Synoptic Gospels - Matthew 25

Matthew 24–25 and the Transition to the Parables of Watchfulness

A little bit about, it seems the heat brings everybody out. Last week at this time there was like five of us in here and I guess everyone wants to get up and get at it and get out of the heat as quickly as possible now.

I know I had to get up at three something yesterday morning because I was going down the South Mountain and I wanted to climb it four times plus do the San Juan Road and it takes about five hours and I started looking at the clock going better get started about as early as you can get started and it's like yeah that's what you do around summertime around here.

Better get up oh dark 30 if you want to beat the sun. It's actually going to cool off by what Thursday I think. Thursday it's supposed to be 86. Mr. Callahan's going don't believe it? You don't believe it?

You don't believe it? Almost 20 degrees cooler than today so that's cool. That's a lot cooler than it was. I mean I've got an outside thermometer and it's under the eave so it actually picks up some heat from the attic so it's off but it was a hundred and I saw what 105 yesterday something like that so it's like well it's going to be like that for a while that's why we live here I suppose but anyhow so section 297 is the end of Matthew chapter 24.

The reason I think the official keeper of the notes had that is that what we were talking about was the fact that what you really have at the end of Matthew 25 13 watch therefore if you know neither the day nor the hour and then you likewise have parable of the the talents and judgments and so on so forth so you have a transition and as I warned when we went into Matthew 24 there are no chapter divisions and what we were talking about was the fact that you have very specific predictions in regards to the destruction of Jerusalem and then all of a sudden very non-specific you won't know the day or the hour at the end of the chapter which indicates there's been some type of a of a transition and what you have in the parable of the good servant and the wicked servant in Matthew 24 45 through 51 and then the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 1 through 13 and then the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 14 through 30 all three of these have the same thrust and the same perspective to them and while we'll look at each one the emphasis that each one carries is the idea of a period of time when the master is going to be away and then his sudden unannounced return and it's it's hard for me to see how the first part of Matthew 24 where you have very specific signs you have armies running Jerusalem and the abomination of desolation and and all this going on it doesn't doesn't fit with these parables because the parables are saying there's no there's no sign given there's no abomination of desolation there's no armies.

In fact the primary thing is people are doing what people do they're investing and they're they're doing what servants would do and and also the master returns and so do you have this I think consistent message in each one of these these parables.

So the parable at the end of Matthew 24 who then is a faithful wise servant I mentioned last week I think was last week that this is the text that Jehovah's Witnesses use to identify their own organization as the organization you must follow in the end times and of course that that faithful their translation is the faithful and discreet slave is the term knowledge they use faithful and wise servant is what this translation has becomes an organization and that organization is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society and so they give give them their food at the proper time.

So if you want to have food from Jehovah if you want to have understanding of Jehovah's ways then you have to listen to the faithful and discreet slave and that's sort of become a class and now it's sort of just become the Watchtower Society as a whole and as I mentioned they are undergoing a fair amount of change right now because for so long they've been focused on the 1914 prophecy and they're now phasing it out.

It's it's it's almost humorous it wasn't so sad to sit outside from a distance and watch this and I I don't do as much with the Watchtower Society as I once did by a long shot but still I keep up with enough that it's just it's so clear and there has to be people there this has to be people in that society they're seeing the same things that I'm saying and and others that are observing it but you know they they've gotten smart you know they've learned their lesson that you know if you set dates and they don't work people leave and just ask family radio all about that right now and after the 1975 failed prophecy a million people left the Watchtower Society over the next few years just wandered off and became the religiously abused.

But what they're doing is they're they're de-emphasizing the 1914 stuff but they're doing it slowly and they're bringing in new teachings to sort of take that over so that it's being done slow enough that you can try to bring the vast majority of people along.

It's only the only the diehards are going hey wait a minute and then you just kick them out because that's something society is very good at doing. But anyway this is the text that they use to substantiate their existence as Jehovah's only organization on earth.

The Faithful and Wicked Servant

Anyways who there's a faithful and wise servant whose masters has set over his household to give them their food at the proper time blesses that servant who is master when he comes we'll find so doing truly truly I say to you you will set him over all his possessions.

But that wicked servant says to himself my master is delayed. It begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks the drunken the master. That servant will come on a day when he does not expect him in an hour he does not know and will punish him and put him with the hypocrites.

Their men will weep and gnash their teeth. So you have a sort of a setup here for what we're going to see in in the following ones. And that is you have a person put in a position of responsibility and they are under the lordship of a of a servant of it.

I'm sorry I'm the master. They are the servant and the master is away for an undefined period of time so undefined that in this situation you have a wicked servant that says the master is delayed. And this is one place that we encounter one of the great controversies as to the dating of the Gospels.

Once again some people would point to this they thought see this is this is a much later time period where you know now the church is trying to explain why the Paducea the coming of Christ has not taken place.

The problem is this would require us to think that the first part of Matthew 24 was written earlier and then the rest of it was modified at a later time for which we have absolutely positively not a single shred of evidence.

Again it the text just does not strike me as being written by someone who is looking back upon the destruction of Jerusalem. The prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem. Just do not partake of the kind of made-up prophecies that you find in in historical works.

I mean it's not unusual for people to write literature like that and to place back in the mouths of people before an event some inkling of what was going to come or or something along those lines. I mean I think of I think about those poor young men the white shirts and and black slacks riding around on their on their mountain bikes in this weather and they're carrying around a book actually a set of books.

And Joseph Smith decided to insert a prophecy about Joseph Smith into the book of Genesis which had been lost somehow for all these years and no one had ever seen it until somewhere in the early 1800s.

And and it's you know it's so specific it's got names and you know it's just so obvious that it's that it's being written by someone is going hey I'm a prophet and look I was prophesied and it's it's just it's it's almost well it's silly it's it's it's laughable.

That's not what you have in Matthew 24. You don't have someone going I'm gonna make Jesus a prophet and look at this I'm gonna it wouldn't have been written that way and there would have been much more detail there would have been much more focus upon that and then you wouldn't have this.

And then there's going to be this undefined period of time where we're just to be faithful servants and we're to be always looking for our master's return but no one knows there they are nobody knows it's it's something where we're to be faithful in the midst of all this it is very interesting to to consider that each one of these parables the ten virgins and the talents as well as the the good servant the wicked servant is all basically saying there is going to be an undefined period of time where you have one responsibility faithfulness.

Now you're to remain watchful because the the danger is when when people start going well you know it's not going to happen or I'm gonna I'm just going to spiritualize everything and and it's it's real easy to become rather lackadaisical at that point.

And so you have a good servant a blessed servant who you know in this first parable the the master sets him over the household and basically he's just supposed to take care of household. He's supposed to give them their food the proper time.

It's not like he's doing quantum physics or something like that it's just a he's been called to do what a servant is called to do and blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing so what's the lesson from that.

Well we are called to the exact same kind of faithfulness and it's it's easy to put out a special effort for a short period of time to be faithful. You know let's say some Christian superstar you know comes to your church and someone with a real big name in your circles whatever that might be you reform Baptists don't really have much in that way but that's just sort of where we are.

But it's fairly easy for a short period of time for folks to give of themselves in a particular way and to go the extra mile and all that stuff. But then you know the superstar leaves and well it all goes back normal.

Well that's not the way it's supposed to be this this servant is called blasts because he just remains faithful and faithfulness is really measured I think in God's eyes in its consistency and longevity not its outward visibility shall we say.

And so this servant doesn't go. Well you know he's been given a certain task. He doesn't go. No I'm getting tired this task I'm gonna call myself to something else. No he's been given a particular task and that's what his master wants him to do and he remains faithful.

Now the contrast is the wicked servant that says you know I've done this for a while. Notice that the master is delayed. So for a while the wicked servant did what the wicked servant was supposed to do.

Why. Because the master was supposed to be there pretty quick and I better do it or I'm in trouble. But now the master's delayed and so he starts getting the idea I don't have to continue doing what I've been told to do.

And so he begins to beat his fellow servants and he stops doing what he's supposed to be doing. He's eating and and drinking with the drunken and he's not doing what he's been called to do. And in that state the master that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him at an hour when he does not know and will punish him and put him with the hypocrites.

Their men will weep and gnash their teeth. This phrase weeping and gnashing of teeth is pretty common in the Gospels. We've seen it before. We'll see it again as to the regret and the suffering and the mourning of those who receive punishment from their Lord.

And we're going to see it especially in Matthew chapter 25. And so the parable the good servant the wicked servant says to us. There probably was a time in the experience of the good servant that he was tempted to change the mandate that was his tempted to start going another direction attempted to maybe start abusing the authority been given or something like that all because well you know it just doesn't look like judgment is right around the corner.

I think if we can take anything out of this the the attitude that is to be ours is judgment is right around the corner for every one of us not necessarily just in well you know Lord to come tomorrow. Well the Lord could come in a lot of different ways.

I think a lot of us and I think it's defense mechanism. I think it is for me. But a lot of us get into those couple thousand pound vehicles and those of you who drive those big more than that looking at just a few of you here and and we start trundling down the road and most of us just don't even give much thought to it.

Now if you've been in a bad accident in the past you might give a little more thought to it than others but I'll be honest I've never been and it's just sort of something you do until you get to where you're going.

Now I ride a bicycle all over the place. I also have a motorcycle which I don't generally ride much in traffic because people are idiots. I mean you get on a motorcycle and you just disappear. It's really cool.

I am the invisible man. You know you ever thought it would be really cool to be invisible. Well I know how to do it. Get on a motorcycle just as soon as you just just gone. You know and you know 48 year old women in SUVs with this just attacking their face.

Oh you know they just and you're invisible. It's great. It's it's wonderful. It's fun. Anyway we don't we don't think about just how very very quickly they will remember this guy. Oh I don't know how long ago this was but it's over a decade ago.

I know that but the guy that stole the big old honkin dump truck well of course you remember that Roxy. I mean come on that's this. Yeah remember that and Central Avenue remember and I just I can't get the video of that out of my mind.

It's amazing. I can't remember anything else. I can remember video from a decade ago because you you I can hear the helicopter pilot and he sees the person coming across Bethany Home Road. And it's you know how your mind you know you may have failed trigonometry but your mind can still do it.

You know and you're just going and you just use no and and you can just hear the guy in the helicopter going. No no. And it they just they didn't miss they hit. But it wasn't a t-bone because it I mean that that thing was doing what 50 55 miles an hour can you imagine.

But it hit the back of the car thankfully and spun it. I'm sure that wasn't an enjoyable experience for the folks in the car. And it was hard enough hit that it actually flipped the the truck on its side.

So I'm sure there is injuries involved but but there were no fatalities. But you think of how many just this morning how many how many intersections you went through and your mind never turned you know to Wow I just went through another intersection safely.

Thank you Lord. You know because you just don't you just don't think about it. And we don't think about we don't think about how many times every single day the Lord extends just such mercy and grace to us.

And yet every once in a while you know you hear about some young person cut off far before their time and it reminds us that every one of us has been in that situation and have just missed death in numerous different ways.

And so there is a sense another sense in which the Lord's coming can be considered in that way we're gonna meet him and anybody who becomes that wicked servant and in light it's an attitude of yeah down the road I'll worry about it down the road.

And what Jesus is saying is that's foolishness. That is absolutely foolishness. You may have started off you may know the truth you may know what you're supposed to be doing but it's the it's the long term you know it's that that phrase he who endures the end shall be saved.

It's not during the end it saves you. It's not like that is somehow what saves. But saving faith endures. And do not do not be deceived. Sitting in the pews of a Baptist Church is not going to save you unless you are hearing what is being said and acting accordingly.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

So similarly Matthew chapter 25 begins. Then the king of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lambs and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps they took no oil with them but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.

As the bridegroom was delayed they all slumbered and slept. At midnight there was a cry behold the bridegroom come out to meet him. Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps and the foolish said the wise give us some of your oil for our lamps are gone out.

But the wise replied perhaps there'll not be enough for us and for you go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and those who are ready went in with him the marriage feast.

The door was shut afterward. The other maidens came also saying Lord Lord open to us. But he replied truly I say to you I do not know. You watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour. Now we all again know the parable.

We've undoubtedly heard of it heard it before and you've probably heard a number of sermons on it. And certainly when the Puritans addressed texts like this they would plan out one sermon per virgin just about just to you know make sure to cover everything so you'd have a you'd have a sermon on ten maidens.

You'd have a sermon on lamps. You'd have a sermon on what foolish means have a sermon on what wise means. And you have a sermon on what oil means. And I mean you just if you think I'm I'm making this up go check out some of the some of the Puritan sermons you'll find that to be to be the case.

And certainly you can I think with some level of benefit consider the way that marriages were done and let me tell you something if you think marriages are a long ordeal today ain't nothing compared to two marriages back then and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing that they put so much effort into things back then.

I think as things have become simplified in our modern day it's just sort of well you know not a big deal. Well you know we can always do it again if things don't work out type of an attitude in many people's minds unfortunately.

And so you can you can talk about how the the bridesmaids and what their role was in escorting the the bridegroom and and I mean they these were long drawn-out affairs you might argue exhausting affairs and I'm sure they were.

But it was it was a cultural recognition of the centrality of the marriage covenant in the marriage relationship and as we have simplified and simplified I think that has been a representation or a reflection I'm sorry of the same problems we're having in our own society.

I happened this morning to listen to a portion I just couldn't listen all of it a portion of discussion from England on the subject of the redefinition of marriage and it was just it was so difficult to to listen especially to the non-christian worldview being being promoted that it brought to mind texts like this and the fact that there was a real celebration that took place because people understood back then anyways that this was absolutely foundational to to life and to the production of life and the continuation of the society and the people as a whole.

But it's really not Jesus point to give us a parable about all the history of marriage. His point is that here you have ten maidens who are looking to engage in in rejoicing and to be a part of of the celebration.

But not all of them are the same. Half of them are described as being wise and half of them are described as being foolish. And what is the focus of their wisdom and their foolishness. But it's preparation it's it's looking ahead.

It's you know and I've seen this. I've been involved with a lot of weddings and there are some people involved in weddings that are primarily concerned about how they're gonna look at the wedding. And then there are other people in the weddings that do a lot of work for other folks and sort of take up the slack for the slackers I guess.

And they have a have a different perspective they have a different set of priorities. And so you have five wise maidens. And why are they wise. They've actually thought about the fact that you don't know exactly when the bridegroom is coming there there can be delays.

They recognize the vagaries of life and the foolish are just sort of they're thinking on a surface level. Maybe they might be those kinds of people that's you know we all know them. They're rather flighty and they're there.

They're constantly in in need of help and assistance because they just haven't done any planning. They're not disciplined in the way they live their lives. All of us encounter unforeseen things and we need help at times in our lives.

That's that's that's. Yeah. But look they these these ladies have been going to weddings. This isn't the first wedding they've gone to and they had been in situations where there had been delay but they just weren't thinking things through.

Maybe they're just far more interested in the fact that people are gonna be looking at them and they're gonna get to dress up and they've got a role in things and and and just didn't think in a rational way.

And so there is a delay. And finally at midnight there was a cry behold the bridegroom come out to meet him now. In other words not the time you'd expect all right again what's the what's the what's the parallel here is we've already seen the unexpectedness of the coming of the bridegroom the unexpectedness of the coming of the master of the house.

This is this is what ties these parables together. And the wise have made preparation so that whenever the bridegroom comes they will be ready. And that's what's going to tie this to the parable. The talents is the wise ones invest.

They're active they're thinking about the future. They're they're being disciplined. And so when the master comes they have something to answer. They have something to present to him. Here the the maidens five of them are ready to go in.

They are prepared. They're not having to run off and try to find somebody at midnight to sell them oil. And so when the when the bridegroom comes he's coming and and what do what do the foolish ones do.

But they look to others to solve their problems. And so hey give me some of your oil. And the wise respond we can't. We only we have enough to do what we've been called to do. But perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you.

You didn't make preparation and it's it's funny how the attitude in our society has become. Well that's not my fault you you owe it to me give me your stuff. You know if I don't prepare for myself you just give me your stuff.

That's that's the new attitude that unfortunately is rampant in our in our society rather than a recognition of our own responsibilities it's hey if you've got more oil than me then you need to give me some of your oil because we all need to have the same amount of oil so we can all run out together.

That's great anyway. And so while they're gone the bridegroom comes and those who are ready went in with him to the marriage feast and the door was shut. And once again the there might be some who don't like this idea of the door to the celebration being shut.

That's not really a universalist concept. The door is just wide open to everybody whenever you know that's the that's the big you know Rob Bell universalism type idea is that the door is never shut. In fact the only way the door ever gets shut is if the the sinner in after death runs up and and slams it shut for them you know.

And some of them at least leave that as a option that someone could be so hard-hearted even after death even after they see everything as they should see things they still are unwilling and they they reject and so on and so forth.

There are some people who take that that perspective but know that the door is shut and afterward the other maidens come also and they say Lord Lord open to us. And I I don't think it is in any way a just a happenstance that they go Lord Lord in light of the fact that at the last judgment there is there is going to be the you know the statement Lord and we already had in Matthew chapter 7 Lord Lord did we not do these things in your name.

And Jesus response I never knew you depart from me. And that is the same thing that you get here is these other maidens come and his response to their abjuring him Lord Lord open to us is truly I say to you I do not know you.

So once again there are those who will look at this and they will say well what this means is that if you will keep your nose clean and you will do all these things and you will perform all these rituals and you will give X amount of money to the church and so on and so forth.

That's how you purchase oil and that's how you you get your ticket punched to get through the door. And so it is a the theme prescriptively this is the prescription this is these are the things you do and that's going to get you where you want to be.

It's interesting that the response of the of the master is not too late. It's not you should have been ready. It's not what were you thinking. The answer of the Lord is. And that's very interesting to me because over and over again in the biblical narrative depart from me.

For I never knew you. Truly I say to you I do not know you. And when you get to the the judgment scene in the book of Revelation they're judged as the things written in the books. But then it says they're cast in the lake of fire because their names not found written in the last book of life.

Now I think that's because anyone who's judged by what's written in the books is toast. I mean there's nobody who wants to be judged by the the perfect complete recording of all of their words and all of their actions and all of their thought.

I mean if that's the standard will anyone stand well. Of course not not before a holy God. Anybody who has slightest knowledge of their own just their thoughts let alone their acts and deeds don't want that to happen.

And so it seems that they're all all condemned. But what then becomes the the basis of being cast in lake of fire is our names not written in the lands book of life. That's the only way out of that condemnation is to have one's name written in the lands book of life.

And those are those whom he knows. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. So there is this consistency in the biblical revelation of the centrality of that personal relationship with Christ knowing him not knowing about him.

You know it doesn't say I did not know about you I did not know you. There's a difference between the two. And you know we've warned many many times especially the young people. You can sit in Sunday school and you can learn and you've been catechized and you know you're grew up here.

And as long as you didn't completely sleep through everything you've you've heard a lot and you've learned a lot whether you wanted to or not. But that's not enough. You can know all about Jesus. That's not knowing Jesus.

You can know all about faith that's not having faith. And you do not want to be amongst those who somewhat someday here truly I say to you I do not know you. Jesus knows his sheep and his sheep know him.

There is a reciprocal relationship that exists there. And so the final warning is watch. Therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour. And who's going to hear that warning. The wise those who know Christ that's that's why they hear it to others.

It's just wasted breath basically to even make that kind of a statement in the same way. The last parable is a fairly lengthy one. I'll hardly have time to even read it but we'll at least read it and be prepared to continue on with it.

For it will be as when a man go going on a journey called his servants and entrusted them his property again. This is this is just sort of an expansion on the good servants. Bad servant one before him to one he gave five talents to another two to another one to each according to his ability.

Now of course talents is a measure of money to us. It's like oh he gave me the talent of music. I've heard a few people you know use it that way. It's like all right. Not quite. It's fair amount of money by the way.

Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and trade with them and he made five talents more. It's also he who had two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.

After a long time the master those servants came and settled accounts with them and he would receive the five talents came forward bring five talents more saying master you delivered to me five talents.

Here I've made five talents more. As master said to him well done good and faithful servant you've been faithful over a little I will give you I will set you over much entering the joy of your master.

And he also had the heel. He and he also who had the two talents came forward saying master you delivered to me two talents. Here I have made two talents more. As master to him 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.

Now if you're looking at the parallels in Luke these they are set over five cities for example the second came saying Lord your pound has made five pounds. And he said to him you're to be over five cities now it might be a different version of the story told at a different time but that's that's the parallel.

Well done good faith servant you have been faithful little I'll set you over much enter the joy of your master. He also who had received the one talent came forward saying master I knew you to be a hard man reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not winnow.

So I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours. But as master answered him you wicked and slothful servant you knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather why I have not winnowed.

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. So take the town from him and give it to him who has the ten talents for it.

Everyone who has will more be given and he will have abundance. But from him who has not even what he has will be taken away and cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. There men will weep and gnash their teeth.

So once again similar concepts just really an expansion on the first utilizing now something that people would would understand. This was not something that would have been unusual entrusting to a servant a certain amount of money.

Now it's not just providing food the household but now it is something more. It is a sum of money. And the first two servants even though they're given different sums both have the same attitude and both enter into the joy of the Lord.

When he returns he finds that they have been faithful in doing what a servant should do in that situation. But then you have the one who in essence blames the the power and exaltedness and strictness of the master for his having done nothing at all out of fear not seemingly really knowing the master very well out of fear this one hide the talent in the ground.

I didn't got wasted. I mean some people would say well he shouldn't shouldn't be put down. I didn't go out and waste it. Actually the the description at the end is a worthless servant who is cast out into outer darkness and where they'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So we're actually the question might be who are the who are the five unwise maidens. Who is the wicked servant. They're all left outside at the judgment. And so these would be the religious hypocrites.

These would be those who put on a display of some type of religious piety and yet will receive the the judgment of God. And that's what's going to come out in the last judgment. Here in the last section of Matthew chapter 25 is they will use the term Lord but they don't know him.

This one you know we have that specifically stated in the parable of the virgins because the maidens because he says I do not know you. But here the description of this one is a worthless servant and he is cast out into outer darkness which clearly indicates this is someone who is a is a hypocrite.

This isn't. I know sometimes these people are described as well this is carnal Christian. But he's still saved. He still gets him unless there's outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth in heaven.

I don't think so but I've heard some people that have gone ahead and taken it that far that that's what they are. But it's it's pretty clear that's not the case. Okay. Well my ever worsening eyes seem to indicate that we are out of time.

So let's let's close the word of prayer. Well once again we thank you for your word and we thank you for its exhortation to us. And we do ask your forgiveness if we have become slothful and not anticipating and obeying the command to be faithful to what you've called us to do Lord help us to recognize that we do not know what tomorrow will bring and yet whatever it might bring we want to be faithful servants of yours.

We want to be those who are told to enter into the joy of their Lord. May we be that kind of servant even this coming week we pray in Christ's name.