GOSPEL OF MATTHEW CHAPTER 25

SCRIPTURE

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

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, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him! Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’

While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

REFLECTION

Therefore stay awake!  No one knows when the Lord will come for them….Are we ready….are we putting anything off….are we working now each day to live the kingdom that we hope to occupy in the next world?

There are many parables Jesus has shared with us on our foolishness of placing our trust in things that decay and go away…Jesus has promised us that His word will never go away…Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life we all hope to enjoy for all eternity…Welcome good and faithful servant into my kingdom.

Jesus reminds us that while the kingdom is offered to all, some are foolish and shut themselves out of the wedding feast.  What were those five foolish virgins thinking…what were their priorities…were they busy doing something else so they passed on picking up the “oil” they needed  or did the “oil” just cost too much and they were not up for the sacrifice… or was greeting the bridegroom no big deal!

The foolish virgins begged the wise virgins for some of their oil.  I thought of someone hanging onto the coattails of another sneaking into heaven.  It doesn’t happen like this.  I can pray for other people and I should but I can save no one, not even myself. That is between them and Jesus the Savior.  Pray for those loved ones that they will wake up in time before they hear, “Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.”

 SCRIPTURE

The Parable of the Talents

 It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five…..His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’

 Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’

 Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant, gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’

 His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!^* So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?  

Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.  For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’

‘Well done, my good and faithful servant

 REFLECTION

In Jesus time a talent was a silver coin or something comparable. But all Scripture applies to me and you.  As I read this Scripture passage, I am reminded of the many times I have buried my gifts out of selfishness or laziness for that matter.  Throughout our lives God sends graces our way…do we accept and nourish them or ignore them, maybe reject them outright to choose my will. For some, the journey home is a sprint, for others, a marathon.  We must pay attention at all the time to nudges of the Spirit.

To me, the part about the Master taking away the “talent” from the servant who buried it is not so much God punishing the hoarder but about the axiom, “if we don’t use it we lose it.”  We can become lukewarm, lazy indifferent towards God and His gifts.

“so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Fear of God in Scripture refers to reverence and respect, not that God may hit you with lightning bolt.  God loves us!  John 3:16 In fact, fear of a wrathful God can make one deny Him, deny sin, and deny need for mercy and forgiveness at our own peril!

 SCRIPTURE

 The Judgment of the Nations

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place 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. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’

Then the righteous^* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’

Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs? He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me. And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

Come, you who are blessed by my Father.

Inherit the kingdom prepared for you

from the foundation of the world.

 REFLECTION

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne”

In this Scripture passage we get a glimpse of the last judgment in Jesus’ parable.  Now don’t think Jesus prefers sheep to goats. It is figurative langrage for separating the righteous and the wicked.  We know Jesus has told us not to pull up the weeds as we living our lives on earth less we pull up the wheat by mistake.  Jesus is really the only one that can judge what can be saved and what can be disposed of.

…. just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels;  they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Matthew 13:40-43

We may be very disturbed by what we perceive as wicked and evil thriving and winning but the story isn’t over yet.  There will be a final reckoning.  There is a final judgment. The one that really counts! Jesus has told us so!

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36

The two greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbor.  It is sometimes hard for us to know if we are loving God as we should, unless we see Him in our neighbor. So we should not be surprised by Jesus, judge of the nations,  rendering His decision, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

POSTSCRIPT: THIS IS LAST POST IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW CATEGORY.  THE REMAINING CHAPTERS OF MATTHEW MAY BE FOUND IN LENTEN REFLECTIONS AND HOLY WEEK

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