Matthew 25:13-30 Watch Therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour
13 Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour.
This is really incredible. There are Bible teachers who say you don't need to watch because no one knows the day or the hour, yet the context of this verse is that this is precisely why we do need to watch.
14 For it is as when a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey.
Again, He is telling us about the rapture, but from a different angle. Jesus has delivered the word to us, His spirit to us, the church and the saints to us. It is our job to build up the heavenly economy while He is gone. The rapture is the one festival that occurs when the Lord returns from a long journey. You can view the two years spent building the house as a long journey or you can view this example, either way the rapture is after the Lord returns from a long journey. There is only one festival in the Old Testament that is specifically for a man who returns from a long journey, that is the second Passover.
16 Straightway he that received the five talents went and traded with them, and made other five talents. 17 In like manner he also that received the two gained other two. 18 But he that received the one went away and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
Again, many of us are nervous about the Lord’s coming, will He be happy with what I have done. Did you hide your talent? He is not going to be happy about that. But just because you aren’t some “great evangelist” doesn’t mean you haven’t invested your talent. He seems quite happy with everyone who did invest, it is just the guy who hid the talent that He is not happy with. This sounds like the kid who always gets his lunch money stolen by the bully so he hides the money rather than stand up to the Bully. At the end of the age we are supposed to take a stand to prevent our house from being broken into, a stand against the bully.
19 Now after a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and maketh a reckoning with them. 20 And he that received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: lo, I have gained other five talents. 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22 And he also that received the two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: lo, I have gained other two talents. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Enter into the joy of the Lord. The Lord’s return is joyful for some. I tell all my students that the exam is “an opportunity for them to shine”. It is a running joke with foolish virgins that people hate exams, it isn’t true. I have students who get 100 on exams, they don’t hate them. This is also another way of looking at filling your vessel with oil. He gave them talents according to their ability like giving them oil according to the size of the vessel.
24 And he also that had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scatter; 25 and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own.
Quick question, this doesn’t seem to be my experience, I have had times when I felt I should speak but didn’t. I have had experiences where I was afraid to share my experience. Never once was it because I thought “oh the Lord is a hard man reaping where He doesn’t sow”. Either this guy is very different from me, or else he isn’t being honest. I suspect he fashioned what he thought would be a clever explanation for why he had done nothing as he saw all the other saints sharing their experiences. Bad strategy, lying to the Lord. If you were truly scared of the Lord you would be way too scared to lie. Better to be a "slothful" servant who is honest than one who is a liar.
26 But his lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter; 27 thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine own with interest.
If he had simply done nothing he would have been slothful but not wicked. Fabricating a lie to justify his action indicates he was also wicked. Then the Lord hits the real objection, I was afraid of man. If you were afraid of man then share with the saints, they welcome all testimonies. I used to be a stock broker and you can do much better with wise investing in the market, but at the same time I can understand someone who is scared to do that. There are guaranteed investments with banks, easy peasy.
28 Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath the ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away.
Wow, this guy thought he had nothing and yet what he did have the Lord and all the saints want. Too bad he didn’t appreciate what he had.
30 And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
This is where it gets confusing. What does this mean? I suspect there have been a lot of erroneous theories posited on this. Things like purgatory and indulgences. All I know is if the Lord comes tomorrow and I am left out in the dark I will be weeping and gnashing my teeth. I’ll have 1,260 days to turn things around.
One final comment, the context of this story is that we need to watch for the Lord's coming, but he is comparing this to "watching for a final exam". It isn't sufficient to know when the exam is, you have to study, you have to prepare, you have to show up ready. Our entire Christian life is an opportunity to invest the Lord's talents and build up the Lord's economy and if you do that when He returns you will have a spiritual bank account that is full, a vessel full of oil. The true treasure on this earth is a word from God that is your experience. A real treasure is an experience of faith, hope and love. If you don't have that you will be ashamed at the Lord's coming.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour.
This is really incredible. There are Bible teachers who say you don't need to watch because no one knows the day or the hour, yet the context of this verse is that this is precisely why we do need to watch.
14 For it is as when a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey.
Again, He is telling us about the rapture, but from a different angle. Jesus has delivered the word to us, His spirit to us, the church and the saints to us. It is our job to build up the heavenly economy while He is gone. The rapture is the one festival that occurs when the Lord returns from a long journey. You can view the two years spent building the house as a long journey or you can view this example, either way the rapture is after the Lord returns from a long journey. There is only one festival in the Old Testament that is specifically for a man who returns from a long journey, that is the second Passover.
16 Straightway he that received the five talents went and traded with them, and made other five talents. 17 In like manner he also that received the two gained other two. 18 But he that received the one went away and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
Again, many of us are nervous about the Lord’s coming, will He be happy with what I have done. Did you hide your talent? He is not going to be happy about that. But just because you aren’t some “great evangelist” doesn’t mean you haven’t invested your talent. He seems quite happy with everyone who did invest, it is just the guy who hid the talent that He is not happy with. This sounds like the kid who always gets his lunch money stolen by the bully so he hides the money rather than stand up to the Bully. At the end of the age we are supposed to take a stand to prevent our house from being broken into, a stand against the bully.
19 Now after a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and maketh a reckoning with them. 20 And he that received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: lo, I have gained other five talents. 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22 And he also that received the two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: lo, I have gained other two talents. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Enter into the joy of the Lord. The Lord’s return is joyful for some. I tell all my students that the exam is “an opportunity for them to shine”. It is a running joke with foolish virgins that people hate exams, it isn’t true. I have students who get 100 on exams, they don’t hate them. This is also another way of looking at filling your vessel with oil. He gave them talents according to their ability like giving them oil according to the size of the vessel.
24 And he also that had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scatter; 25 and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own.
Quick question, this doesn’t seem to be my experience, I have had times when I felt I should speak but didn’t. I have had experiences where I was afraid to share my experience. Never once was it because I thought “oh the Lord is a hard man reaping where He doesn’t sow”. Either this guy is very different from me, or else he isn’t being honest. I suspect he fashioned what he thought would be a clever explanation for why he had done nothing as he saw all the other saints sharing their experiences. Bad strategy, lying to the Lord. If you were truly scared of the Lord you would be way too scared to lie. Better to be a "slothful" servant who is honest than one who is a liar.
26 But his lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter; 27 thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine own with interest.
If he had simply done nothing he would have been slothful but not wicked. Fabricating a lie to justify his action indicates he was also wicked. Then the Lord hits the real objection, I was afraid of man. If you were afraid of man then share with the saints, they welcome all testimonies. I used to be a stock broker and you can do much better with wise investing in the market, but at the same time I can understand someone who is scared to do that. There are guaranteed investments with banks, easy peasy.
28 Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath the ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away.
Wow, this guy thought he had nothing and yet what he did have the Lord and all the saints want. Too bad he didn’t appreciate what he had.
30 And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
This is where it gets confusing. What does this mean? I suspect there have been a lot of erroneous theories posited on this. Things like purgatory and indulgences. All I know is if the Lord comes tomorrow and I am left out in the dark I will be weeping and gnashing my teeth. I’ll have 1,260 days to turn things around.
One final comment, the context of this story is that we need to watch for the Lord's coming, but he is comparing this to "watching for a final exam". It isn't sufficient to know when the exam is, you have to study, you have to prepare, you have to show up ready. Our entire Christian life is an opportunity to invest the Lord's talents and build up the Lord's economy and if you do that when He returns you will have a spiritual bank account that is full, a vessel full of oil. The true treasure on this earth is a word from God that is your experience. A real treasure is an experience of faith, hope and love. If you don't have that you will be ashamed at the Lord's coming.