Matthew 25
1"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.
4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.
5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
7"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'
9"'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.'
10"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.
11"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
12"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
The Wise Virgin Was Prepared
14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.
15To one he gave five talents? of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.
17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.
18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'
21"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!'
22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'
23"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!'
24"Then the man who had received the one talent 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.
25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
26"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?
27Well 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.
28"'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.
29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.
32All 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.
33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"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.
35For 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,
36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"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.
42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43I 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.'
44"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?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Matthew 25 Summary:
In Matthew 25 Jesus tells us of several parables to include the Ten Virgins, the Gold Talents, and the Shepherd Dividing His Sheep From the Goats. The Parable of the Ten Virgins tells us of the kingdom of Heaven and the choices that we have between heaven and hell.
The Parable of the Gold Talents teaches us the value of being faithful to God and how we should live diligently everyday.
The last story tells us about the shepherd dividing the sheep from the goats. The sheep are who are compassionate and have God's love in them. On the other hand, the goats are selfish and have no godly love in them. The sheep will go to heaven and the goats will go to hell.
Matthew 25 Biblical Advice and Commentary
Matthew 25:1-13: Wise and Foolish Virgins (Kingdom of Heaven). A parable illustrating the diligence we must have in waiting for the return of Christ
Matthew 25:1: God's Kingdom Explained. Many of the parables of Jesus refer to God's kingdom as either the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. God's kingdom is God's sovereignty. God's kingdom is the physical and spiritual areas where God has authority.
Matthew 25:3: Imprudent Definition. The definition of imprudent is defined as "lacking forethought or caution; resulting from stupidity or misinformation". In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the five foolish virgins were imprudent in that they did not give enough forethought to bring extra oil if the bridegroom would arrive late.
Matthew 25:4: The Bible Tells Us That the Diligent Are Wise. In the Bible parable of the Ten Virgins both the wise and foolish virgins had the same knowledge, the same facts, and the same circumstances. The difference is that the wise virgins were diligent in that they followed through on their knowledge and took extra oil with them.
Matthew 25:5: What the Bible Says About Having Lapses in Diligence. In the Parable of the Ten Virgins the primary difference between the wise and foolish virgins was that the wise virgins were well prepared with extra lamp oil when they fell asleep. It may have been better if the wise virgins had not slept, but these wise virgins' hearts were in the right place and they had acted in earnest to be ready for the bridegroom.
Matthew 25:10: What the Bible Says About Perseverance Without Preparation. The Bible tells us that perseverance and preparation go together. In the Parable of the Ten Virgins both the foolish and wise virgin persevered in their calling, but only the wise virgins succeeded.
Matthew 25:12: What the Bible Says When You Lack Diligence in Your Faith. In reflecting on the Parable of the Ten Virgins we need to ask ourselves, what will God say when we meet Him in Heaven? Will He say that He does not know us because we were not diligent in our faith? How different are we from the five foolish virgins that did not fulfill their responsibilities? Matthew 25:12 advises us that the Lord did not recognize or know the foolish virgins.
Matthew 25:13: Examples of Values in Action. The parable of the Ten Virgins provides us an example of how important is for a Christian to be diligent in their faith. Christian diligence is where a Christian exercises their faith in a wise, consistent, and earnest effort. In the parable of the Ten Virgins, all ten virgins believed that the bridegroom was coming, but only five virgins truly exercised their faith to do everything possible to be prepared for the bridegroom's arrival. Matthew 25:13 gives us examples of values with the Parable of the Ten Virgins.
Matthew 25:14-30: Parable of the Talents - The Ruler Gives Charge to His Servants. A parable illustrating the need to have diligence over what God has given us until Jesus' coming. Christian Diligence - God Rewards the Industrious. Jesus' story of the five golden talents is a good example of Christian diligence. The parable illustrates how we should be industrious with the talents that God provides us. If we are faithful in our good works, God will continue to give us increase for the building of His Kingdom.
Matthew 25:21 advises how God will reward the industrious.
Matthew 25:27: Usury in the Bible: Receiving Interest from Banks and Investments is Acceptable. Other the years usury has received a bad reputation. The Bible does provide strict guidance concerning usury, but it also tells us that it is an acceptable profession. Matthew 25:27 tells us of the Parable of the Talents and the practice of usury.
Matthew 25:29: The Value of Acting on God's Truth. The Parable of the Gold Talents illustrates how the diligent who seek and act on God's truth will receive increase. On the other hand, the slothful who seek excuses will receive decrease (Matthew 25:29). Matthew 25 gives us examples of values with the Parable of the Talents
Matthew 25:31-46: Sheep and Goats will be Separated. A parable that illustrates the coming of the two judgments, one for the wicked and one for the righteous. Sheep and Goats will be Separated. A parable that illustrates the coming of the two judgments, one for the wicked and one for the righteous.
Matthew 25:34: What is the Kingdom of Heaven? Its Riches Will Be Inherited By the Blessed of God Even though we are all subjects of the kingdom of heaven, not all will receive the rich inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. In the end times we will all be divided into two groups (goats and sheep) and one group (the sheep) will receive the inheritance of eternal life and the other (the goats) will receive everlasting punishment. Matthew 25:34 tells us that the blessed shall receive the inheritance of the kingdom that was prepared for us from the foundation of the world.
Matthew 25:40: Christian Brethren Treat All With Brotherly Kindness. The Bible teaches Christians to treat everyone like a brethren with brotherly kindness. This is because anyone can become a Christian. Christians are not here to judge the world, but to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Matthew 25:41: On Judgment Day Unrepentant Sinners Shall Be Eternally Separated From God. The parable of the sheep and the goats illustrates that there will be a Judgment Day where unrepentant sinners, the goats, will be eternally separated from God. Jesus tells us this parable to make it clear that there are consequences to not being followers of Christ, the goats. Matthew 25:41 tells us that unrepentant sinners will be separated from God and be delivered into the everlasting fire of Hell.
