The One Year Bible Club with Teaching
Commentary by Nick Boork
February 7
Matthew 25:1-30
Commentary by Nick Boork
February 7
Matthew 25:1-30
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“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
OKAY HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
The parable of the wise and foolish virgins
Back in the days of Jesus Jewish weddings were done in three stages.
1) The Engagement – The fathers of the bride and groom came together and made an agreement that their son and daughter would be married.
2) The Betrothal – this was a ceremony in which mutual promises were made.
3) The Wedding – The actual public wedding happened about a year after the engagement.
The Jewish bridal procession had ten virgins and each carried an oil lamp as part of the ceremony to receive the bridegroom when he came to claim his bride. Jesus used this Jewish cultural tradition to teach an important truth about being ready for His coming.
Jesus said five of the virgins had oil in their lamps which he said were wise and five of the virgins had no oil in their lamps and Jesus said they were foolish. This is symbolic of all confessing Christians throughout the whole world. We know that in the Bible oil represents the Holy Spirit. Jesus was saying you have to have the Holy Spirit to be ready to go to heaven. But what does this mean to have the Holy Spirit? Jesus is obviously talking about being born again by the Holy Spirit because Jesus said in John chapter 3 that unless you're born again by the Spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Romans 8:9 says “…Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” Does this mean a person has to speak in tongues by the Holy Spirit to be ready to go to heaven? Absolutely not! There is a difference between being born again by the Holy Spirit and being baptized in the Holy Spirit with speaking other tongues. The Bible clearly teaches in Romans 10:13 “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Additionally, there are many places in the Bible where people were saved and didn't speak and other tongues. In short, these are separate experiences. One is being born again by the Holy Spirit when a person receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The other is being baptized in the Holy Spirit. The point of this parable is that you have to have oil in your lamp to be ready and that oil represents the Holy Spirit in a Christian's life that has been born-again.
So according to this parable Jesus teaches that to be ready to enter into Heaven you have to be born again by the Holy Spirit. Remember, half of the virgins had oil in their lamps, they were wise, they were ready for the return of the Bridegroom which is a type of Christ and they were ready to enter into the Marriage Celebration which is a type of Heaven. The foolish virgins had their bridal lamps but they didn't have any oil and they couldn't borrow any from the virgins that had oil. This means each person’s salvation must be experienced individually. So the question is, “Are you born again by the Holy Spirit?”
The parable of the Talents
Here Jesus teaches the truth about God requiring an accounting of what we did with the gifts and abilities he entrusted us with. In the parable one man received five talents another received two talents and another received one talent. We don't determine what gifts and abilities we get from God however each of us needs to acknowledge what God has put within us and use it for his purposes.
The Bible teaches us in Romans 12:4-8 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. So according to the Bible, each of us has been given at least one gift from God to be used in his service. The man that received five talents went and put them to work and gained 5 others what's this mean? It means that he used the gifts that were in his life to the maximum influencing others for Christ and faithfully reproducing himself in others.
The same is true for the man that received two talents. Both of these servants at the end of their lives when they stood before God had to give an accounting to Him. Because they were good and faithful to serve the Lord they were commended and rewarded. This is what it means when Jesus said to them: Well done good and faithful servant because you have been faithful over a little I will make you ruler over much enter into the joy of your Lord. Now the servant that received one talent went out and buried it. This means he didn't use the gift that God put into his life. Also, the Bible says that this servant was wicked and lazy. He made all kinds of excuses why he didn't serve the Lord and in the end he not only lost any reward but he also lost his own soul because Jesus said cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth obviously referring to the destruction of hell. So this evil servant was not really saved and he didn't take seriously living right for God and faithfully serving Him. He received the reward for the sinful life as the Bible says the wages of sin is death.
WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?
Make sure you have oil in your lamp meaning that you have been born-again by the Holy Spirit and ready to go to Heaven. If you're unsure, I invite you to listen to my testimony and the promises of God concerning salvation and pray a prayer according to God's word to confirm your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Click here to listen to my testimony, God's Promises to save and a prayer to make Jesus Lord
Consecrate yourself to God to be a good and faithful servant. Good means morally good, living right before God. If you fall don’t drop out of the race just get right back up and keep going. God promises If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to us forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Acknowledge the gifts and abilities that God has put within your life and use them to influence people to Christ and by faithfully attending and serving at your local church and using any opportunity that God gives you to glorify Him by doing good works that help people and open the door for you to share your faith in Jesus Christ.
Friends, no sacrifice we make is too great in the light of Jesus suffering and death on the cross! It will be worth at all when we hear Jesus say well done, good and faithful servant you have been faithful over a few things now I’m going to make your ruler over many things enter into the joy of your Lord! Let’s fulfill the Great Commission of Christ together until He comes!
PRAYER TO APPLY THE WORD OF GOD TO OUR LIVES
6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
OKAY HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
The parable of the wise and foolish virgins
Back in the days of Jesus Jewish weddings were done in three stages.
1) The Engagement – The fathers of the bride and groom came together and made an agreement that their son and daughter would be married.
2) The Betrothal – this was a ceremony in which mutual promises were made.
3) The Wedding – The actual public wedding happened about a year after the engagement.
The Jewish bridal procession had ten virgins and each carried an oil lamp as part of the ceremony to receive the bridegroom when he came to claim his bride. Jesus used this Jewish cultural tradition to teach an important truth about being ready for His coming.
Jesus said five of the virgins had oil in their lamps which he said were wise and five of the virgins had no oil in their lamps and Jesus said they were foolish. This is symbolic of all confessing Christians throughout the whole world. We know that in the Bible oil represents the Holy Spirit. Jesus was saying you have to have the Holy Spirit to be ready to go to heaven. But what does this mean to have the Holy Spirit? Jesus is obviously talking about being born again by the Holy Spirit because Jesus said in John chapter 3 that unless you're born again by the Spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Romans 8:9 says “…Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” Does this mean a person has to speak in tongues by the Holy Spirit to be ready to go to heaven? Absolutely not! There is a difference between being born again by the Holy Spirit and being baptized in the Holy Spirit with speaking other tongues. The Bible clearly teaches in Romans 10:13 “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Additionally, there are many places in the Bible where people were saved and didn't speak and other tongues. In short, these are separate experiences. One is being born again by the Holy Spirit when a person receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The other is being baptized in the Holy Spirit. The point of this parable is that you have to have oil in your lamp to be ready and that oil represents the Holy Spirit in a Christian's life that has been born-again.
So according to this parable Jesus teaches that to be ready to enter into Heaven you have to be born again by the Holy Spirit. Remember, half of the virgins had oil in their lamps, they were wise, they were ready for the return of the Bridegroom which is a type of Christ and they were ready to enter into the Marriage Celebration which is a type of Heaven. The foolish virgins had their bridal lamps but they didn't have any oil and they couldn't borrow any from the virgins that had oil. This means each person’s salvation must be experienced individually. So the question is, “Are you born again by the Holy Spirit?”
The parable of the Talents
Here Jesus teaches the truth about God requiring an accounting of what we did with the gifts and abilities he entrusted us with. In the parable one man received five talents another received two talents and another received one talent. We don't determine what gifts and abilities we get from God however each of us needs to acknowledge what God has put within us and use it for his purposes.
The Bible teaches us in Romans 12:4-8 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. So according to the Bible, each of us has been given at least one gift from God to be used in his service. The man that received five talents went and put them to work and gained 5 others what's this mean? It means that he used the gifts that were in his life to the maximum influencing others for Christ and faithfully reproducing himself in others.
The same is true for the man that received two talents. Both of these servants at the end of their lives when they stood before God had to give an accounting to Him. Because they were good and faithful to serve the Lord they were commended and rewarded. This is what it means when Jesus said to them: Well done good and faithful servant because you have been faithful over a little I will make you ruler over much enter into the joy of your Lord. Now the servant that received one talent went out and buried it. This means he didn't use the gift that God put into his life. Also, the Bible says that this servant was wicked and lazy. He made all kinds of excuses why he didn't serve the Lord and in the end he not only lost any reward but he also lost his own soul because Jesus said cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth obviously referring to the destruction of hell. So this evil servant was not really saved and he didn't take seriously living right for God and faithfully serving Him. He received the reward for the sinful life as the Bible says the wages of sin is death.
WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?
Make sure you have oil in your lamp meaning that you have been born-again by the Holy Spirit and ready to go to Heaven. If you're unsure, I invite you to listen to my testimony and the promises of God concerning salvation and pray a prayer according to God's word to confirm your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Click here to listen to my testimony, God's Promises to save and a prayer to make Jesus Lord
Consecrate yourself to God to be a good and faithful servant. Good means morally good, living right before God. If you fall don’t drop out of the race just get right back up and keep going. God promises If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to us forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Acknowledge the gifts and abilities that God has put within your life and use them to influence people to Christ and by faithfully attending and serving at your local church and using any opportunity that God gives you to glorify Him by doing good works that help people and open the door for you to share your faith in Jesus Christ.
Friends, no sacrifice we make is too great in the light of Jesus suffering and death on the cross! It will be worth at all when we hear Jesus say well done, good and faithful servant you have been faithful over a few things now I’m going to make your ruler over many things enter into the joy of your Lord! Let’s fulfill the Great Commission of Christ together until He comes!
PRAYER TO APPLY THE WORD OF GOD TO OUR LIVES
ORDINATION
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
