The Parables B Week 21

I. The two parables that we are studying this week are a part of the Olivet discourse & are a continuation of the themes found in Matthew 24 that deal with the end of times.

A. The parables were taught at the end of Jesus= ministry in response to the disciples= frightened questions about the future. (Matthew 24:3)

APreparation for His ultimate return meant that they were also prepared for His penultimate, repeated returns as the reigning Lord of history . . . Concern for the last days was not to preclude readiness for each day. >Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour= (Matt. 25:13).@ (Lloyd Ogilvie B Autobiography of God)

II. AJe Suis Prest@ (I am ready) Are we ready?

III. Matthew 25: 14 - 30 B The Parable of the Talents.

A. This parable is very similar to one we studied in Week 15 and certainly ends the same way as the parable at the end of chapter 24 from last week=s lesson with the Aweeping and gnashing of teeth.@

B. Two servants invest what the master has given them well but the third servant, by contrast, digs a hole and hides the money in the ground.

C. The first two servants are commended by the master but the third is chastised by his very own words. (See Matthew 25: 24 - 30)

D. Comparison of the similar parable in Luke with this one in Matthew.

1. In Luke=s account each person was given the same amount but in the Matthew=s account, each was given according to his ability.

2. The focus in Luke=s parable was on the unexpected nature of the master=s return. In Matthew the focus was on the responsibility and accountability of the servants.

A. . . but, if the parable of the steward (Luke) emphasizes the need for faithfulness as opposed to self-indulgence, the parable of the talents (Matthew) emphasizes the need for work and productivity rather than laziness and timidity.@

(David Wenham B The Parables of Jesus)

E. Meaning of the word Atalent@

1. Wenham & others feel that talent should be understood to mean the various resources that the Lord entrusts to his people.

Lloyd Ogilvie adds another dimension:Aa talent is whatever our Lord has entrusted to us in order to live our faith and duplicate its power in others. I want to suggest that for us the talent is the gift of abundant life.@ He feels that Jesus offers each one of us abundant life and when we take him up on his offer, it then becomes our responsibility to share abundant life with others. AMany Christians in the church have buried their talent in beautifully carved boxes of religious activity. We place flowers over the place of the burial and devise rituals of beatification on our caution and conservation. The institutional church is too often the sacred burial ground of entrusted talents. We forget that the church exists to multiply the talent of the abundant life in the world.@

F. Using Wenham=s definition, what do we learn from this parable?

1. God has invested some resource or ability into every one of us.

2. We are not to compare our Atalent@ to anyone else=s but we are to do the best we can with what we have been given.

3. We are to share this gift with others, not bury it & we will be accountable to God for how we use the talent or talents he has given to us.

G. Another thing to note in this parable is found verses 21 and 23: AWell done, good and faithful servant!@ What is not said is Asuccessful@ servant. AFaithfulness is ours to give. Success is God=s to give.@

(Charles Allen B When the Heart Is Hungry)

H. Why did the one man fail? Because he was afraid. What may have been the reasons for his fear?

1. The most obvious reason is that he did not know his master. He thought he knew him! Are we like that? Have we failed to have a personal relationship with Jesus because we are afraid of what He might ask us to do?

2. Perhaps this man was afraid because he had fewer Atalents@ than the other two. He thought his Atalent@ might not be good enough or maybe he didn=t think it was even enough.

3. He might have been afraid of the possibility of failure or maybe he was just plain afraid good old hard work.

I. Final thought, how do we enter Athe joy of the Lord?@ I think we do this by recognizing that God has made us for a purpose and he has given each of us some Atalent or talents@ and when we dedicate ourselves and our talents to Him and seek to do our best for His glory, we will enter Athe joy of the Lord.@

IV. Matt. 25:1-13 B The Parable of the Ten Virgins or the Wise and Foolish Girls.

A. Lots of preparation went into weddings during the time of Jesus. They were joyous events but what was surprising is that you had no idea when the bridegroom would arrive.

B. Lloyd Ogilvie says that this parable is the parable of Apreparedness for joy.@ Are we ready for joy?

C. Jesus uses the symbolism of bridegroom and bride with a twist B there were those who were not ready for the Kingdom of God that Jesus was proclaiming. They had been waiting for and seeking the Messiah all of the lives but failed to recognize Him when He did come.

D. Many interpretations of the parable emphasize the judgment aspect of this parable and our unpreparedness.

E. Ogilvie says this about what it means to prepared: 1) it requires that we honestly confess our sins, 2) we commit our lives to him and 3) we are willing to release control of all facets of our lives to Him. If we have done this, then we will anticipate His return with great joy.

F. Jesus= parable captures our attention with ten bridesmaids B five who are silly and five who were smart but all of them fall asleep. Three characteristics of sleeping:

1. You do not know that you have been asleep until you wake up.

2. When you are asleep, you dream of things that wouldn=t cross your mind if you were awake or do things you might not do when awake.

3. Most people do not like the sound of the alarm that awakens them.

G. Spiritual application:: We need ask ourselves do we have enough oil to keep our lamps burning? Do you spend time in prayer before you go about the business of your day? Do you make sure that your Bible reading is done, even if nothing else happens that day?

Dr. R. T. Kendall (The Complete Guide to the Parables) says that the foolish virgins who did not take enough oil for their lamps is Alike having the Word without the Spirit; it is like the Scriptures without the power of God.@

H. AOil@ is mentioned over 200 times in the Bible. It was used in everyday life and in very sacred events.

1. Oil, along with other staples, such as grain and wine were seen as the essence of life and a tangible sign of God=s Ablessing and favor, which could be lost by disobedience@ (Deut. 11:13-17).

2. Oil was used in cooking and baking, as refreshment, to honor a guest in your home, a healing ointment, and fuel for lamps.

3. Oil in the Bible is associated with the most solemn and awesome experiences of OT religious and civil life. Oil was used as part of the ritual anointing to set apart a prophet, a priest or a king. The anointing oil is referred to as Aoil of gladness,@ in keeping with the joyousness of the occasion.

4. Oil was used in worship, figured prominently in ritual purification and it was fragrant when mixed with other spices.

I. So what does all of this have to do our parable. AOil is prophetically seen as the Holy Spirit.@ (Dr. R. T. Kendall) Kendall says that Aone of the most striking images of this parable is the need to have oil in your vessel.@Have you come to appreciate how precious the Holy Spirit is? Do you allow Him to work in your life? Is the Holy Spirit the oil that fills your vessel?

J. Ogilvie says that there are three powerful truths in this parable:

1. Who prepares us for the coming of the Bridegroom? It is Christ, Himself.

AJesus was the portrait of the Father. He is also our portrait of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is no other than the Spirit manifested in the life of Jesus. The eternal Spirit who created all things, blessed and called Israel to be His people, dwelt bodily in fulness in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit unleashed at Pentecost is none other than the living, holy God whom we know through what He revealed Himself to be in Jesus of Nazareth. His ministry is to teach us all that Jesus said and did. To make the gospel real and unresistible. From within us, in our hearts, the Holy Spirit gives the gift of faith to accept what God has done for us in Christ, and then to make us expectant of the Lord=s interventions in our daily lives.@

(Lloyd Ogilvie)

2. The second great truth is that we cannot borrow the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. The final truth is in the sad reality of the ending of this parable B missed opportunities.

AJesus was saying much more about human nature than about God=s graciousness. There is a time when it=s too late. Not for God, but for us. The abundant life is offered to us. We can miss the overtures of God each day. But the issue is that repeated resistance results in a life which cannot appropriate the invitation to live forever with God after death. If we constantly say no to Him in our daily lives, it will be impossible to say yes when the midnight hour of our physical demise occurs.

But in another perspective, it=s never too late, not as long as we can breathe a breath and listen to the warning of this parable. It sounds the alarm. Here is God=s personal word. Are we ready?@ (Lloyd Ogilvie)

K. Are we sharing the joy of the Bridegroom right now? Or are we missing out? It is not too late for us to join the wedding party. We can ask the Holy Spirit to fill our vessel to the brim right this minute and be our lamp, our guide, for the rest of our lives so that when the call is sounded that Athe Bridegroom is coming!@, we will be able to greet that moment with joy and say, ALord, I am ready for your coming today, tomorrow and for always!@