Matthew Chapter 25

Updated: September 14, 2025

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

1Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

The Parable of the Talents

(Luke 19:11-27)

14For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 16Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 17And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 18But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

19After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 21His lord said unto him, 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.

22He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23His lord said unto him, Well done, 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.

24Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

26His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

29For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Sheep and the Goats

31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

King James Bible

Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

1 “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘What if there isn’t enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

The Parable of the Talents
(Luke 19:11–27)

14 “For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two. 18 But he who received the one went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.

19 “Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reconciled accounts with them. 20 He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents besides them.’ 21 “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

22 “He also who got the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents besides them.’ 23 “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

24 “He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter. 25 I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’

26 “But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter. 27 You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. 28 Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents.

29 For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away. 30 Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Sheep and the Goats

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. 36 I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? 38 When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’ 40 “The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

41 Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ 44 “Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’ 45 “Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil. 4 But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps. 5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 ‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.

11 Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’

12 But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’

13 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. a

The Parable of the Talents
(Luke 19:11–27)

14 For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. 15 To one he gave five talents, b to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.

16 The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work c and gained five more. 17 Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

19 After a long time the master of those servants returned to settle accounts with them. 20 The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

21 His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

22 The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’

23 His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

24 Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’

26 ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest.

28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Sheep and the Goats

31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, 36 I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’

37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’

40 And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’

41 Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

44 And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’

45 Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’

46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

1'Then shall the reign of the heavens be likened to ten virgins, who, having taken their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom; 2and five of them were prudent, and five foolish; 3they who were foolish having taken their lamps, did not take with themselves oil; 4and the prudent took oil in their vessels, with their lamps. 5'And the bridegroom tarrying, they all nodded and were sleeping, 6and in the middle of the night a cry was made, Lo, the bridegroom doth come; go ye forth to meet him. 7'Then rose all those virgins, and trimmed their lamps, 8and the foolish said to the prudent, Give us of your oil, because our lamps are going out; 9and the prudent answered, saying -- Lest there may not be sufficient for us and you, go ye rather unto those selling, and buy for yourselves. 10'And while they are going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those ready went in with him to the marriage-feasts, and the door was shut; 11and afterwards come also do the rest of the virgins, saying, Sir, sir, open to us; 12and he answering said, Verily I say to you, I have not known you. 13'Watch therefore, for ye have not known the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man doth come.

The Parable of the Talents

(Luke 19:11-27)

14'For -- as a man going abroad did call his own servants, and did deliver to them his substance, 15and to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his several ability, went abroad immediately. 16'And he who did receive the five talents, having gone, wrought with them, and made other five talents; 17in like manner also he who received the two, he gained, also he, other two; 18and he who did receive the one, having gone away, digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

19'And after a long time cometh the lord of those servants, and taketh reckoning with them; 20and he who did receive the five talents having come, brought other five talents, saying, 'Sir, five talents thou didst deliver to me; lo, other five talents did I gain besides them. 21'And his lord said to him, Well done, servant, good and faithful, over a few things thou wast faithful, over many things I will set thee; enter into the joy of thy lord.

22'And he who also did receive the two talents having come, said, Sir, two talents thou didst deliver to me; lo, other two talents I did gain besides them. 23'His lord said to him, Well done, servant, good and faithful, over a few things thou wast faithful, over many things I will set thee; enter into the joy of thy lord.

24'And he also who hath received the one talent having come, said, Sir, I knew thee, that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering from whence thou didst not scatter; 25and having been afraid, having gone away, I hid thy talent in the earth; lo, thou hast thine own!

26'And his lord answering said to him, Evil servant, and slothful, thou hadst known that I reap where I did not sow, and I gather whence I did not scatter! 27it behoved thee then to put my money to the money-lenders, and having come I had received mine own with increase. 28'Take therefore from him the talent, and give to him having the ten talents,

29for to every one having shall be given, and he shall have overabundance, and from him who is not having, even that which he hath shall be taken from him; 30and the unprofitable servant cast ye forth to the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.

The Sheep and the Goats

31'And whenever the Son of Man may come in his glory, and all the holy messengers with him, then he shall sit upon a throne of his glory; 32and gathered together before him shall be all the nations, and he shall separate them from one another, as the shepherd doth separate the sheep from the goats, 33and he shall set the sheep indeed on his right hand, and the goats on the left.

34'Then shall the king say to those on his right hand, Come ye, the blessed of my Father, inherit the reign that hath been prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I did hunger, and ye gave me to eat; I did thirst, and ye gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and ye received me; 36naked, and ye put around me; I was infirm, and ye looked after me; in prison I was, and ye came unto me. 37'Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungering, and we nourished? or thirsting, and we gave to drink? 38and when did we see thee a stranger, and we received? or naked, and we put around? 39and when did we see thee infirm, or in prison, and we came unto thee? 40And the king answering, shall say to them, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye did it to one of these my brethren -- the least -- to me ye did it.

41Then shall he say also to those on the left hand, Go ye from me, the cursed, to the fire, the age-during, that hath been prepared for the Devil and his messengers; 42for I did hunger, and ye gave me not to eat; I did thirst, and ye gave me not to drink; 43a stranger I was, and ye did not receive me; naked, and ye put not around me; infirm, and in prison, and ye did not look after me. 44'Then shall they answer, they also, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungering, or thirsting, or a stranger, or naked, or infirm, or in prison, and we did not minister to thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of these, the least, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.'

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

¹ Jesus continued by saying, "At that time, the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom." ² "Five were foolish, living for the moment without thinking ahead, while five were wise." ³ "The foolish ones took their lamps but carried no extra oil." ⁴ "The wise ones, however, took oil containers along with their lamps, ready for any delay." ⁵ "As the bridegroom's arrival stretched late into the night, all the bridesmaids grew drowsy and fell asleep."

⁶ "At midnight, a shout pierced the darkness: 'Look! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!'" ⁷ "All the bridesmaids jumped up and began trimming their lamps, preparing to join the celebration." ⁸ "The foolish ones turned to the wise in panic: 'Give us some of your oil – our lamps are going out!'" ⁹ "But the wise ones replied, 'We can't – there won't be enough for all of us. Quick, go to the merchants and buy your own.'"

¹⁰ "But while they rushed off to buy oil, the bridegroom arrived. The prepared bridesmaids entered with him into the wedding feast, and the door was locked." ¹¹ "Later, the others returned and pleaded, 'Lord, lord, open the door for us!'" ¹² "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' Their lack of preparation revealed their lack of relationship." ¹³ "Therefore, stay alert and be ready, for you don't know the day or hour of My return."

The Parable of the Bags of Gold (Talents)

¹⁴ "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a wealthy man preparing for a long journey. He called his servants and entrusted his property to them." ¹⁵ "To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag – each according to their proven ability. Then he left on his journey." ¹⁶ "The servant who received five bags immediately put them to work in the marketplace and earned five more." ¹⁷ "The one with two bags did the same, doubling his master's investment." ¹⁸ "But the servant who received one bag dug a hole and buried his master's money, letting fear paralyze him into inaction."

¹⁹ "After a long time, the master returned and settled accounts with his servants." ²⁰ "The one who had received five bags brought ten, saying, 'Master, you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I've gained five more!'" ²¹ "His master replied with joy, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You've been trustworthy with a few things; I'll put you in charge of many things. Come, share your master's happiness!'"

²² "The one with two bags also came, saying, 'Master, you entrusted me with two bags of gold. See, I've gained two more!'" ²³ "His master responded with equal joy, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You've been trustworthy with a few things; I'll put you in charge of many things. Come, share your master's happiness!'"

²⁴ "Then the one who had received one bag approached, making excuses: 'Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting where you haven't sown and gathering where you haven't scattered seed.'" ²⁵ "'I was afraid, so I hid your gold in the ground. Here, take back what belongs to you.'"

²⁶ "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew I harvest where I haven't sown and gather where I haven't scattered seed?'" ²⁷ "'Then you should have at least deposited my money with the bankers, so I could have received it back with interest!'" ²⁸ "'Take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.'" ²⁹ "'For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken away.'" ³⁰ "'And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.'"

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹ "When I, the Son of Man, come in My glory with all My angels, I will sit on My glorious throne in spectacular majesty." ³² "All nations will be gathered before Me, and I will separate people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats." ³³ "I'll place the sheep at My right hand and the goats at My left."

³⁴ "Then I, the King, will say to those on My right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father; inherit the Kingdom prepared for you since the world's foundation.'" ³⁵ "'For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me in.'" ³⁶ "'I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you cared for Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.'" ³⁷ "Then the righteous will answer, puzzled, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?'" ³⁸ "'When did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or needing clothes and clothe You?'" ³⁹ "'When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?'" ⁴⁰ "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.'"

⁴¹ "Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'" ⁴² "'For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink.'" ⁴³ "'I was a stranger and you didn't welcome Me, needing clothes and you didn't clothe Me, sick and in prison and you didn't look after Me.'" ⁴⁴ "They too will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and didn't help You?'" ⁴⁵ "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you didn't do for one of the least of these, you didn't do for Me.'" ⁴⁶ "Then they will go away to everlasting punishment, but the righteous to everlasting life."

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The F.O.G Commentary

When the Party’s Over: Matthew’s Most Uncomfortable Chapter

What’s Matthew 25 about?

It’s Jesus’ final teaching session before his crucifixion, and he’s not pulling punches. Through three powerful parables, he’s essentially asking: “When I’m gone, how will you live? And when I return, what will I find?” It’s uncomfortable, urgent, and absolutely crucial for understanding what discipleship really means.

The Full Context

Picture this: Jesus has just finished his most intense week in Jerusalem. The religious leaders are plotting his death, his disciples are confused about his messianic mission, and tensions are at breaking point. In this charged atmosphere, Jesus sits on the Mount of Olives with his closest followers and delivers what biblical scholars call the “Olivet Discourse” – his final major teaching before the cross. Matthew 25 comes at the climax of this discourse, right after his apocalyptic warnings about the end times.

What makes this chapter so powerful is its literary structure within Matthew’s Gospel. The evangelist has been building toward this moment through his entire narrative – showing us a Messiah who came not just to comfort, but to challenge; not just to save, but to separate. These three parables (Matthew 25:1-13, 25:14-30, and 25:31-46) aren’t just moral lessons – they’re Jesus’ final examination questions for his disciples. The cultural context is crucial: in first-century Judaism, parables weren’t gentle bedtime stories but sharp, subversive tools designed to flip your world upside down and force a decision.

What the Ancient Words Tell Us

The Greek word parabole that we translate as “parable” literally means “to throw alongside” – like throwing a curveball that looks like it’s going one direction but suddenly breaks another way. And that’s exactly what Jesus does in Matthew 25.

In the parable of the ten virgins, the word moros (foolish) isn’t just about being silly – it’s the same root we get “moron” from, but in Greek it carries the connotation of moral dullness. These aren’t intellectually challenged bridesmaids; they’re people who should have known better but chose poorly. The phronimos (wise) ones demonstrate phronesis – practical wisdom that shows up in preparation and action.

Grammar Geeks

When Jesus describes the bridegroom’s arrival, he uses the perfect tense in Greek: idou ho nymphios – “Behold! The bridegroom has come!” This isn’t future tense speculation; it’s the grammar of sudden, completed reality. The time for preparation is over. Done. Finished. No take-backs.

The parable of the talents gets even more intense linguistically. The word talanton wasn’t just money – it represented the largest unit of currency in the ancient world. We’re talking about roughly 75 pounds of silver per talent. The “one talent” servant wasn’t given pocket change; he was entrusted with what would be equivalent to about 20 years’ wages for a laborer. His fear wasn’t rational economics – it was moral cowardice.

But here’s where it gets really interesting: when the master returns, he doesn’t just redistribute the money. The Greek text says he gives the faithful servant authority epi polla – “over many things.” This isn’t about getting a bigger bank account; it’s about increased responsibility and stewardship in God’s kingdom.

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What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?

To Jesus’ first-century Jewish audience, these weren’t abstract theological concepts – they were loaded with cultural dynamite. Wedding processions in ancient Palestine could happen at any hour, depending on when the bridegroom finished negotiating with the bride’s family. Everyone in the wedding party knew this. You came prepared to wait, or you missed the celebration entirely.

The audience would have immediately understood the economic reality of the talents parable. In their agrarian society, wealthy landowners regularly entrusted their estates to stewards before traveling. But here’s what modern readers miss: in that culture, burying money was considered the safest, most legally protected way to preserve wealth. If someone stole buried money, the steward wasn’t liable. If he invested it and lost it, he could face severe punishment or even slavery.

Did You Know?

Archaeological evidence from first-century Palestine shows that many wealthy households actually did bury their treasures in jars or metal containers. The “wicked and lazy” servant wasn’t being irresponsible by today’s banking standards – he was playing it safe by his culture’s rules. That’s exactly why Jesus’ parable is so shocking.

This makes the master’s condemnation even more startling. He’s essentially saying, “I’d rather you risk everything and fail than play it safe and accomplish nothing.” To an audience living under Roman occupation, struggling economically, and facing religious persecution, this wasn’t comfortable advice.

The sheep and goats judgment would have been equally jarring. In Jewish eschatology, the Messiah was expected to judge between Israel and the nations, but Jesus flips the script. The criteria for judgment isn’t ethnic identity or religious pedigree – it’s how you treated “the least of these my brothers.” The Greek word elachistos means the smallest, most insignificant, most overlooked members of society.

Wrestling with the Text

Here’s where Matthew 25 gets genuinely puzzling, and we need to sit with the discomfort rather than explaining it away too quickly.

First, the oil problem. Why won’t the wise virgins share their oil with the foolish ones? This seems to contradict everything Jesus taught about generosity and self-sacrifice. But look closer at the Greek: the wise virgins don’t say “we won’t share” – they say “there might not be enough for all of us.” The word arkese suggests adequacy or sufficiency. They’re not being selfish; they’re being realistic about what can and cannot be transferred.

Wait, That’s Strange…

In the talents parable, why does the master call himself “hard” and agree that he “reaps where he did not sow”? Most commentators try to soften this, but the Greek is pretty clear: skleros means harsh, rough, demanding. Jesus seems to be acknowledging something uncomfortable about God’s expectations that we’d rather ignore.

This creates a theological tension that’s worth wrestling with. Is preparedness something that can be shared at the last minute? Can spiritual readiness be borrowed or transferred? The parable suggests not – and that’s deeply challenging to our communitarian instincts.

Second, the outer darkness language. Ho skotos to exoteron appears three times in Matthew’s Gospel, always in contexts of exclusion and judgment. But here’s what’s strange: in the wedding parable, the exclusion seems to be about timing and preparation. In the talents parable, it’s about faithfulness and risk-taking. In the sheep and goats, it’s about compassion and service.

Are these three different paths to the same destination? Or is Jesus showing us that kingdom readiness has multiple, interconnected dimensions that we can’t separate?

How This Changes Everything

The revolutionary insight of Matthew 25 is that it completely reframes what it means to “wait” for Jesus’ return. This isn’t passive, spiritual hibernation – it’s active, risky, costly discipleship.

The ten virgins teach us that spiritual preparation can’t be improvised. There’s something about relationship with God – what the oil represents – that develops over time through consistent practice, discipline, and devotion. You can’t cram for the final exam of life.

The talents parable destroys any notion that playing it safe is spiritually neutral. The servant who buried his talent wasn’t actively evil – he just preserved the status quo. But in God’s economy, that’s not enough. We’re called to take risks, to multiply what we’ve been given, to generate kingdom returns on God’s investment in us.

“Jesus isn’t looking for perfect people; he’s looking for people who are perfectly willing to risk everything they have for what matters most.”

And then the sheep and goats judgment changes everything about how we understand salvation itself. The righteous ones in Matthew 25:37-39 are genuinely surprised by their righteousness. They weren’t keeping score or performing for God’s approval – they were just living with eyes wide open to human need and responding with their whole hearts.

But here’s the kicker: the condemned ones in Matthew 25:44 ask the same question – “When did we see you?” Both groups lived their entire lives without recognizing Jesus in their midst. The difference? One group loved anyway. One group served anyway. One group sacrificed anyway.

This means that authentic faith isn’t primarily about having the right theology or saying the right prayers – it’s about developing the kind of character that naturally, instinctively, unconsciously responds to human suffering with divine love.

The three parables together paint a picture of kingdom discipleship that’s simultaneously urgent and patient, risky and wise, individual and communal. We’re called to live with one foot in preparation for eternity and the other foot firmly planted in the messy, needy, broken world Jesus loves.

Key Takeaway

When Jesus returns, he won’t ask what we believed about him – he’ll look at how we lived because of him. The oil can’t be borrowed, the talents can’t stay buried, and the “least of these” can’t stay invisible. Everything depends on what we do with what we’ve been given, right now, while there’s still time.

Matthew Chapter 25

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