Matthew 25 – Virgins, Talents, and Sheep

If you have been wondering when Jesus would start telling parables, wait no longer. Jesus concludes his answer to the disciples’ question about the destruction of the temple, his second coming, and the end of the age with two parables. But these parables are a bit different than his previous parables. Those all begin with a phrase much like, “The kingdom of heaven is like,” indicating that Jesus was talking about an immediately present kingdom of heaven, but these new parables in Matthew 25 begin with a slightly different phrase, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like.” This slight difference — “will be like” instead of “is like” — indicates that Jesus is now addressing a future aspect of the kingdom of heaven. Additionally, as we will soon see, both parables conclude with a comment regarding a final judgment, even though their primary focus is how Jesus’s disciples should occupy themselves in the time preceding the three events in question. Jesus begins his first parable by saying,

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.

Matthew 25:1-5

I don’t have the answer as to why Jesus spoke about virgins, who the virgins represent, or the meaning of the lamps and oil. I know there are some people who believe they know those answers, but when I focus solely on Matthew’s Gospel and the immediate context, I’m not convinced we are meant to know those answers. About all that we can know for certain is that there are two groups of people awaiting the bridegroom’s coming: one is prepared while the other isn’t, and, interestingly enough, both groups fall asleep while waiting for the bridegroom. As Lewis Carrol might say, things are getting curiouser and curiouser. Jesus continued his parable and said,

6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose 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, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’

Matthew 25:6-9

Another thing I don’t have the answer to is why the wise virgins didn’t share any of their oil with the foolish ones. I know they said there wouldn’t be enough for both of them, but it seems that there might have at least been enough for both of them to have a few moments of light. Perhaps, even though the bridegroom was announced, they knew his coming was still uncertain. If that was the case, then it does make sense for the wise virgins to be a bit stingy. Regardless of my thoughts, whatever amount of oil they had was not enough for both of them, because after they all woke up from their slumber, the wise virgins told the foolish virgins to go out and buy some oil of their own. Jesus then concludes his parable this way,

10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

Matthew 25:10-12

The foolish virgins, while out purchasing oil, missed the coming of the bridegroom and weren’t able to get into the party. They were, in fact, even told that the Lord, ostensibly the bridegroom, didn’t know who they were. This is quite a parable and leaves us with a lot of questions, but those questions disappear when we read Jesus’s final words and see the main point. Jesus said,

13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Matthew 25:13

Jesus doesn’t tell us who the virgins are, and he doesn’t explain the lamps, the oil, or the bridegroom. He doesn’t even tell us anything about why he said they all fell asleep, but he does tell us that his story is about staying prepared. Jesus knows the temple’s destruction is coming, he knows he will return, and that there will be an end of the age, but he doesn’t know the day nor the hour, and neither do we. In the face of such certain ignorance, Jesus implores us to remain prepared. I realize that interpretation seems almost too simple — most of us still want to know about the oil, lamps, and virgins — but anything other than the clearly defined main point of Jesus’s parable is mere speculation, and such speculation is usually unhelpful.

In Jesus’s next parable we are offered some detailed insight as to what being prepared might entail. Jesus began by saying,

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

Matthew 25:14-15

Instead of a bunch of virgins, we have a rich man giving his servants some of his property before he leaves on a trip. The property is described as being “talents,” which some sources suggest were a measure of wealth equal to about 20 years of an average day laborer’s wages. This would mean that the first servant got 100 years’ worth of wages, the second received 40 years’ worth of wages, and the third was given 20 years’ worth of wages. As interesting as that might be, this parable is not really about the talents or the number that were distributed, it is not even about why some got more than others. That information is merely the background of Jesus’s parable. Jesus gets to the main point of his parable when he says,

16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.

Matthew 25:16-18

We have three servants and two different responses. Two did something with what they had been given while one dug a hole and tried to protect it. Most of us know the end of the parable so we are quick to judge the third servant, but keep in mind the third servant wasn’t pulling a stunt like Achan did when Israel marched on Ai: he wasn’t stealing from his master, he was attempting to preserve his master’s wealth. Jesus then said,

19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

Matthew 25:19

Let’s not miss this minor but important point. The master went away for a long but indeterminate time before he returned home. This was also stated in the first parable when Jesus said the virgins fell asleep awaiting the bridegroom. There was even a time delay after the bridegroom was announced and before he arrived. Jesus is continuing to point out that the events about which the disciples asked would happen at some point in the distant future. As such, remaining prepared is paramount for the disciple of Jesus.

Jesus spoke about the first two servants when he said,

20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Matthew 25:20-23

The first two servants doubled their master’s talents and were further rewarded by receiving more and being told to enter into their master’s joy. The point here isn’t that they doubled their master’s talents; the point is that they were rewarded for putting their master’s talents to use. The third servant who took a very different approach to the talent he had been given received a very different response from his master. Jesus said,

24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.

Matthew 25:24-27

Remember, this servant didn’t steal from his master, in fact, he did just the opposite: he returned exactly what he had been given. You might think the master would be happy to receive back his wealth, but he wasn’t: he was a man who expected his investments to be used so as to increase their value, and the third servant knew this. This servant was afraid that he might lose value if he did anything with the talent he was given, so he buried it in the ground, but the servant was afraid of the wrong thing. He should have been afraid of returning the master’s money without having attempted to put it to use. At the very least, the master said, the servant should have placed the talent in a safe investment so as to earn at least a minimum rate of return instead of just plopping it into the ground to protect its value. The servant’s fear drove him to inactivity, and for this, he is punished. Jesus said,

28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Matthew 25:28-30

In what is probably a “politically incorrect” move in the modern world, the master took the talent from the poorest servant and gave it to the richest of them, and then he punished the servant. He even calls the third servant “worthless” before throwing him into the outer darkness where there is pain and suffering. In our modern “politically correct” and “woke” world, we might be tempted to call this unjust, but we must remember that justice always resides in the hands of God, not in the hearts of man. If our hearts ache for something that is contrary to the will of God, then our desires need to change, not God’s will. To suggest otherwise is, in fact, evil.

Jesus never told us what the talents represented, he didn’t tell us who the three servants were, and he didn’t explain why some servants had differing levels of abilities, but none of that was important. Jesus told this parable so that his followers would know that any good and faithful servants of his would take whatever God has given them and put it to work, and he told this parable so his followers would know that hiding God’s gifts is an evil act that makes a person worthless, slothful, and wicked.

Jesus told these parables so his disciples might know what is expected of them while waiting for the coming of the three events in question, but Jesus did not want to leave any doubt as to what was specifically expected with the talents they had been given. Jesus said,

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:31-40

Jesus jumped all the way to the day of judgment and tells the disciples that all people will be separated into two groups: the sheep and the goats. The sheep are given a position of honor because, in the absence of their Lord, the King, they fed the hungry, quenched the thirst of the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, visited the sick, and went to those in prison. In other words, while awaiting the return of Jesus, the sheep remained faithful by using their “talents” to continue the work Jesus had accomplished before ascending to heaven.

However, before we move on to the goats, it is important to make sure we don’t misinterpret what Jesus was saying about the work of the sheep. Jesus is not saying that the sheep received salvation because they helped the poor and needy. Salvation is the result of placing trust in Jesus for the payment he made on the cross for our sins; good works without that trust are insufficient. But trusting in Jesus without doing any good works is also insufficient. This is something his brother James later addressed when he penned these words,

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2:14-17

True faith produces works. The five wise virgins and the first two servants did something with their faith: the virgins remained prepared at all times, and the servants put their faith to work. But the five foolish virgins and the third servant had a weak and insubstantial faith that produced nothing. You need both sides — faith and works — to hear the bridegroom say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master.”

Now, about the goats, Jesus said,

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Matthew 25:41-46

The goats did not feed the hungry, quench the thirst of the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick, or go to those in prison. The goats might have had some sort of faith, but it was not a real faith that produced good works. The goats looked upon the undesirables and feared being associated with them more than they loved the King. But what the goats didn’t realize, though I suspect they knew, was that since the very beginning, all the way back in the book of Genesis, God has always loved and cared for the undesirables. The goats thought they could love God without loving their neighbor, but they must not have paid close enough attention when Jesus said that the greatest of all the commandments is to 1) love God and 2) love our neighbor; the two are inseparable. The goats didn’t invest the talents they had been given to feed the hungry, quench the thirst of the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick, or go to those in prison, and the goats did not keep their lamps burning with the light of God’s love while awaiting the coming of the bridegroom.

We often read Matthew 24 and 25 and debate eschatological positions, but I don’t think Jesus’s words in those chapters — his answer to the disciples’ question — were spoken so we could debate the end times. Jesus answered his disciples so they would think about how they could occupy their time while awaiting Jesus’s return and the end of the age.

We have now reached the last paragraph of this post and you might be wondering why nothing has been said about prayer. Would it surprise you if I said that this post has actually been completely about prayer? The parable about the ten virgins informs us that we need prayer so as to be delivered from the evil of not remaining prepared while awaiting Jesus’s return. The parable about the talents informs us that we need prayer so as to be delivered from the evil of not investing our lives into multiplying the Father’s kingdom. And the comparison to the sheep and the goats informs us that we need the Father’s hand to deliver us from the evil of not sharing his love with the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned. Left to ourselves we would be like the five unwise virgins, the third servant, and the goats, but the power of the Father’s hand delivers us from the evils of sloth, fear, wickedness, and selfishness — evils found in the depths of each of our own hearts — and turns us into the five wise virgins, one of the first two servants, and the sheep. Only the Father’s hand can deliver us from evil and, through us, bring glimpses of his soon-to-come eternally powerful and glorious kingdom. For such, we pray.

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