Jesus continues teaching on His coming again – what else do the disciples need to know?
The Lord goes on to tell 3 stories. The first parable is about 10 virgins or bridesmaids – and reinforces the points Jesus has already made – be prepared for a longer wait, and be watchful for the Lord’s coming.
The second parable, of the Talents, reveals a new element to Jesus’ teaching in this section – judgment. Jesus talks a lot about judgment, and how He is the Judge of our lives. What really jumps out to me is the thinking in the parable. Verse 19 shows that we have to give an account for our lives. I have not encounter this thinking among most Christians. We are spared from condemnation, but not from judgment. We are promised eternity with Christ because of His sacrifice – but are we wasting our lives, or truly living for Him, like all we have belongs to Him? This parable of Christ reminds us that our lives will be judged, and we will have to give an account for what we did with our time, talent, and treasure.
This parables also shows the false thinking of many people. The lazy servant does not understand the master – he calls the master a hard man who has greedy expectations. This is not true – the servant has been given an exorbitant amount of money – many years wages. The master celebrates with the other two servants, and invites them into his happiness. The lazy servant does not understand the master, and so is lost.
It is so important that we understand the love and joy and expectations of God. We have to let go of our own thoughts, and come to the Bible and know the real God – that changes how we live now, and Who we live for, and the joy that we can have – now and eternally.
