The Day of Judgement (Matthew 25)

Jesus uses three parables to instruct his disciples about what will happen on the Day of Judgement and how they should prepare for it. Each of them stresses particular aspects of it and each of them has people on opposite sides on that day who were together in this life. The individuals described in the parables all look like believers and who were aware that the judgement was coming. So the parables initially don’t focus on people who have no interest in religion, although we know that such will also be judged on the Day of Judgement.

The matter of similarity is a feature of the parables. It is obvious with the ten virgins and the three servants, but we may not see it with regard to the sheep and the goats because it our country it is easy to tell the difference between them. That is not the case always, and flocks of sheep and goats mix in the Middle East and it is not easy to tell the difference.

It is possible that there is a progression between the parables. Maybe the method of Jesus is to use a parable to stress one point, and then the next parable builds on that point, with the final parable building on the previous two. This would not be the only occasion when Jesus used three parables in this way – at another time, he mentioned the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son together.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

What is the message of this parable? We can see that the ten virgins looked alike as they waited for the bridegroom. They shared the same expectation, which was to take part in the wedding. Since he appeared later than they expected, they fell asleep (I don’t think the parable finds fault with them sleeping because the wise virgins did so as well). The problem was that the lamps were needed to help them follow the bridegroom as he walked between buildings in the darkness of the night.

The message of the parable is that the five foolish virgins did not have any oil in their lamps. One would wonder why they did not have any. We could suggest that at some stage they had noticed that there was no oil, realised that they should get some, but in the activities of life forgot to do so. I suppose we all have noticed times when our car needed fuelling, intended to fill it, but forgot to do so, and then suddenly discovered that we did have enough for an immediate journey.

What does the oil refer to? It is common to regard it as a picture of the Holy Spirit, and that may be the answer. Others would see it as describing the inner life in general. Yet it could also be the case that the oil does not point to anything specific in the Christian life but instead the parable highlights the danger of carelessness with regard to our spiritual state. In the parable, the wise had purchased the oil and the foolish had not. The foolish had not made sure that they were ready for the coming of the Bridegroom. So the message is that we must make sure that we are ready when the King comes. The Saviour says that in verse 13: ‘Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.’

How do we get ready? Maybe answers are given in the other two parables. The point that is stressed in this parable is that it was too late for the foolish virgins.

The parable of the talents

In the previous paragraph, Jesus likened himself to a Bridegroom and in this second paragraph he likens himself to a wealthy person who has to travel from home for a considerable time and leaves servants in charge of his affairs. It is not difficult to see here a reference to the period between the two comings of Jesus. He travelled to another place at his ascension and one day he will return and see how things have transpired. 

There might be some confusion here with regard to the word ‘talents’. In the story, the talents are money, not particular gifts the individuals had. The amount of money that each was given was based on their abilities. So we need to distinguish between the talents and their abilities. The talents were items through which they could use their abilities in serving their master. 

The master gave a lot of money to each servant. A talent was usually made of silver and was equal in value to about 6,000 denarii (a denarius was a day’s wage for workers). So, 6,000 denarii are the equivalent of twenty years’ wages. Even the servant who only got one talent was given a great deal to use.

As we can see from the story, it was not difficult for the servants to use their master’s money and make a profit. Both the first and second servants made 100% increase in the amount they had been given. The problem was the attitude of the third servant because he refused to attempt to make any profit for his master.

Then the master returned, which is a picture of the Day of Judgement. He was very pleased with the activities of the first and second servants and commended them for what they had done with his money. In addition, he assured them that they would have a great reward, and we can see from what Jesus says that the reward is connected to his joy.

Obviously, it will be wonderful to hear Jesus say, ‘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.’ Yet we cannot avoid deducing that the place of the servants in the master’s domains was connected to how they served him. It can be said that they were like the wise virgins and made themselves ready for his appearance. 

What was the difference between the good servants and the bad servant? We can see that the problem with the bad servant was that he did not love his master and had no desire that his master’s assets would grow. He regarded his master’s demands as unreasonable and thought it best to have nothing to do with the money given to him by the master. The penalty pronounced on him was very severe. The talent he had hidden was taken from him, given to the first servant, and the unfaithful servant was cast into outer darkness, a description of a lost eternity, where there is intense sadness and anguish.

The key to the parable is identifying what is meant by the talents. Obviously, Jesus does not give particular amounts of money to those who profess to know him and ask them to engage in life at the Stock Exchange. Since he distinguished the talents from their abilities, I would suggest that the talents describe occasions when people can use opportunities of grace to extend the kingdom of Jesus. They prepare for his return by serving him wherever he provides the means. This is how they make themselves ready for his return, and since they do not know when it is, they serve him all the time. 

The Sheep and the Goats

The first parable urged the disciples to prepare for the second coming by not being careless about personal preparation and the second parable urged disciples that they had to use the opportunities the Master gave to them for serving him. But what kinds of opportunities does he provide? Some of them are described in the third parable, about a shepherd and his flocks. 

In this parable, Jesus describes himself as the Son of Man who will judge the nations. He will divide everyone into one of two groups even as a shepherd would keep sheep and goats separate at times. Obviously, this will be an awesome occasion as everyone observes Jesus surrounded by glory and accompanied by the hosts of heaven. The part of the judgement that is highlighted is what will take place after the initial separation has been made. As the judge, Jesus explains the situation, and everyone will hear what he has to say.

First of all, he speaks to and about those on his right hand, those he describes as the righteous. Initially, he invites them to enter their inheritance. Since he calls them heirs, he is regarding them as the sons of God, those whom his heavenly Father had desired to bless from before the world was created. While we know that is the case with the children of God, our knowledge does not yet include experience of the final outcome. One day, it will happen, and when it does we will have a much greater perspective of what it means.

Then he mentions what he approved about them, and I would suggest his words in this regard are similar to what he said about the servants who used their talents wisely. Jesus had given them opportunities to use grace in his service and now he commends them for doing things for him. The items he mentions bring surprise to those on his right hand because they had not realised that he was present when they did them. Throughout their lives, they had given proofs of the genuineness of their faith by the numerous little things they had done for him. The striking detail is that their opportunities were connected to what they did for his people when they were in need. There was an element of cost in each activity, and at least one was potentially dangerous (visiting a Christian imprisoned for his faith). The obvious aspect of their behaviour was that it pleased Jesus and therefore he gives them graciously a place of honour in his kingdom.

We should observe the way that Jesus describes his people when he refers to them as his brothers (v. 40). This term gives us an insight into the incredible relationship they have with him and of the great affection he has for them. Unlike other families, when an older brother has the inheritance to the exclusion of his brothers, Jesus delights to share his inheritance with those he is not ashamed to call his brothers. And on that great day he will not be ashamed of any of them.

Jesus will also speak to those on his left hand and he will highlight how they treated his people. Of course, we are not to assume that this is the only reason for their condemnation. Yet it is a major reason and is the one that he chooses to highlight in his description of what will occur on the Day of Judgement. We know that the reason why they did not get involved with the lives of his people was because they had no place for him. They did not want to know him or them during their lives. Whatever else we can deduce from this statement, it is obvious that Jesus says that brotherly love is a clear evidence that one is going to heaven, and its absence is evidence now that one is not. It will be seen on that day that sins of omission are very costly.

As we think of the way that Jesus identifies with his people, we can think of one who discovered the importance of it, and that is Saul of Tarsus. On the Damascus Road, he discovered that his actions were against Jesus when the Saviour asked him why he was persecuting him. Saul was hauling many believers into prisons. Yet he was forgiven by Jesus and thereafter was marked by brotherly love.

Responding

What can we say in response to the parables about Judgement Day? First, we are not to imagine that good works replace the gospel. No one will get to heaven only because they were good to Christians. We need to repent of our sins and trust in Jesus in order to get there. It is impossible to have a good Judgement Day without having had saving faith in Jesus.

Second, we have to remember that saving faith shows itself by its works. This is the point that James makes in his letter when he says that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-17). We are not to imagine that we can live as we like. The foolish virgins were careless, the wicked servant was lazy, and the goats were indifferent. Their responses revealed that their hearts had not been changed by the gospel. In the third parable, Jesus stresses that a clear evidence of saving faith is dedicated, practical brotherly love expressed in actions of affection for God’s people in difficult situations. A striking feature, mentioned already, is that most of them are easy to do.

Third, on the Day of Judgement, we are responsible for what we did and for what we did not do.