Reading… and Thinking

“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”

— Matthew 24:42

“For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

— Matthew 24:44

“Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”

— Matthew 25:13 (all quotes NASB)

Most Bible students can immediately identify the Olivet Prophecy. Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 record how Jesus gave his disciples signs of his coming. This prophecy receives a lot of attention, but a lot of people don’t realize that Matthew 25 is also part of this same talk. The parables in chapter 25 are familiar, but they aren’t necessarily linked in our minds to the great prophecy of the previous chapter. Actually, the parables begin in chapter 24 and continue on in the next chapter. (Remember, the chapter divisions came a long time later.)

Jesus told five parables about his return, to conclude the prophecy. The point of the first three is being ready, as indicated in the three verses quoted above. Can we possibly miss his point? We aren’t going to know exactly when he’s coming. In spite of the signs he gave! That doesn’t make the signs pointless—they were given for the purpose of keeping us in expectation. But having this prophecy doesn’t give us the ability to foretell the future.

On another occasion, Jesus said, “I tell you now before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.” The prophecies given by Jesus are for the purpose of increasing our faith, when we see them fulfilled. And for that reason we need to be watching! If we’re not, we may miss it.

And if we’re not alert, not focused on his return, we will find ourselves in trouble. The last four of the parables are about Jesus being the Judge when he returns.

Do you think it’s important to know the grounds on which you will be judged? I do! Jesus doesn’t expect us to just figure it out on our own. He clearly tells us how he will determine who receives eternal life, and who is cast out.

• The parable of the steward of the house tells us that a wicked steward will abuse his fellow-servants, and indulge himself with the world. The faithful steward will attend to the needs of the fellow-servants.
• The parable of the ten virgins tells us that those who are unprepared will be left out. But those who are ready and waiting will be welcome.
• The parable of the talents tells us that those who are active in multiplying the Lord’s assets will be rewarded. What are the assets that he expects us to multiply? Surely it can only be people who are His children. That is, we need to be teaching others. The lazy servant just kept his talent (the gospel) safe, and didn’t do anything else with it. He will be rejected.
• The parable of the sheep and goats tells us that those who treat Jesus’ brethren well will be rewarded, while those who ignore their needs will be rejected.

It’s interesting that the first and last of these four parables both indicate that we’ll be judged based on how we treat the brethren. This doubling is not accidental or unimportant. In the Bible, messages are only doubled when they are very significant and very sure.

So what can we conclude? We have a triple warning to keep alert and on watch for the Lord’s coming. We have a double warning to treat our brethren well. And in the meantime, we should be sharing the Lord’s message with others.

If you thought Bible prophecy was just an academic matter, to be left to those who like that sort of thing, perhaps you ought to reconsider! Bible prophecy has a lot to say to every one of us.