The Last Parables The Last Parables
For centuries people have studied and marveled at the parables of Jesus. In a society that was predominately illiterate, Jesus wove profound truth into the tapestry of short fictional tales. There wasn’t twisting plots, gruesome monsters, or fanciful settings. Jesus told stories of life and the truth is everyone likes a good story. They could easily remember the story even years later. A sheep wanders off and a shepherd leaves 99 on a hill to pursue the one, a father scans the horizon for a wayward lost son, a woman loses a single coin and acts as though she has lost everything, a man is beaten and left along the road by bandits, a farmer sowing seed, a persistent widow wears down an unrighteous judge, etc.
Sure Jesus could have elected to only speak in terms of sermons like the great Sermon on the Mount, but instead He chose these stories to tell of the Father and His limitless love. Jesus sets aside the seven-point outline for the simple story, and in doing so takes the complex reducing it to word scenes that farmers and fishermen could understand. The purpose of this series of devotions will be to look at the last of these parables. Matthew gives us the most exhaustive collection, so we’ll focus there. Our criteria to determine if the parable was a last parable or not will be if it is told after Palm Sunday, the last week of His earthly ministry.
What were the last stories about? Were there common themes? What did Jesus want folks to know then and now? I hope to explore the answers to these questions as though at the feet of the Master hanging on every word ushered into a different realm. He called it the kingdom of heaven. Join me each weekday morning for the next few weeks and let’s consider the last stories Jesus told.
Two Sons and their Dad (Matt. 21:28-32)
Our first last parable takes place very early in the last week as the authority of Jesus has just been questioned. The day before Jesus had driven profiteers from the temple, no doubt this was upsetting to the chief priests and the elders.
The principal characters of the story are two sons and their dad. The father owns a vineyard and he is in need of workers. He goes to the first son to request him to work in the field, but he says no. Now that is nothing unusual to us, sons in our day and time saying this to their father is commonplace.
“I’ve got video games to play, dad.”
However, when Jesus was telling this story there would have been gasps from the crowd. A son who did not honor his father was held in low regard, but after having time to think about it, this son reconsiders. Jesus doesn’t tell us why the son changed his mind. Did he feel guilty for refusing his dad? Did his schedule free up? We don’t know, so if must not matter - the key part was he went.
The second son tells his father exactly what he wants to hear. “I’ll be there, you can count on me.” However, he doesn’t go. Maybe something came up, perhaps he heard his other brother was going, again we don’t know. Jesus asks the crowd a question very simple and to the point: Which of the two sons did what his father wanted? The first, they answered.
What we say is important, but what we do trumps it. There is an old saying, “Your actions speak so loudly I can’t hear a word you’re saying.” There is a lot of wisdom in that old country saying, and I think the roots of that wisdom trace back to this first last parable. St. Francis of Assisi got it, when he said, “Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary use words.”
Hope for all
As Jesus wrapped up the parable of the two sons, He pointed to the truth that prostitutes and tax collectors were entering the kingdom of God ahead of the elders and chief priests. He explained that John the Baptist had come to them to show them the way, point them to Jesus, but they did not heed the words of the prophet.
Suddenly the Jewish leaders find themselves in the story. By their position as spiritual leaders of their people, they have said they will follow God and do His will. They have said they will go work in the vineyard for their Father. But, when it came down to following Him in repentance and belief (both actions by the way), they passed. Meanwhile, those who had no allegiance or inclination to accept Him, prostitutes and tax collectors, were repenting and coming to faith in Him who was sent by the Father. The outcasts who had not done their Father’s bidding now had time to think it over and when confronted with the truth of the forgiveness of the righteousness of Christ, they were coming to the vineyard in droves turning away from their past lives and believing on Jesus.
I don’t sense the leaders saw the hope in the warning. They could at any time repent and believe. The hope of this great parable is that no matter what you’ve done, even if you have said, “No, I will not go,” it is not too late to change your mind as God changes your heart. What we’ve done and said in the past can stay there. The far more important decision and action, is what we do now and in the moments to come. The Redeemer is always poised to redeem - even those who may have initially said, “I don’t want to go.”
The Parable of the Tenants
(Matt. 21:33-44)
With our next last parable we find our first common element - a vineyard. The two sons were asked to go work in the vineyard and now a landowner plants a vineyard. The holy land was a land that was ripe for vineyards. When the Joshua, Caleb and the other spies return from their first trip into the land of milk and honey they brought back a single branch of grapes to show the fruitfulness of the promised land. Vineyards were highly prized and the harvested nectar was principal to gatherings and festivals. Jesus had earlier changed water into wine when the wedding party ran out of wine, a considerable social faux pas.
As the parable begins there is only the landowner and vacant land. He then plants the vineyard and makes preparations to ensure the success of the vineyard. A wall or fence is installed encircling the vineyard to keep undesirable thieves out during harvest time. Then a portion of land is excavated and a winepress is placed for processing the grapes into drink and for even more protection a watchtower is built. This is a vineyard that has been prepared for success.
Then the landowner does a most peculiar thing, he rents out his prized vineyard to some locals and goes away on a journey. Why would He do that?
In this first section of the parable we see a glimpse into the future after Jesus ascends. He has made all the necessary preparations then goes away leaving us to take care of the vineyard. How are you doing with the part of the vineyard you have been leased? Are you being fruitful and taking care of your allotment? Make sure you answer those questions before we proceed. Jesus has set us up for success in doing His will. All that is required is everything…deny self, take up that cross - your part, do it daily, and follow Him. (Luke 9:23).
Ownership
As you read the parable of the tenants, the actions of the tenant farmers are clearly appalling. First, three servants are captured, one beaten, one killed, one stoned. Then more servants are sent to collect the fruit harvest by the landowner and they meet the same fate. Then finally the son is sent and the son is killed. It is all a question of ownership.
It was the landowner that first owned the land then planted the vineyard. It was the landowner who built the wall, installed the winepress and constructed the watchtower. It was the landowner who invited (key word) the tenant farmers to come and partake of the vineyard. When did they, the tenants, decide they owned the vineyard? When did the deed change hands?
In the parable, the tenant farmers were the people of Israel. The servants were the prophets who came to the people of Israel and were treated poorly. The writer of Hebrews chronicled their plight:
“Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two: they were put to death by the sword. They went about in goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated - the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” (Heb. 11:36-38)
Then the landowner sent his son. As Jesus told this parable, He foretells His own death, now just a few short days away. A few short days when the shouts on Palm Sunday of “Hosanna!” will change to “Crucify! Crucify!”
As for us, think about how easily we begin to “own” our lives. The house, the kids, the car, the job, the money, the property, the everything…it is not ours, but we naturally possess it like it is. You, dear friend, are not your own either. You see the Landowner has placed us all in a vineyard of His choice with a charge to be fruitful for Him. Do you ignore His messengers, servants and Son? Harvest time is coming. Better get ready. First and foremost, know who owns the vineyard.
A Wretched end for the Wretched
“What will the landowner do with these tenants?” Jesus asked.
“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied.
I’ve often wondered, at what point did the leaders who heard this parable realize Jesus was talking about them as the tenant farmers? As they respond to his question at the end of the story, I don’t sense any identification. There is little doubt that they knew of Isaiah’s song of the vineyard, which very closely resembles this story. (Isaiah Chp. 5) The Landowner comes down hard at the end of Isaiah’s story, and Jesus uses a Passover verse (Psalm 118:22) to conclude and exact the application in their own time. The corner stone or capstone is being rejected by the “builders.” Jesus is this stone, the corner stone of eternity being rejected and killed by the “builders”, the tenant farmers.
There is no subtle hint or mysterious metaphor in what Jesus says next. If the “builders”, the chief priests, elders, scribes and Pharisees, had no clue - they do now when Jesus says, “…the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”
These are strong words for a stiff necked people. When we apply them to today, I consider the fruit I am producing (or not). Because we believe and know Christ, the kingdom of God can’t be taken from us, but we are missing the privilege of serving in our vineyards if we aren‘t fruitful. We don’t have the power to thwart the will of the kingdom of God, no, He just raises up someone else to go in our place producing the fruit He desires.
The consequence for the “builders” of the 1st century was death, for they rejected Jesus. The consequence for believers not being fruitful in the 21st century is missing out on the reward of fruitfulness now and the eternal reward in heaven. What incredible encouragement to know that we aren’t demanded of results, but just to go, love, do, and administer the grace and truth of Christ. Our success is measured in the willingness of the going - knowing the Landowner. God, the Landowner, always has the results. Be free. Be Fruitful. Live for Christ.
The Wedding Invitation (Matt. 22:1-14)
Our next last parable describes a wedding banquet prepared by a king for his son. Weddings are special times when unions are initiated and celebrated. In the 1st century wedding banquets often went on for a week. In our day, if the wedding is on Sunday, a weekend covers all the events. Could you imagine an entire week? Jesus describes the scene as a banquet that is ready and prepared awaiting the invited guests. The king sends his servants out to tell the invited guests to come, but the guests refuse.
Another round of servants are sent, but are given little credence from those who were invited. They go about their routines, one to his field, another to his business. In Luke’s version of this parable, Jesus says they make excuses not to come (Luke 14:18). One has bought a field and must see it, another has a sporty new group of oxen and wants to take them out for a test drive, and the last is getting married…life gets in the way of attending the wedding banquet. But, in Matthew, things turn ugly. As the tenant farmers had mistreated the servants sent to the vineyard, so do some of those invited. They seize the servants and kill some of them. Just how dangerous could it be to deliver invitations? Evidently, very.
As I read the parable, I begin to see just how busy my own life can be, and how life can put the squeeze on being a banquet attendee. What are the things that God calls us into service to do, but we allow life to make excuses for our not going? Business happens. Kids are overwhelmed with sports, recitals, training for this and that, all signed up for with little room to spare. Parties, socials, trips to the beach, to the mountains, to everywhere… How many weekends do you have free over the next four? If you’re like me, your schedule can be master of you and not you master of the schedule. What if God set our schedule? What if God was master of the schedule? What would be on it? I’d say there would be a worship banquet, prayer banquet, Word banquet, service and giving banquet for those in need, and yes a fellowship banquet. Those would come first, and perhaps the excuses would be given (instead) to those who pry upon God’s time. The test drive of the sporty oxen could wait. The new field could be seen tomorrow or next week - it is not going anywhere. And, perhaps the business would benefit from a Christ-centered employee or leader. The King is still sending out invitations to the banquet. Don’t miss it, and don’t miss the opportunity to be a servant and tell others to come.
A Banquet for all
The king is upset. His servants have been seized and murdered, and the banquet hall is fully prepared, but empty. Calling his army the king sends them upon the murderous people who mistreated his servants. What was once a gleaming city is now in smoldering ruins, burned to the ground. Jesus would later explain to his disciples as they gazed upon the splendor of the temple complex from the Mount of Olives that within their generation not one stone of Jerusalem would be left upon another. (Lk. 21:5-6; Mk. 13:1-4; Mt. 24:1-3) Forty years later Rome descended on Jerusalem. Titus, a future emperor, led the army and the temple built by Herod over 46 years was laid to waste.
The king in the parable decides that the banquet for his son will be attended, so he instructs his servants to go out and find those on the street corners and country roads, anyone who will come. The servants do as instructed and find all the people they can, some good, some bad, Luke says they were the “poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” (Lk.14:21) As they listened the Pharisees must have been appalled. In their eyes the dining table was sacred. There were places in the temple where gentiles, sinners, and the like could not go, and the dinner table was treated the same. Jesus throws the doors to the great banquet open to all who will come. He has dined with publicans, prostitutes, lepers and their ilk during His ministry. Now, in this little story “those people” are at the banquet of the king. The wedding hall is filled to capacity with guests.
I read this part of the parable and realize Jesus would break bread with anyone like an ostracized chief tax collector, Zacchaeus. who climbed a sycamore tree. I think of the celebration meal with Matthew Levi after he was chosen by Jesus. Levi invited his friends who were nothing more than others seen as sinners like himself. Jesus heard the disapproving comments of those around Him.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that was lost.’ Luke 19:10
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Matt. 9:12
C.S. Lewis said it best, “Prostitutes are in no danger of finding their present life so satisfactory that they cannot turn to God: the proud, the avaricious, the self-righteous, are in that danger?”
This makes me evaluate my own dinner table. When was the last time you broke bread with people like Jesus did? I eat with more Pharisees than the poor, the crippled, the lame, or the blind. If I claim to be a Christian (“little Christ”), then I should live like Him. I’ve got work to do in regards to this topic.
Wedding Clothes
The final act of the wedding banquet story is disturbing. The Banquet hall is filled to capacity with guests, all of which weren’t on the original invitation list. They have no business attending a social for the king, but they are there. These are common street folks and country bumpkins, the blind, lame, crippled, and deaf. Being a “black tie” occasion, everyone is dressed in formal attire, “wedding clothes” as Jesus refers.
As the king makes his rounds mingling with the guests he notices a man not dressed appropriately for the banquet. “Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?” The banquet hall would have gone quiet, all eyes on the inappropriately dressed guest. He starts to say something, maybe his lips move, but he has no answer. The king then has him bound and thrown out of the banquet hall.
“Many are invited,” Jesus said, “But few are chosen.”
Seems a bit harsh doesn’t it? Most scholars agree that the guests would not have had formal attire or the means to buy such, so the wedding clothes would have been provided at the door. And, obviously expected to be worn. Some say that only clean clothes would have been required. Regardless, the right clothing was expected - that is not up for debate. Paul said that anyone in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17) We should be different than the world, how we act, what we do, and what we say. John warns us not to love the world. The world and its sinful desires will pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17) The wedding clothes for us then is the outward evidence of the inward change. Salvation is attained only through faith and belief in Christ. This belief is life changing, we are new creations, not because of what we do, but in whom we believe. The result of that belief is a relationship with Christ, a daily walk with Him seeking to do His will. Many are invited to the Great Banquet in the kingdom of Heaven, but few are chosen. This is not merely some arbitrary selection, no it is based on full acceptance of the invitation - life changing acceptance of the invitation. If you think about it, a relationship with Christ involves new wedding clothes provided nearly everyday as He continually changes us to be more and more like Him. Wear those wedding clothes!
The Parable of the Fig Tree (Matt. 24:32-35)
After a flurry of parables, Matthew doesn’t record any for a spell. God and Caesar are discussed, the Sadducees and the resurrection of the dead, the greatest commandments and questions about the Messiah. Then in chapter 23, Matthew records a denunciation of religious hypocrisy containing seven “woes”. It is some of the sharpest and biting criticism you will find coming from the truth-filled lips of Christ. Then chapter 24 is entirely consumed with the signs of the end times. The destruction of the temple, warning about the age of the end times, the prediction of coming persecution, the great tribulation, and the second coming are all covered. All these events pointed to the truth of the next last parable.
Jesus spoke of a fig tree. There had been an encounter with a fig tree just a couple days before as an early morning walk back to Jerusalem was interrupted by the tree. Jesus saw the tree and apparently wanted some fruit. However, there was no fruit on the tree and in a bizarre moment Jesus cursed the tree to never be fruitful. It withered before them. Why was never the question. The disciples wanted to know “how.” The lesson was faith. Jesus told them of faith so powerful that whole mountains could be loosed from their moorings and dumped in the sea, all by faith.
This parable of the fig tree gets skipped by a lot of study bibles. We must ask why, and we must understand the parable in the context of what Jesus has been discussing. Most of the confusion stems from the understanding or misunderstanding of just who Jesus is talking about in the parable. The audience hasn’t changed and Jesus tells them to consider a story and learn a lesson from it.
The time frame is critical to the story, and the passage just before (see Matt. 24:29-31) clearly sets the time of the parable in the future during or more specifically at the end of the great tribulation. Even though being told to a first century audience, in a strict sense the lesson is for the generation who endure the tribulation.
However, we can apply verse 32 with a broader stroke. When a fig tree begins to bud, we know summer is near. This is a call to watch for signs. The people of the first century would have seen some budding signs in 70 AD as the army of Rome laid siege to Jerusalem. The destruction of the temple was eminent. What about today? What budding signs do you see that tells you of the times we are living. God does not want His followers to be unaware. He left His Word, He gives us His Spirit (the greatest interpreter of the Word), and through these two great gifts we can filer our world and time. Some things will always been unknown, otherwise the faith lesson of the first fig tree is void since faith is in the unseen, but the times can be understood. You may not know just when the flower will bloom, but the bud is a good indication that the bloom is soon.
Words that Last Forever
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Matthew 24:35
We are in between the time in which Jesus said those words and the passing away of heaven and earth. As Jesus ascended and entrusted the Gospel message to those he left behind, the age of the last days began. In His foreknowledge Jesus knew that His teachings and words would be preserved and alive for generations to come, forever really. Creation itself and the existence of the universe is no match for the longevity of the words of Christ.
What an incredible gift we have in the Word of God. With over 5,000 Greek manuscripts and nearly 25,000 total manuscripts of the New Testament we can be sure that the words of Jesus have been preserved down through the ages, and what we read today is His word. There have been obstacles. It has been banned, burned, spurned, and mistranslated. For the first thousand years it could only be printed by hand, and for most of those years eye glasses weren’t invented. It survived the “dark ages”, crusades, reformation, a new world, and the rise of countless heretical faiths. Yet it is still bought, sold, traded and given away more than any other book on the planet.
Science can’t explain it, what we dig out of the ground can’t refute it, and it can hardly be questioned unless you question truth altogether. As Christ closes out the very short parable of the fig tree, He wanted all those listening then, and the rest who would read down through the ages, to know they can count on His Word. His word will endure, come to pass, be truth, be relevant, guide, direct, inspire, foretell, reveal, bring peace, show love, espouse grace, and explain salvation longer than the stars will hang in the sky. What a promise. What a Savior!
The Parable of the Thief (Matt. 24:43-44)
The next last parable is another mini-parable. Perhaps nothing is more unsettling than a thief breaking into your home and taking your prized possessions. This offends us greatly, and in our day and time security systems on the home are the norm not the exception. What was once only for mansions on large estates, is now commonplace on starter homes. We don’t want anyone breaking into our house, on some primal level it unnerves us greatly. The thief must have unnerved folks of the first century as well, because Jesus plays the parable off that concern.
“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.”
Matt. 24:43(NASB)
Jesus had just finished talking of what we believe is the rapture. Two men are in a field and one vanishes leaving the other alone (v.40). Two women are grinding grain at the mill, one is taken the other is left behind (v.41). Tim LeHaye and Jerry Jenkins took the “left behind” idea and parlayed it into 16 best selling books. They also wrote a series for kids with an astounding 40 volumes. There has been a movie and even a video game. To say that the end times doesn’t fascinate us as a people would be a gross understatement. The original LaHaye/Jenkins 16 book series has sold over 65 million copies.
Jesus tells us to be ready, be alert, ever watchful. He will come like that thief in the night (v.44). Can you pray, “Come, Lord Jesus,” and mean it? Is the thought of leaving this world troublesome, perhaps you have it pretty good here? Or, are you ready to by whisked away from this fallen place into the eternal glory and magnificence of heaven? Don’t get too attached to the things of this world, make sure those things are left behind, not you.
Faithful and Wise Servant
Matthew 24:45-51
Our next last parable centers around a servant and a departed master. Just as the parable of the tenant farmers, the master is not present. The servant is said to be faithful and wise, and while the master is away, the servant has been put in charge of other servants. More specifically, the faithful and wise servant is to give the others their food at the proper time.
What does it mean to be both faithful and wise? Faith is a belief or trust in something unseen. The master is gone away, but the servant lives as though the master is there, and fully expects his return. Wisdom is often defined as ’good sense.” It is the ability to make the right decision or the right judgment about something. You could say that faith is how you believe and trust God will act or be, and wisdom is how you act according to your faith.
There is a balance of God’s part and our part here. Faith can move a mountain, but without solid discernment through wisdom, you may move the wrong one. Faith is the ability to believe God will open a door of opportunity for you. Wisdom is knowing if the door is of God or the evil one. Faith is believing in the Word of God, and wisdom is living obediently to the Word of God. Faith is trusting the Spirit that resides in you. Wisdom is taking the Spirit’s guidance and applying it liberally to every facet of our lives. If the servant in the parable only had faith that would still be a great thing, but yet incomplete. If he only had wisdom, he would still need faith.
Do you thrive as a servant in both wisdom and faith? Do you find you are strong in one and lacking in the other? To be a faithful and wise servant -- we must have and exercise both faith and wisdom.
Consequences
Just as certain as Newton’s laws of motion state - for every action there is an equal or opposite reaction, there are consequences or results for our actions. The faithful and wise servant is in charge of the master’s household until he returns. Jesus clearly says the consequences of being a good servant will be the hansom reward of being placed in charge of all the possessions of the master.
But what are the consequences if the servant doesn’t do his master’s will? Jesus warns that the servant could become wicked. If the master is away for a long time, then the servant may disregard his return, he may stop being faithful and wise. He may begin to exercise his own will and mistreat the servants he has been charged to care for. Perhaps the long wait became too much, notice Jesus doesn’t say he started out being wicked, no at some point the servant changed. If he truly believed the return of the master could be eminent, would he act this way? Does the servant really believe the master is returning?
Jesus says not only does the servant mistreat those he is responsible for, but he starts to hang out with the wrong crowd. No, he is not caring for them or witnessing to them, but joining in their revelry. He becomes one of them. What happens then upon the return of the master?
Jesus again describes a punishment for the servant in a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Hell. Total separation from the Master. It is not a very warm and fuzzy topic, but it is clear than Jesus communicates the reality of rejecting Him and living like you never knew Him. I am reminded that a huge percentage of those who call themselves Christian don’t believe in a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. They say God is too loving to assign a person there. But, God is also holy, and furthermore, doesn’t the individual who made the choices in life bear the responsibility of the consequences? Should we blame the Master if the servant goes awry?
There are consequences for our actions. Come to think of it, only an all powerful, all loving, all knowing Master would not force anyone to love Him and keep His commands. After of life of disobedience, He merely gives those who reject Him an eternity apart from Him. Let’s all agree - they lived lives separate from Him, so why should the consequences of eternity be any different.
The Parable of the Ten Maidens (Matt. 25:1-13)
A Long Time in Coming
We don’t like to wait. We ask the host at our favorite restaurant, “How long is the wait?” We want to know and we get upset when he or she is wrong. The vestibule is loaded with people, all the benches are taken, there are even folks outside, yet we expect the host to be within about five minutes of the stated sit-down time. We don’t like to wait at cash registers, at the airport (delays, delays, delays), the doctor’s office, and if the sermon is not over promptly at the ascribed time - well, “Come on pastor, the wait at my favorite restaurant is growing by the moment!”
Our next last parable is packed full of common themes of the last parables, perhaps most notable: a departed master - in this case the bridegroom is away and “a long time in coming.”
In the parable, ten virgins or maidens are preparing for a wedding. The wedding celebration was an extraordinary event in first century Jewish culture, and part of the progression of events was a meeting with the groom, usually at night, to take him back to the bride’s home. Of the ten maidens, five are wise and five are foolish. What makes them wise or foolish is fodder for another devotion. It matters little if you are wise or foolish; no one likes to wait - not even the wise. As it came to pass, the night dragged on with no sign of the groom (we also don’t like to wait on someone who is late - it is a major peeve in the pantheon of peeves for most people).
At night on the arid landscape of Palestine a light can be seen from a great distance. As the maidens would have scanned the horizon for the light of the groom, they would have grown tired. Eventually, Jesus says they all fell asleep. Whether they were wise or foolish had no bearing, they all succumbed to exhaustion.
The truth is God works on a different schedule than we do. First of all, He operates outside of the time dimension. Too often we pray and ask things of God, and when they don’t readily come to pass we may stop praying or even doubt God is listening. Did the persistent widow of Luke 18 stop? No, and I’m sure she was very distressed in her quest for what she wanted, but it is just as clear there is no quit in this lady.
I don’t know what you’re waiting on as I write this. I feel confident you have a request put in to the Master. I’m also certain that you may be waiting right now, or have been waiting for some time. I have. Sometimes I wonder if the request is making it beyond the ceiling. Just as the groom was a ling time in coming, we too must wait and sometimes grow weary. But make no mistake, the groom is coming, the prayer request will be answered - in His timing not ours. I pray for our patience. I pray for my patience.
Letting the Light Shine
In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the bridesmaids rather than the bride are the main characters. As they go out to meet the groom, five are more prepared than the other five. They take extra oil in clay jars in anticipation of a possible long night. They don’t want to be out there on the plain waiting for the groom without enough oil for light. There must be oil for the journey to the wedding banquet.
Due to the long wait everyone falls asleep, and then about midnight a call goes out, “Here’s the bridegroom, come out to meet him.” The five unprepared maidens looked to the five wise maidens and asked for oil. The wise maidens turn down the request for oil, matter of fact; they suggest they go buy some. In the middle of the night? Where? We don’t know, but Jesus says they go to buy oil.
You may think the five wise maidens where a bit stingy here. Couldn’t the oil be divided up and each have enough to make it through the parade? It would have been risky. The five wise maidens aren’t being selfish, but they are showing genuine concern for their friend’s wedding. If they all ran out this would ruin the procession. There is evidence in rabbinic writings that these processions were treated with a great deal of respect. A rabbi may stop his lesson and excuse his students as a wedding procession passed. A family at the evening meal may stop, get up, and take part in the procession as it passed by their home. If all the lamps ran out of oil, then the procession was over, an embarrassment to the bride and groom of immense proportion.
Eventually, the foolish maidens find oil, but the progression had moved indoors to the banquet. The parade was over and the door was locked.
I read this and think of Matthew 5:14-16.
Here is how the Message translates the passage:
“Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”
To do this, we must have oil in the lamp, the Spirit indwelled within the body must be the guiding force for your true light, His light, to shine before the world. No one can give you this oil; you must accept it from the Master who has already paid the price (a high price). The worse thing you could do is let the torch fade with a jar of oil with you. Use the oil, use the Spirit, and if necessary use words. Let your light shine before men.
The Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-30)
R.O.I.
Our next last parable, the Parable of the Talents, has several common themes. In the first verse (v.14), we discover a departed master going away on a journey and property entrusted to servants. The entire vineyard was entrusted to the Tenant Farmers, and the Faithful and Wise Servant was placed in charge of the household while the master was away. In the parable of the talents, money is entrusted.
A talent was a significant amount of wealth, originally used as a weight of measure equal to around 100lbs of silver and/or 200lbs of gold derived from the Greek word talanton. And yes, the English word talent that describes an ability or gift was originally taken from that Greek word and many believe specifically from this parable.
Jesus doesn’t say what kind money made up the talents given, but for example, if it were gold - 200lbs would be $4,416,000. (Current price per ounce of gold is trending at $1380 times 16 = 1 pound times 200 total = a lot!)
A business person recognizes that return on investment is a critical measure of success. Formally ROI is computed as a ratio (gain on investment - cost of investment divided by cost of investment) or in some just view it as the gain or what you have left over more informally. Both have merit as a measure of performance. Interestingly, Jesus appears focused on the return, but doesn’t tell us about the investment. How the first and second servants doubled their talents, we don’t know. We do know the man who merely buried his one talent was advised that he should have put it on deposit and drawn interest.
I believe this clearly is our part and I don’t separate talents of wealth from talents of ability. They are both entrusted to us and owned by the Master. What we do with them (the investment) is up to us. I don’t think Jesus wants us to stay in the dark though, I believe He will help us with our entrusted talents when we converse with Him in prayer and rely on His Spirit to guide. So, let’s all agree to focus on the investment, don’t bury it. If we engage the world with our talents (again money and abilities) and focus on our investment, I believe the results will take care of themselves. God always has the results. This liberates us in the effort.
The Master’s Happiness
In the Parable of the Talents the reward stands out to me. In the other last parables there have been rewards: A banquet feast for the poor, lame and the wise virgins. A wise and faithful servant is placed in charge of all his master’s possessions. And, the resourceful servant that provided the return desired is placed in charge of “many” things. However, it is the next sentence that entices my interest…
“Come and share your master’s happiness.”
From the ancient Greek we have the word kyrios, which means master, lord, or sovereign owner; he whom others belong to about which he has the power of ultimate decisions. This was a title of high honor uttered with reverence and respect by servants when they greeted their kyrios.
The word translated as “happiness” is the Greek word chara. It means and expression of joy, gladness, and happiness. And, in this case the chara is of the kyrios. Other translations are as follows:
“Enter into and share the joy, the delight, the blessedness, which your master enjoys.” (Amplified Bible)
“Enter into the joy of your master.” NASB
“From now on be my partner.” Message
“Let’s celebrate together!” New Living Translation
“Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” KJV
“Come share my joy with me.” New Century
“Come, have a good time with your master.” Worldwide English Version
As I read these the meaning grows deeper, more personal, more astonishing. The sovereign owner of it all stands ready to share the bounty of his joy and happiness with the faithful who didn’t bury their talents, but put them to use. They are the good soil of another parable who received the seed allowing it to grow deep and produced a crop 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown (Matt. 13:3-9). Again, don’t get caught up in the production, but don’t miss the point of being good soil and good stewards of what has been entrusted to us by the Kyrios. The reward for doing so is beyond our imagination. In 1st Corinthians 2:9, Paul quotes Isaiah 64:4 when he says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what the Lord has prepared for those who love Him.” We will share in the Master’s happiness!
Those Who Have and Those Who Have Not
Matthew 25:29 can be a disturbing verse and a watershed verse for those who purport a gospel of prosperity. It reads:
“For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” New English Translation
One can’t claim the verse is obscure because it is echoed in Matthew 13:12, Mark 4:25, Luke 8:18 and 19:26. All these verses are in “red letters,” therefore we need to understand fully what Christ is teaching here.
I’m not sure how anyone could translate these verses into mere monetary means or if they should be consider monetary measure at all at this point in the parable. As we discussed with return on investment, I think we are dealing with fruit here, the currency of heaven, that which is eternal. In the parable of the sower, Jesus describes the good soil that produces a crop 30, 60, 100 times what is sown. Even in the parable of the talents, double of two times was acceptable. However, in the parable of the sower the production is much higher.
Those who are productive will produce even more…
Many times we don’t see the harvest. Good soil will produce fruit many times that the grower never sees this side of eternity. A kind word to a stranger, an act of love to someone in need, the way you conducted yourself at a ball game, a tight spot at work, when the pressure was on, when no one else (you thought) was looking, etc. These examples can go on and on. Live life like Jesus is always watching. Why? Because He is.
John explained a very late teaching of Jesus that ties in with the thought of fruitfulness. Jesus gave an allegory of a vineyard (common last teaching theme). He said, He is the vine, the Father is the gardener, and we are the branches. He explains how we are expected to produce fruit. The Gardner prunes and cares for the branches. Jesus gave a scale of production that included branches that produce “no fruit” (v.15:2), “fruit” (also v. 2), “more fruit” (v.2), and “much fruit” (v. 15:5). The only way we, the branches can be fruitful is to remain in the Vine (Jesus) and respond to the pruning from the Gardner (Father). None, some, more and much are in keeping with the parable of the talents.
Paul actually listed some fruit; he called it the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-Control
Paul says there is no law that can come against these actions. If you practice the fruits of the Spirit, you will produce fruit… twice, 30, 60, and 100 times what was originally given. It is the economy of heaven.
The Last Parable: The Sheep and the Goats (Matt. 25:31-46)
A Day of Doxa
For a lifetime I’ve read the Gospels frustrated that many of the people who were there at the time Christ was on earth - missed His coming. It wasn't like there weren’t signs, prophecy, and loads of scripture to point them to His truth. It appears they just had another vision in mind of what His coming would be like. They expected a Davidic King rallying troops, and not a peasant from Galilee being kind to Samaritans. I think they had in mind the Second Coming instead of the first.
In this last parable, Jesus says He will be in his glory or doxa in the Greek. The word has several meanings and they all apply: a state of exalted condition, a brightness as the stars in the heavens, a splendor beyond compare, magnificence, excellence, grace, majesty, dignity, preeminence, and of judgment where good and bad are exposed merely by His presence. Incredible word. Incredible King. Incredible day.
The first time He came He came emptied of doxa, and instead He was found in flesh obedient to death even execution on a cross. However, due to that execution and subsequent victory over death, Jesus was raised and exalted to His rightful place (Phil. 2:6-11). The first time He came alone, this day the troops have been rallied. The angels of heaven are with Him. The day He first came He was placed in a common feeding box for animals, this day, He sits on a throne surrounded by heavenly doxa. He is irrefutable, which is exactly what the first century people wanted - a King that you don’t have to believe in by faith, but is. Many of us want the same today, but faith will exist and be necessary… until this day of doxa. On that day the reality of God removes faith, for every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
The nations are gathered. That is everyone. Every culture, people, race, creed, and walk of earth will be gathered before the throne of doxa. Interestingly though, you won’t be standing with folks from your neighborhood, state, or country, no you’ll be standing where the King places you. The Great Shepherd commits His last act of herding and the nations are separated like sheep and goats.
How many of us live our lives in light of that day? Does it seem so far away you can’t live by the reality of it? If you’re like me, you’re probably asking yourself where did the last decade go. Time flies. What we do now in choosing Christ and living through Him will determine where we stand. Apart from Him, well we are with the goats. With Him, we are always in His flock - nothing can snatch us from His hand. Nothing now. And, certainly nothing on the great day of doxa.
Where the Master Is
We have uncovered many common themes in the final stories Christ told. Being placed in charge of something you don’t own, being accountable for our actions, being prepared, the reality of hell, the certainty of judgment, living what you believe, on and on are the many lessons from these last parables. There appears to be one resoundingly common theme, and that is the departure of the Master. The vineyard owner leaves the vineyard in the hands of local farmers and goes on a journey (Matt. 21:33). The faithful and wise servant is in charge of the estate while the master is away (Matt. 24:45). Ten virgins go out to meet the bridegroom who is a long time in coming (Matt. 25:5). Three men are entrusted with talents then the master goes on a journey (Matt. 25:15).
Perhaps Jesus was grooming those who followed Him for His ascension. He was going on a journey back to the Father. How many times did the disciples look heavenward hoping to see Jesus coming back as he had gone away. However, in the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus lets it slip where He can be found even though He has gone away.
The scene in the story has people gathered to the right and left of the throne of the King. First, Jesus addresses those on His right, none other than the sheep of His flock. The invitation is as stunning as anything ever uttered. He tells them to come into the inheritance of the kingdom that had been prepared for them since the creation of the world. The King tells them it was He they had encountered in their life as the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the unclothed, the sick, and the imprisoned. The people of the flock had been people of action, who took the life entrusted to them and made a difference. They fed the hungry. They gave drink to the thirsty. They made the stranger welcome. They clothed the naked. They looked after the sick and visited those in prison. And, each time they were actually serving the departed Master.
So as we live in the age of the departed Master - here in this last parable Jesus tells us all where we can find Him, that He hasn’t really gone away. This is why when I see images of tragedy I don’t ask, “Where is God?” or “Why does God allow this?” I know where God is and I know His ways are light-years beyond my understanding. My questions in this departed time of the Master is, “Where is the church?’ and “What are we doing?”
The Least
“…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matt. 25:40b, 45b NIV)
Little things matter a lot to Jesus. It is intriguing that neither the sheep nor the goats recognized Jesus as the “least of these.” By being a follower of Christ, your heart doesn’t give you the option to look the other way, ignore someone’s plight, or not help the helpless. The least mattered not because the sheep thought they were serving Jesus, but merely loving others. Perhaps the goats said, these people are deserving of what they get, God only helps those who helps themselves (not in the Bible by the way), or maybe someone else will take care of them. The “least of these” matter to Jesus, therefore those indwelled with the Spirit of God will react as Jesus would.
Little children mattered to Jesus. Once when the disciples were determined to keep them from Jesus, they received a rebuke and a lesson. Children who had little or no standing in society had plenty of standing with Christ. They would not be hindered in coming to Him, and even today children come to faith in Christ in droves. Jesus was clear that those who would help a child with something as small as a cup of water would not lose their reward (Matt. 10:42), but if anyone caused children to stumble - they’d be better off with a milestone tied to them in the sea (Matt. 18:6). Little children matter greatly to the Master.
Jesus also taught that little things prepared us for bigger things. When it came to money, Jesus taught that those who were dishonest with little would be dishonest with much. This prompted Jesus to ask a crowd, “If you have not been trustworthy with worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” (Luke 16:11). How we manage the smallest measures of our lives has eternal and temporal significance.
As Jesus wraps up this last parable and hands down the verdict to the sheep and the goats, I’m reminded of the first last parable of the two sons. Their were two sons just as there were two gatherings of people (sheep and goats), and what mattered most in both cases was what you did. Therefore embrace the little things of this life, they only seem small through the lens of the world. Being a Good and Faithful servant requires a devotion to the small things the world cannot see. Ask Jesus to give you eyes to see and a heart to love, I know He’ll follow through, and you will bless many. For we will bless even Him, who you may be handing that piece of bread, giving a shirt you don’t need, giving a bottle of water on a hot day, visiting in prison, welcoming as a stranger, looking after a sick person, or many others who are placed in your path. Jesus turns the order upside down - the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Let us make a difference in our world for Christ, and remember the “least of these” and the little things are at the top of the list.
Epilogue
Jesus told his last stories to a varied crowd. Some wanted to kill Him. Some believed in Him. Some were confused - was He a prophet, the Messiah, or a crazy man. For some the rich tapestry of His stories fell upon deaf ears. Others heard, and a few like an ex-tax collector named Matthew wrote down an account of the last parables.
A father needed help in the vineyard. One son was eager, but not willing. The other wasn’t eager, but willing. Being willing mattered more.
A Landowner builds an incredible vineyard with all the amenities. He rents it out to some local farmers and goes away. The farmers mistreat his servants and kill the landowner’s son. Perhaps no other story struck more at the very heart of Christ given what was about to happen to Him.
A king prepares a grand wedding banquet, but no one will come. They are all too busy, so then everyone is invited. They come in droves from the streets and the country, the crippled, lame, blind, good and bad. One poor soul doesn’t wear the wedding clothes offered and is cast out.
A fig tree buds in the late winter, and everyone knows summer is near. So will be the signs as the end nears.
A homeowner doesn’t know that a thief is coming in the night. If he had known he would have been prepared and kept watch.
A faithful and wise servant balances both faith and wisdom taking care of the servants in which his master has left him in charge. The servant has a choice to take care of them or mistreat them, and there are consequences for his actions.
Ten virgins go out to meet the bridegroom. Five are prepared for the possibility of a long night and five are not. The bridegroom is a long time in coming and they all fall asleep. When he finally arrives the virgins who were prepared with oil for their lamps continue on to the banquet, while the other five are not allowed entry.
A master hands out talents to 3 subjects and goes on a journey. When he returns he asks to see what they did with their talents. Two show a very good return on investment, while one just buried his talent so not to lose it. His is given to the top producer and he is cast out.
People are gathered like sheep and goats on a glorious day while the King sits upon His throne. The sheep reached out to help to lowly and in doing so were serving the King Himself. The goats didn’t help their fellow man, and neither group recognized the lowly (The least of these) as the King. Accountability reigns again, and the goats are led away into eternal punishment while the sheep take a grand inheritance prepared by the King.
These simple stories had messages for the people of the 1st century and the 21st. Jesus knew His time was short and these stories told the people then how to conduct themselves while He was away. We still live in that time and the principals given still apply.
Thank you for allowing me to share this journey through the last parables. What it must have been like to actually hear them from the mouth of the Master is hard to imagine. Just focusing on each of them the last few weeks has unveiled His heart for us in our time. I pray each of you will be willing to do what it takes to be a good servant while the Master is away. Always be prepared, and reach out to your neighbor in love. Most people have heard the Gospel; these stories are about showing the Gospel. Be a good and faithful servant, utilize those talents, and live your life in light of eternity.