Matthew 25: WATCH OUT!

 

Matthew 25

Scripture

Math 25:13 (GNT):  And Jesus concluded, "Watch out, then, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Mat 25:32 (GNT): and the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Observation

In Math 25, Jesus again cautions the disciples to be watchful and uses the parables of the ten virgins and the talents to teach us how to be ready and prepared for His return by using contrasts between wise and foolish virgins (v1-12), faithful and unfaithful servants (v14-29).

Being ready and prepared	Being unprepared
5 Wise virgins	5 Foolish virgins
Have oil in their lamps and extra oil for later	Only have enough oil to fill their lamps, no extra oil
Did not share their precious oil with the foolish virgins	Asked the wise virgins for some of their oil
Were ready when the bridegroom came	Were shopping for oil when the bridegroom came
Entered the wedding feast with the groom	The door was locked when they returned to the wedding and they could not enter.
Faithful Servants	Unfaithful servants
Math 25:15: He gave to each one according to his ability
Servant with 5 talents invested the money and soon doubled it	Servant with 1 talent dug a hole in the ground and buried it for safekeeping
Servant with 2 talents went to work with the money and doubled it
Master applauded them: “Well done, my good and faithful servant”	Master scolded him: “You wicked and lazy servant”
They celebrated together	The talent he had was taken away from him
Consequences in the Final Judgement (Math 25:31-46)
Sheep – placed at the right hand of the King	Goats – placed to the left of the King
Blessed by the Father	They are cursed
Deeds and actions
Fed the hungry	Did not feed the hungry
Gave drink to the thirsty	Did not give drink to the thirsty
Showed hospitality and care to strangers	Ignored the stranger
Clothed the naked	No clothing for the naked
Cared for the sick	No care for the sick
Visited the prisoners	Ignored the prisoners
Eternal reward
Inherit the place the Father prepared for them in His Kingdom	Cast into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons
Will go into eternal life	Will go away into eternal punishment

 Application

The list above can be very exhausting and overwhelming to our poor human souls. How then can we be watchful and ready?

The 10 Virgins (The Oil)

When I was pondering and chewing on this chapter, The Holy Spirit remined me of a childhood song that goes like this:

V1 “Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, give me oil in my lamp, I pray; give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, keep me burning till the break of day.”

Then I thought to myself – if Matthew 25 tells us to keep enough oil to fill our lamps, how do I get this oil. In the parable the foolish virgins had to go to the store to buy oil, but the wise virgins had the oil with them.

In the parable it was not mentioned that the wise virgins bought the oil from a store before coming to the wedding feast, they already had it with them. So, what does this mean to you and me? Do I merely ask for the oil, as in the song? Or how do I obtain it?

The song also gives the answer as it doesn’t end there – it continues to the chorus:

“Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King of kings! Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King!”

I then got curios, what is the depth of the meaning of the word Hosanna? It is also what the masses cried out when Jesus’ rode on a donkey into Jerusalem (Math 21)… To sing Hosanna is both praise and plea for salvation, reflecting deep trust in God’s power to deliver and protect His people. The word Hosanna comes from the Hebrew phrase “hoshiya na”, meaning “save, please” or “save now.”

To fill our lamps with oil, we cannot buy it, we cannot fill up on our own; in our own strength – it is impossible. We need to cry out to Jesus; “Hosanna, save me please” and deeply trust in God’s power, the power of the Holy Spirit given to us by abiding in Him and allowing Him to abide in us.

The song then continues in verses 2, 3 & 4.

V2 Give me joy in my heart, keep me praising, give me joy in my heart, I pray; give me joy in my heart, keep me praising, keep me praising till the break of day. {Chorus}

V3 Give me peace in my heart, keep me loving, give me peace in my heart, I pray; give me peace in my heart, keep me loving, keep me loving till the break of day. {Chorus}

V4 Give me love in my heart, keep me serving, give me love in my heart, I pray; give me love in my heart, keep me serving, keep me serving till the break of day. {Chorus}

These versed points us to spiritual tools for abiding:

 

·       For joy – we lift our hearts in praise

·       For peace – we ask God to fill us with His love

·       From His love – we serve

The Servants

We spend time with God in prayer, in reading His word, in waiting in quiet places to hear His voice, from this will flow an attitude that will lead us to be wise servants, labouring with the talents God gave us (v14-29).

The judgement (Sheep vs Goats)

From the place of abiding in Jesus, worship and praise … our hearts are changed to be the Sheep that will take care of the physical and spiritual needs of our fellow man. We need to have a personal relationship with the living God and speak to Him in prayer ourselves, read the Bible for ourselves and ask God to reveal Himself to us through the Holy Scriptures (Bible) … this is the place where the oil is from.

Without abiding in Jesus – we are mere goats, doomed to eternal punishment. We cannot buy the oil, this makes me think of following false prophets & teachers – thinking that you can buy your healing, your salvation by merely listening to and following what others say blindly. Test everything you hear against the Word of God (the Bible).

Prayer

Lord we acknowledge that need You to save us, as we cry out a hosanna to you, we deeply trust that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will help us to abide in You. We lift up a song of praise and ask that restore the joy in our hearts, fill us with Your love, that we might have peace and serve You faithfully. Amen

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PASTORA HESMA – JCRC CAPETOWN