Passion Week of Christ (Part 6)
Be Ready!
Because we don’t know when Jesus is coming back, because his
return will
be a surprise to so many, and because it will sever so severely
even the
most intimate relationships, we had better be ready for Jesus to
return
at any moment.
That’s the thrust of the following four parables. In their
own way, they
each say the same thing: BE READY! These are parables of warning
with the
same choral refrain: BE READY!
Luke: 21:34-36: ""Be careful, or your hearts will be
weighed down with
dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day
will close
on you unexpectedly like a trap. {35} For it will come upon all
those who
live on the face of the whole earth. {36} Be always on the watch,
and pray
that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and
that you may
be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may
be able to
stand before the Son Of Man.""
Mark 13:34: "It's like a man going away: he leaves his house
and puts his
servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the
one at the door
to keep watch."
Mark and Luke both give summary statements prior to this first
parable
which warn the disciples to keep watch. It sounds most like
Matthew’s
first parable but it is also similar to the fourth.
#1: Like a Thief in the Night: Jesus Comes Unexpectedly Matthew
24:42-44
42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day
your Lord
will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had
known at
what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch
and
would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must
be ready,
because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not
expect him."
Thieves don’t send you their itinerary with an expected time
of arrival.
If they did, they would likely find a pit bull or a shotgun
waiting for
them. Like a thief, Jesus will come with no advanced warning (Lk
12:39;
1 Thess 5:2, 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15).
This does not indicate a secret rapture anymore than it indicates
that
Jesus is a criminal. The single point of comparison is that Jesus
comes
without warning.
Jesus used a common prophetic phrase to describe his coming:
"Day of the
Lord" (Joel 2:11; Amos 5:18, 20; Mal 4:5). Even in the OT,
it is often
pictured as imminent (Isa 13:6, 9; Ezek 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1;
3:14; Obad
1:15; Zeph 1:7, 14). It signified, of course, the coming of God.
And it had a two-pronged result. First, those who were faithful
to God
would receive his protection and rewards. Those who were not
would be
severely punished.
In the OT "The Day of the Lord" often signified a
temporal judgment on a
particular nation. But in the NT it usually indicates the final
judgment
(cf. 1 Cor 5:5; 2 Pet 3:10). Hence, there is neither a
distinction nor an
interval here between Jesus’ return and judgment day.
#2: Like a Faithful Servant: Jesus Comes Later than Expected MATT
24:45-51
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master
has put in
charge of the servants in his household to give them their food
at the
proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master
finds him
doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him
in
charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is
wicked and
says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long
time,’ 49and he then
begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with
drunkards.
50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not
expect
him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to
pieces and
assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be
weeping and
gnashing of teeth."
Matthew and Luke tell this same parable word for word,11-15 but
they
place them in different contexts. In Luke, Peter sparks this
response by
asking Jesus if his parable refers to everyone or only a special
few. In
other words, Peter is asking about special privileges. Jesus
turns the
tables and talks about Peter’s special responsibilities.
Here, however,
the emphasis is not on responsibility so much as it is on
preparedness.
As the weeks roll into months, and months into years, it is easy
for a
servant to be seduced into slacking off from his duties. The
longer the
master is away, the less likely, it seems, that he will return in
the
very next moment. But the opposite, in fact, is the case. He is
coming
back. And with each tick of the clock, his return is that much
closer
(Rom 13:11)!
#3: Like Foolish/Wise Virgins: Jesus Comes Sooner than Expected
MATT
25:1-5
"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."
It was not uncommon for the Messiah to be compared to a
bridegroom (Isa
54:4-6; 62:4-5; Ezek 16:7-34; Hos 2:19; cf. Jn 3:27-30; Mt 9:15;
Mk
2:19-20). This is a typical picture of a Palestinian wedding.
After the
wedding ceremony at the bride’s home, there would be a
parade through the
streets which led to the home of the groom where there would be a
big
banquet.
It was the job of the bridesmaids to wait for the groom and his
procession. But one never knew just how long that would take.
Since it
was night, they took their handheld oil lamps with them. These
lamps were
nothing more than a clay bowl about three inches in diameter and
pinched
on one side so as to hold a wick. These lamps only held about a
tablespoon of oil. Thus, it was important to carry extra oil with
you if
the groom was delayed.
The point of the parable is simply this: You must be prepared for
Jesus.
If you are, then you are wise and get to go with Jesus. If you
are not
prepared, then you are foolish and excluded from the party.
MT 25:6-13
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."
In the middle of the night the ten bridesmaids were awakened with
a cry
announcing that the groom was on his way (cf. Mt 24:31; 1 Cor
15:52; 1
Thess 4:16). As they wiped the sleep from their eyes and scurried
to
their feet, they fiddled with their wicks to kindle a decent
flame.
The "foolish five" pulled their wicks out so as to
increase the flame.
But it only sucked the last few drops of oil from their lamps.
They
begged the "flasked five" to share some of their oil.
But that might jeopardize their own supply since the bridegroom
was still
a short distance away and still might have an unexpected delay.
So the
wise virgins refused. Instead they sent the "foolish
five" off to the
local merchant to purchase their own oil.
The foolish five scampered off to buy some oil. Normally the
shops would
be closed. But during a big wedding celebration in the community
they
would naturally open up their little shops to supply whatever
needs the
family might have. Remember, we are not talking about a
department store
here; it’s a small family business.
By the time the foolish five returned, the groom had already
arrived,
entered the house and shut the door, taking the five wise maidens
with
him. The foolish five beat on the door and begged to come in. But
the
groom said, "Go away, I never knew you."
That may sound calloused, especially since these poor gals ran to
the
store to get the oil. But this is the same reception Jesus
promised the
false prophets (Mt 7:23). Their lack of preparation betrays their
lack
of love.
#4: Like Servants Entrusted with Wealth Matthew 25:14-30
It is difficult to know for sure just how much money the master
gave his
servants. For one thing, a talent was a unit of weight, not a
monetary
value. The value of a talent would vary greatly depending on
whether you
have a talent of gold, silver, or bronze. All we can say for
certain is
that this is a huge amount of money to play with.
When Jesus used the word "talent" his audience thought
about money. When
we use the word "talent" our audiences think about
skills and abilities,
and to that extent we misread the parable. At the same time, the
symbol
of money in the parable represents all the resources we have been
given
by God including our money and our abilities, as well as our
time,
opportunities, etc.
Each servant was endowed according to his ability. The first two
lived up
to their reputation and past performance, earning 100% of what
was
entrusted to them. The last servant refused to even try. Instead
he dug a
hole in the backyard and hid the money.
As in the previous account of this parable, the master rewarded
the
faithful servants with multiplied wealth.
This wicked servant obviously lied when he said he was afraid of
the
master. Had he actually been afraid of the master, he would have
deposited the money for interest with a moneylender. The truth
is, he was
convinced that the master was not coming back. He hid the money
so that
he could dig it up later and use it for himself! This turned out
to be a
bad bet, for when the master returned the servant got what was
coming to
him" (v. 30).
Although Jesus’ return has been delayed for a long time, he
is coming
back. And when he does, we will give an account to him of our
stewardship
of life. Those who prepared well for his coming will be delighted
with
their reward. Those who have counted on his continued de-lay will
be
shocked, judged and punished most severely.
Judgment at the Second Coming (Matt. 25:31-46)
This pericope concludes the series of parables about Jesus’
return, and
closes out the entire Olivet discourse. It shares the basic theme
of the
previous parables: Be ready… Jesus IS coming back!
This scene, though, does not appear to be a parable itself.
Rather it
looks like a sketch of the judgment which comes with
Christ’s return. The
sheep and the goats are metaphors for the righteous and the
wicked. But
the rest seems to be a true description rather than a parabolic
illustration of judgment.
This is a vivid picture of judgment using a shepherding analogy.
It was
common for several flocks of sheep and goats to be penned up
together for
the night or even to graze together during the day. But there
were times
when they had to be separated (for instance, when shearing the
valuable
wool from the sheep). Although these shaggy animals may look
quite a bit
alike, there is a great difference in their character and value.
The
divisions were clear. In the same way, the judgment will clarify
who is
for Jesus and who is not.
What determines whether someone is a sheep or a goat? Like every
other
judgment scene of the NT it is made on the basis of deeds.
Does this grate against salvation by grace? How can one be saved
by grace
but judged by works?
It is simply this: When we stand before the judgment seat of
Christ, the
only thing that will really matter is our relationship to
Jesus—have we
trusted (i.e., placed our faith) in him? The answer to that
question is
not in our talk but in our walk. How we live our lives is the
surest way
to tell what we believe. Our good deeds don’t save us. But
they clearly
demonstrate our primary commitments.
Jesus highlights six deeds that are typical of his followers.
These
aren’t all the things they do but they are characteristic of
the kinds of
things they do. They aptly summarize the basic needs of humanity:
Food,
clothing, shelter, and acceptance. As we analyze these six
behaviors, we
find that they require large amounts of personal time and money,
the two
most precious commodities for most of us.
The sheep are shocked, not that they inherit the kingdom but that
they
had personally ministered to the King in his times of distress.
They
simply did not recognize him. Jesus explains why. They did not
actually
minister to him personally. But when they met the needs of the
least and
the lost, Jesus took it personally.
There is some debate as to whether the "least of these
brothers" are
disciples or not. Likely Jesus intends for us to extend our
kindness to
all people, but especially to Christians (Gal 6:10).
The goats are sent to hell with Satan and his angels. They are
punished,
not because of the evil they did, but the good they neglected to
do. This
is not because they didn’t "pay their dues" to get
into heaven, but
because their behavior betrays their lack of commitment to Jesus,
the
only way into heaven.
Jesus said earlier that the wicked from Sodom and Gomorrah (Mt
10:15),
Tyre and Sidon (Mt 11:22, 24; Lk 10:14), Nineveh (Mt 12:41; Lk
11:32),
and the Queen of Sheba (Mt 12:42; Lk 11:31) would stand in
judgment and
testify against Israel for rejecting Jesus and demanding signs.
Now that would sound scandalous to the Jews. This text retains
that same
element of shock. These goats can’t believe what they are
hearing because
(1) they did not accept the truth that Jesus is judge (Jn 5:22,
30;
9:39), and (2) they underestimated the seriousness and
thorough-ness of
that judgment.
--------------------------------------------
A young boy lived with his grandfather on the top of a mountain
in the
Swiss Alps. Often, just to hear the sound of his own voice
echoing back
to him, he would go outside, cup his hands around his mouth, and
shout,
"Hello!" Up from the canyons the reply reverberated,
"Hello ... hello ...
hello ... hello ...." Then he would call out, "I love
you ... I love you
.... I love you ... I love you ... I love you ...."
One day the boy seriously misbehaved and his grandfather
disciplined him
severely. Reacting violently, the child shook his fist and
screamed, "I
hate you!"
To his surprise, the rocks and boulders across the mountainside
responded
in kind: "I hate you ... I hate you ... I hate you ... I
hate you ... I
hate you ...." And so it is in life. Call it one of the
immutable laws
of human nature. We get in return exactly what we give. It all
comes
back. Incredible echoes mirror our actions to an emphatic degree,
sometimes in greater measure than we give. The results are often
embarrassing, or tragic.
When I stand at the judgment seat of Christ
And He shows me His plan for me. The plan of my life as it might
have
been Had He had His way, and I see. How I blocked Him here, and I
checked Him there, And I would not yield my will -- Will there be
grief
in my Savior's eyes, Grief, though He loves me still?
He would have me rich, and I stand there poor, Stripped of all
but His
grace, while memory runs like a hunted thing Down the paths I
cannot
retrace. Then my desolate heart will well-nigh break With the
tears that
I cannot shed; I shall cover my face with my empty hands,
I shall bow my uncrowned head... Lord of the years that are left
to
me, I give them to Thy hand; Take me and break me, mold me to The
pattern
Thou hast planned!
Last modified: April 18, 2006