The Parable of the Thief, The Parable of the Good and Wicked Servants, The Parable of the Ten Virgins, and The Parable of the Talents In Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus is speaking to His disciples about two events: the destruction of Jerusalem and the second coming of the Lord. Jesus uses four parables to describe to His disciples and us the need to be ready.
The first parable is used to show to us that no man knows when the Lord will return. He uses the example of a thief breaking into a house. How many of us, if we knew that a thief was coming, would prepare for the thief so that nothing was taken? I hope all of us would. “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 24:44).
The second parable is used to show the need for us to be prepared for his coming. The parable of the two servants shows us the mindset of two servants: a good servant and a bad servant. The good servant knew that his master would return, so he worked hard until his master returned. The servant did not know when the master would return, but he continued to work anyway. The wicked servant thought that he had time before his master returned, but to his surprise the master returned before he thought. We must work our hardest to be like the good servant, so that when our master returns, he will find us “so doing” (Matt. 24:46), and not like the wicked servant who began “to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken” (Matt 24:49).
The third parable is used to show us that others cannot prepare for us. In the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, ten virgins had to be prepared for the bridegroom. There were five wise virgins that prepared, not only their lamps, but also some extra oil. There were five foolish virgins that were not prepared. The bridegroom was delayed, so they all began to sleep. Then the call came out for them all to go and meet the bridegroom. The foolish began to beg the wise for some oil, but the wise refused, because if they loaned any out, they may not have enough for themselves. So while the foolish were buying oil, the bridegroom came and took the five wise virgins.
No one can prepare us for the second coming but ourselves. We must also be careful that we do not find ourselves short on that day by getting others prepared and not ourselves. We must all “watch therefore, for ye know neither the day not the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matt 25:13).
The fourth and final parable is used to show that we must be good stewards of our time and talents given to us by our master. The parable of the talents shows us two different ways we receive and use talents. The Lord has given us all talents, some more than others. In this parable we have a man with five, a man with two, and a man with one. The first two used their talents and doubled what they had been given. The master told both, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matt. 25:21, 23). The man with only one talent did not use his talent, but buried it in the ground, because he feared his master. Was the master happy with receiving his one talent back? Did he rejoice because the servant did not lose his money? No, he became angry with the servant. He commanded that the servant be cast “into outer darkness” where “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 25:30).
All must be sure that they are prepared for the coming of our Lord so that we will all hear on that day, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matt. 25:21, 23).
Jim McDonald