What does it say?
The Lord gave his disciples three parables to bring understanding about the end times. The first is a parable about ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. The five foolish virgins took no oil and the five prudent took oil in flasks. When the bridegroom came, the five foolish were in the market place buying oil. The prudent went into the feast but the foolish were shut out. The second is the parable of the talents given to three slaves. Each was given talents according to his own ability. The first two doubled the landowners talents but the third hid his talent because he feared loosing it. The landowner said, “Well done” to the first two slaves but he cursed the third slave who hid his talent. He also gave his talent to the one who had five talents. The third is the Judgment. The Son of Man is going to come in his glory, with the angels and sit on his glorious throne to judge all of the people of the earth. He will divide them into two groups as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. The sheep on his right he calls blessed because they were hospitable to those who were in need and he called the goats on his left cursed because they were inhospitable to those who were in need. The ones on the left (goats) were cast into the eternal fire (eternal punishment) prepared for the devil and his angels but the ones on his right went into the kingdom (eternal life) prepared for them from the foundation of the world.
What does it mean?
There are two types of people in the world, the blessed and the cursed. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits.” (Mt. 7:16a) All three of these parables show the fruits of the blessed and the cursed. The blessed are waiting patiently for the Lord to return and know that it could be at any moment, however, it could be a long wait; therefore, they are prepared to wait as long as they need to because they love him. The cursed are not prepared to wait for a long time because they do not really love him. The blessed uses the talents that the Lord entrusts him with for the betterment of the kingdom but the cursed is more concerned about himself than he is the Lord’s kingdom. The blessed are hospitable towards those who are in need and the cursed are inhospitable. It comes down to this, do you love Jesus Christ and do you love your neighbor? If the answer is no, repent and believe before it is to late.
What shall I do?
The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB)
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?
I shall examine myself, is Jesus Christ in me? Am I prepared to wait for the Lord for as long as it shall take? Am I using the talents that the Lord entrusted me with for the betterment of his kingdom. Am I hospitable towards people who are in need? Do I love the Lord Jesus Christ with all that I have and do I love my neighbor as myself?
