew 24:10-12
“And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.
And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
And finally:
Revelation 2:4-5
“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”
What is the oil for the lamps? It is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
What are the lamps? They are the Love of God within the Saints. (2Corinthians 13:14)
The five wise virgins were ready, waiting and expectant for his return: ~They had faith (that he would keep his word and return)
~They had hope (because they believed in his word, and did not listen to the scoffers referred to in 2Peter 3)
~They had Love (as a result...the fruit...of their Faith and Hope)
“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
See 1Corinthians 13
5. So, why would the coming of night - if dark and evil times (see note on Ch.24:42) cause the people of God to want to “sleep”?
Like all parables, there is an element of allegory here:
See again Matthew 24:12-13
“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
So, sleeping may not have been the issue for these virgins: the issue was the condition they were in when they awoke: Did they have Love (extra oil)? Or, had they let their oil run out and the lamps...their Love...grow cold?
Remember Jesus’s rebuke to the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7
They were doing so many things correctly; but because, through their diligent confrontation of evil, the had literally forsaken their first Love (from repentance and salvation) the Lord threatened to “remove (their) lamp-stand from its place.” (Vs.5)
The oil in our lamps...that brings forth the Light...is the Love of Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:3-5
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Read Romans 5:1-11
If we remember THIS - and how far we have fallen (Revelation 2:5) and the pit the Lord has pulled us from...our love will not grow cold.
We must REMEMBER!
See also Ephesians 5:7-21
9. “Buy for yourselves”
See Revelation 3:15-22
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.”
The extra oil will cost us our lives in this world: Matthew 16:24-26
The five wise virgins understood this: They had already forsaken everything in this world, and were ready to receive their reward in the next.
10. See Genesis 7:11-16
“And the LORD shut him in.” (Vs.16)
Once the Lord shuts the door, it cannot be reopened. The Bible is clear, there will come a time when the Time of his mercy runs out, and the Time for judgment begins. This is why, in Revelation 3:20, the Lord gives this one solemn entreaty:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
If we do not heed his voice and “open the door” to him now - while it is day, the hour will come when he will “close the door” on us. See also Psalm 95:7-11
10-13. See Matthew 24:13-14
Matthew 4:17 - how much nearer our we now, than before?
12-13. To be known by him - this means ALL of us - every part.
See Matthew 7:21-23:
Again we realize: He is talking about people who called themselves “believers”.
15. “The talent which each man has suits his own state best; and it is only pride and insanitywhich lead him to desire and envy the graces and talents of another. Five talents would be too much for some men: onetalent would be too little.” (Clarke)
16-17. Went and traded implies direct action. “The point is that the good servants felt the responsibility of their assignment and went to work without delay.” (Carson)
We can say many good things about the work of the first two servants:
· They did their work promptly.
· They did their work with perseverance.
· They did their work with success.
· They were ready to give an account to their master.
Enduring Word Commentary
19. Again, just as with the parable of the ten virgins, we see a long delay: What will the servants do with their “extra time”?
“Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ (Vs.20)
We must use whatever gifts we have been given by the Lord, for the purposes they were given: To increase his Kingdom. As we do this - As we expend ourselves and our “talents” for the Gospel, more will be given us. The more we live for Christ and his Kingdom, the more of Christ and his kingdom we will receive. The more we lose our lives for him, the more of HIS LIFE we will gain. (Luke 6:38)
If we do not expend our gifts...our talents...our lives for God’s Kingdom, or if we expend them only upon ourselves and what we want, we are like the wicked servant who buried his talent in the ground because he did not want to lose it.
20-23. “And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.”
See Matthew 21:18-19
But, the tree that bears fruit, is the one who expends themselves for the Gospel and the Kingdom...the one who is about their father’s business: They will always be equipped for every good work the Lord has called them to, because (unlike the wicked servant) they are willing workers.
21. Even the servant with the five talents was entrusted with only “a little”.
Which brings to mind the scripture of
Zechariah 4:10
How faithful can we be when what we have seems small and insignificant?
How faithful can we remain, when all we have is mana in the desert - and nothing seems to change? It seems to me that this was the real test: The master was away for a long time, and his servants were left with a very little, in terms of resources.
Two of the servants did not complain or grumble amongst themselves, that their master was being unfair; they simply took what they were given, and used it.
This says a lot about their characters - especially the second servant, who was not at all put out, that he had received considerably less, even than the first servant.
This is a lesson for us: We must be faithful where he has placed us (see 1Corinthians 7:16-24), not comparing ourselves to others, but simply minding our own walk with Jesus and doing whatever he tells us. (Philippians 2:3-11)
Why would he set us over little? See Luke 12:48 (note on this chapter)
22-23. The fact that, for both these servants, their talents had doubled, implies that they had exhausted them entirely. When the Lord refills, he does so with good measure...pressed down...shaken together and running over:- Such is the servant who does not squander - but gives their all, entirely for his Kingdom.
23. To be faithful over little is a test of fruit and character (patience, faith, faithfulness, humility, etc) : Only having passed this test, will we be entrusted either more.
But, there is a far more serious implication here:
“Enter into the joy of your master.’”
John 10:9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”
John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
So, our faithfulness and obedience here - basically, whether or not we are living for Christ, will be the decider on whether or not we enter in to Salvation. This has suddenly become serious.
Again we are reminded of Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
So, it is our faithfulness and obedience that the Father is looking for; This is what will save us in the end.
“How can two walk together unless they agree?” Amos 3:3
How can we walk with Jesus - and be KNOWN by Him, if we are walking in disobedience and sin?
So, we must live our lives by scriptures such as 1John 1:5-9, and Matthew 16:24-26 ... “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”
This, is what we see happening in this parable.
“...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
What was the joy? It was the faithfulness and obedience of the Redeemed.
Isaiah 53:11
“Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;”
24-25. His first folly is to claim that he “knows” the master - and as someone who is hard and unfair. Nothing can be farther from the truth, in our Lord Jesus Christ. On the contrary, what we did to him was unfair! But he went to the cross for us anyway; it was his will from the very beginning. (Isaiah 53:4-6, 10, John 10:18
His second folly is fear: Of expending himself and what he has been given - lest he doesn’t receive anything back. He doesn’t trust his master’s promise, nor believes in his goodness.
How often do we hold on and hold back for the same reason?
See also, note on Exodus 35:22
26-27. Because we are looking at the End Times here, we must also assume that we are looking at the End Times harvest of Revelation 7:9-17, and the climax of Matthew 24:14 - where God’s people will go where the Gospel has never been preached before, or where it has, but no fruit has come forth. This is time of John 4:36-38
“Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.
For here the saying holds true, One sows and another reaps.’
I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
To “Go” and to “Sow” and to “Reap” is what the Final Days are all about. That we would not hold on to our lives, but lose them for Christ’s sake. This is why the servant’s words are so egregious.
John 12:25-26
Vs.27 “Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.”
If he was not willing to work out in the fields, then he at least should have been willing to invest his talents back at the base (ie serving within the Church community).
Luke 18:8 also tells us that Jesus is looking for those who have faith...who faithfully wait for his coming, and work with all vigilance accordingly.
29.This is like someone giving you a gift, you saying “thank you” to the giver, unwrapping the gift and then immediately using it, according to its instructions.
The unfaithful servant didn’t use the gift, likely wasn’t thankful for the gift - and didn’t even unwrap it!
Vs.30
This will be the difference at the End, whether we are caught up together to be with the Lord (1Thessalonians 4:13-17) or left to face the Judgment.
Sheep and goats doctrine
To understand what Jesus means here, we must (as always) look at it through the context of the entirety of Matthew 25: Jesus is talking about the Day of his return and the final judgement.
Matthew 25:31-32
So Jesus continues right from where he left off in vs.30.
Now the Lord has returned and the great Day of reckoning has come.
Matthew 16:16-27
Immediately we are able to recognize: The Sheep: Those who were faithful to the calling and work of the Lord: The five wise virgins and the two faithful servants;
The Goats: Those who were not: the five foolish virgins and the unfaithful servant.
Again, the Lord uses the illustration of the shepherd when referring to Himself: See John 10
(Also Matthew 22:12)
How would a shepherd separate sheep from goats in his flock?
John 10:26-28
“...but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
His sheep will recognize his voice and come to him when he calls. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) Goats will not.
See also note on John 10
25:34
Jesus’s words here and comparable to the words of the master in vs.21&23
“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”
It is describing the same event, only this time, Jesus does not use parables; now he speaks plainly.
25:35-40
This sheds light on the parable of before, and on how the servants were supposed to be using up their talents.
To go out into the highways, byways, hedgerows, and preach the Gospel to every creature under Heaven, to the four corners of the world: Being OBEDIENT to the Holy Spirit, to go wherever and to WHOEVER He would send them.
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Read Romans 8:13-17
According to Jesus’s words in vs.35, this involves:
*satisfying their hunger (physically and also with the Bread of Heaven - the Word of God)
* Quenching their thirst (physically and also through the living waters of the Holy Spirit)
*Welcoming them in (as no longer strangers, but brothers and sisters in Christ - regardless of creed, color, language, tribe or nationality)
*Clothing them (physically and also spiritually - covering the nakedness of their shame and guilt, through the forgiveness of the Gospel and the Blood of Jesus)
*Healing their sickness (Physical possibly, but more importantly, visiting them with the Gospel, in their sick beds of unforgiven sin an iniquity. That they might hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ - and be healed.)
*Coming to the prisoners (Physical - and even more importantly, spiritual prisons:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:34-36
“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness” Romans 6:16-18
Here are our instructions for preparing for the return of Jesus Christ...Here is where and how he wants to find us - about our Father’s business.
What will the end result of this look like?
See Revelation 7:8-17
25:40
“my brothers,”
This is not talking about the nation of Israel, (as is being taught by certain prominent Christian figures) nor is it referring to the unbelieving Jew - but rather - read Matthew 12:48-50
“And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.””
25:41
Jesus’s words here, are comparable to the words of the master to his unfaithful servant: see vs.26-28
25:42-43
Here, is where we see the actual fait of the five foolish virgins and the unfaithful servant...of who they represent: Those who claim to know the Lord Jesus, but they do not do his will . See Matthew 7:21-23, 21:28-32, 23:3-12,
25:45
Here, is the mystery of Election: The Lord knows who are his sheep - and according to the Scripture - he always has. So he knows the souls of the great harvest - every one (Revelation 7:9-17, for which he sends out his Church to reap. The number of this harvest (also mentioned by Paul in Romans 11:25) is a mystery beyond our understanding - John describing it as such in Revelation 7:9.
Consider again, the five foolish virgins, the unfaithful servant - and also the Church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). They, each of them, chose this world over God, through fear, greed, laziness, lust for worldly pleasure, etc.
The consequences of this decision are fatal. To fail to participate in this harvest, through a love of this world, is to forfeit one’s place in it.
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