Matthew Chapter 25
T. Farnham
May 3, 2009
1. Parable of the Ten Virginia (25:1-13
2. Parable of the Talents (25:14-30
3. Sheep and Goats (25:31-46)
Ten Virgins (Preparation, belief and purpose, and the Written and/or Oral Torah)
25:1. "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins (Hebrew: betoulah; virgin, maiden, young woman). The phrase 'at that time' refers to the end of the previous chapter (Matt 24:50) and means: when the Messiah returns.
25:1 Torches or Lamps in this parable represent the Torah as we read in the Tanak / Scripture:
For the commandment is a lamp; and the Torah is light (Prov. 6:23) Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
25:2 “Five of them were foolish and five of the were prudent.” The foolish reject Torah (scripture) and the prudent (or wise) keep Torah (scripture).
“The wise men are put to shame, they are dismayed and caught; Behold, they have rejected the word of YHWH, and what kind of wisdom do they have?” (Jer. 8:9) (they rejected Torah / scripture).
“The fear of YHWH is the beginning of Wisdom. A good understanding have all those who do his commandments;” (Ps. 111:10) (they follow the commandments of YHWH which are His word in Torah).
“She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the Torah of kindness is on her tongue.” (Prov. 31:26).
25:3-4 “… the foolish took no oil; the prudent took oil”
The oil represents the spirit by which these anointed ones are anointed. (Zech. 4:2-14).
25:3-4. The foolish ones ... did not take any oil with them. The foolish virgins did not take any extra oil. The wise virgins likely took the occurrences into account, and because a torch only burns for about a quarter of an hour, they took extra pots of oil along not knowing for sure when he would return. It would appear later that they needed them (25:8-9). The difference between the wise and the foolish is that the foolish did not do at the very beginning what they should have done, and what the wise did – they were prepared for a delay. (cf. Matt 7:24-27). This is the reason why the foolish virgins do not reach the goal and the wise do (v.10). Preparation.
The five lamps without oil represent the letter of the Torah only without the Spirit of the Torah, the lamps with the oil represent the Letter of the Torah with the Spirit of the Torah in it, that is, the Written and the Oral Torah together. (Sadducees who believed in only the letter of Torah versus the Pharisees who considered both the letter and the oral Torah).
25:5-8 “the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.” Like the parable of the Thief in the Night (24:42-44) a primary point of this parable is that the Messiah returns later than expected (by contrast to a pre-tribulation rapture?). This points us to 1Thes. 5:1-7 in which the sons of darkness are contrasted with the sons of light as being “in darkness; As being asleep.” This is because the return of Messiah is like a ‘thief in the night’ (1Thes. 5:2 and Mt. 24:42-51) which comes later than expected. This is much like the return of Mosses from Mt. Sinai which came later than expected and found Israel in apostasy.
25:9 “… go now therefore to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.” The wise virgins (young ladies; maidens?) mocked the foolish ones and sent them to buy oil from them that sell. The merchants who withhold the true oil and only sell counterfeit oil.
25:13 “Be you alert, you know not the day and the hour.” As mentioned before, Messiah comes later than expected -- Prov. 3:5 when we lean upon our own understanding (become our own God?
1-12. I don't know you. When the foolish virgins arrive later and demand admittance, they are answered, 'I do not know you.' 'I do not know you' is a Jewish expression for 'I want to have nothing to do with you'. It means that the lord regards them as outsiders, as strangers who are shut out (cf. Matt 7:23).
13. "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” It is obvious that Jesus is speaking about the day on which the Son of Man will come (24:36,42,44). We see that in this parable He is comparing the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds of heaven to the coming of a bridegroom in the middle of the night. This verse therefore does not form a part of the parable, but is the conclusion to it. Therefore the words 'keep watch' do not form a part of the imagery of the parable, which would conflict with 25:5 they slumbered and slept.
25:14-30 Parable of the Talents
Eusebius : Theophania on Mt. 25:14 (4th Century Church Father) “But since the Gospel in Hebrew characters (Good News According to the Hebrews) enters the threat not against the man who had hid the talent but against him who had lived dissolutely; for he (the master) had three servants; one who squandered his master’s substance with harlots and flute-girls, one who multiplied the gain, and one who hid the talent. And accordingly one was accepted with joy, another merely rebuked, and another cast into prison. I wonder whether in Matthew the threat which is uttered after the word against the man who did nothing may refer not to him, but by epanalepsis to the fist who had feasted and drunk with the drunken.
This parable has an important application to the issue of Torah observance. The man who is unhappy with what he is given, gives up and does not even try to do anything with it, is like the man who says “The Torah is hard, why should I even try to keep it?”
25:31-46 Sheep and Goats
25:31-32 “… then will he sit upon his glorious throne, and he will bring before himself all nations.” His glorious throne is Jerusalem as we see in Jer. 3:17: “At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of YHWH and all the nations shall be gathered to it.”
31. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory. On His first coming Jesus was humbled even unto death, but His second coming is in glory, i.e., in His Kingly dignity (25:34,40) with might and majesty. Hosts of angels will be in His train (13:41; 16:27). The angels who escort Him are the same as in 24:31, who will first gather before Him the elect from the whole world. The Son of Man will take His place on the throne of glory, which will then be situated on earth, and from which He will reign (19:28) and pass judgment (25:32; Rev 20:4-6, 11:15).
He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. The right hand is the place of those acquitted, the side of blessing and happiness (Mark 16:5; Luke 1:11). The left hand is the place of condemnation, the side of unhappiness. The sheep stand at the right hand, for they are the more valuable animals. Further, their white color makes them a symbol of the righteous.
32. All the nations will be gathered before him. 'All the nations' here means 'all the tribes of the earth', as in 24:14 and 28:19 (24:30; Rev 1:7); i.e., all those alive who do not belong to the Church. The passive voice 'will be gathered' speaks of a divine action, possibly carried out by the angels (24:31).
The Son of Man will divide the people, as a shepherd separates at evening the sheep from the goats with whom they have normally been mingled during the day. The judgment begins with a separation, which is followed by reward or condemnation (25:34,41,46).
41. After the separation of those who stand at His right hand from those at His left, the former hear 'Come', and inherit the Kingdom (25:34), the others (the accused) hear 'Depart from me' and are thrown into Hell.
The eternal fire (see Matt 18:8) was not destined for them in advance, as was the Kingdom for the righteous (v.34), but they are now condemned to it. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels (Rev 20:10-14).
42-45. 'Lord, when did we see you hungry ... and did not we help you?' The condemned ones too ask questions about the judgment (v.44), like those who are acquitted (25:37-39). Jesus gives them too a clear answer.
There is no mention of serious sins, only of neglect of good works (vv.42,43,45). If these sins of omission (cf. 24:24-2 46. "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." 'Eternal' (Gk. ainios) means in the first place 'belonging to the coming age'. The coming age is the time beginning with the coming of the Messiah. But everlasting is also 'having no end', 'everlasting').
The people on the left hand are condemned to eternal punishment, the everlasting fire (v.41), Gehenna (Valley of), but the righteous inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of God (v.34).; Dan 12:2; John 5:29.