I have a friend who grew up in a very strict church. The church took just about everything in the Bible literally and they had a long list of things not to do, such as; no movies; dancing; drinking; etc. He said every time he left the house he could remember his mother saying, “Be careful what you do. If Jesus comes tonight you don’t want him to catch you at the movie theater.”
Whatever Jesus had in mind when he gave these end times parables, I believe my friend’s church missed the point. That is not what Jesus had in mind for us. But, Jesus’ final words to the foolish bridesmaids echoes His words in the Sermon on the Mount: ““Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven… But I will reply, ‘I never knew you.” Matthew 7: 21-23. Obviously Jesus wants us to take him seriously. What then is his point in this parable?
I believe Jesus is making the point in this parable that every day is Game Day and I must stay prepared. This is not a parable about whether I can lose my right standing with God. This parable is a reminder that Jesus’ invitation to come into the Kingdom of God is an invitation to willingly submit to the rule of God in my life. Every day.
I would do well to model my life after the Apostle Paul so I too can say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.”
2 Timothy 4: 6-8
What does today’s reading reveal to you
about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do
or remember about this passage.
Does God want you to change anything in your life?
16-Sep-11 Matthew 25:14-30
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