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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. 2Five
of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took
their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise, however,
took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long
time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come
out to meet him!'
7"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The
foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps
are going out.'
9" 'No,' they replied, '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 the oil, the bridegroom
arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding
banquet. And the door was shut.
11"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open
the door for us!'
12"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or
the hour.
Explanation: Awaiting the Bridegroom (25:1-13)
Since the time of Jesus' coming is unknown, we must watch and be
ready (24:36). Although some rabbinic parables also address the
theme of readiness (see Sipre Deut. 43.15.2), Jesus' parables about
the end time especially focus on readiness for the Son of Man (for
example, 24:42--25:13). To live ready for Jesus' return involves
living in light of the day of judgment, when our deeds and motives
will be revealed.
Wise disciples remain vigilant for Jesus' return. In this parable
the bridesmaids, rather than the bride herself, constitute the primary
characters. Wedding processions from the bride's to the groom's
home, accompanied by singing and dancing, normally happened at night
and hence required light. The lamps in ancient weddings were not
the small, hand-held lamps used under normal circumstances, but
torches (as in Plut. Roman Questions 2, Mor. 263F; Ach. Tat. 2.11.1),
perhaps sticks wrapped with oiled rags, as in traditional Palestinian
Arab weddings (Jeremias 1972:174-75). Women torchbearers probably
led the bride to the bridegroom's home, joined by the groom and
his male friends (Jeremias 1972:173). Presumably the bridesmaids
are thus waiting outside the bride's home for his coming, to escort
her to his home (Argyle 1963:189).In this particular parable (in
contrast to 24:42-44) the issue is not that the virgins went to
sleep--both the wise and foolish did so; this detail is merely part
of the narrative's setting. The issue is that some were not watchful
enough to have sufficient oil (Beare 1981:482; Schweizer 1975:467).
Some suggest that the torches could burn only fifteen minutes before
being rewrapped with more oiled cloth (for example, France 1985:351;
Witherington 1984:43). In traditional Palestinian weddings, messengers
may repeatedly announce the bridegroom's coming, yet it can be delayed
for hours (Jeremias 1972:173). Delays occur while the bride's relatives
haggle over the value of presents given them, emphasizing the bride's
great value and thus the wisdom of the groom's selection (Jeremias
1972:173-74; compare Eickelman 1989:174).
Disciples should not lose heart if Jesus does not return as quickly
as we expect him to. All the virgins would have been ready for the
groom had he arrived when they expected, but grooms' delays were
common enough that they should have anticipated it. This provides
clear warning that the parousia may be delayed. The term used for
the meeting or rendezvous with the bridegroom (meet, v. 6) often
suggested a party going out to meet someone and forming his escort
to a place where he would be honored (as in 1 Thess 4:17; see Milligan
1908:62; F. Bruce 1963:68-69).
Those unprepared for Christ's banquet insult him and warrant judgment.
The wise virgins' unwillingness to share their oil reflects their
concern for their friend's wedding; since they had only enough for
their own torches, sharing would cause all the torches to be extinguished,
ruining the whole procession (Meier 1980:295; Gundry 1982:500).
Bridal processions were so important that later rabbis even suspended
their lectures so they could hail a passing bride (ARN 4A; 8, Section
22B); for the groom and (some held) for the attendants, weddings
even took precedence over some ritual obligations (as in t. Berakot
2:10), so a breach of etiquette was serious.
Thus the foolish virgins were not excluded simply because the door
was locked (25:10-11), nor because the host actually did not recognize
them (v. 12), but because they had insulted the bride and groom
as well as all their relatives! They would never be allowed to forget
such an offense. To participate in their friend's wedding was a
great honor; as virgins, these young women were in a sense practicing
for their own impending weddings around the age of twelve to sixteen.
To have spoiled the wedding for their friend by failing to do their
part was a great insult to everyone else at the wedding. That they
would be shut out of the feast in punishment suits their case, but
the language used to depict this nightmare points beyond itself
to severer, eternal judgment, probably echoing the sayings in 7:21-23.
Wedding feasts epitomized joy (as in Jn 3:29); the transgressors
have been shut out.
The Parable of the Talents
14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called
his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave
five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one
talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put
his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with
the two talents gained two more. 18But the man 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
and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five
talents brought the other five. '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. Come and share your master's happiness!'
22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said,
'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. Come and share your master's happiness!'
24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,'
he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have
not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I
was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See,
here is what belongs to you.'
26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew
that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not
scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit
with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received
it back with interest.
28" 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has
the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and
he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has
will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside,
into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Explanation: The Industrious and the Lazy Managers
(25:14-30)
As in 24:45-51, readiness for Jesus' return here demands faithfulness
in doing the work he has called us to do. This warning applies to
all disciples, but perhaps most seriously to church leaders: "A
Christian leader who does not lead is damned" (Meier 1980:300).
We have the opportunity to multiply what Christ has entrusted to
us. Matthew seems to make a special point in noting that the master
gave to each according to his ability--he already knew which slaves
would be most industrious, but expected all to show some industry.
In the Roman Empire slaves could earn wages and bonuses and acquire
property (as in Apul. Metam. 10.13; Cohen 1966:179-278), hence they
would have more incentive to look out for the master's property
than slaves in many cultures do. Householders going on long journeys
might entrust their estate to slaves to oversee (compare 24:45-51),
since household slaves often held managerial roles (for example,
Treggiari 1975:49). Thus the servants understood very well what
was required of them.
Most people lacked capital, but those who had it could multiply
their investment fivefold or even tenfold (Lk 19:16-18); doubling
one's investment (Mt 25:20, 22) might be regarded as a reasonable
minimum return in the ancient economy (Derrett 1970:24). Burying
money (v. 18) kept the capital safe, but the money would have been
no less safe with bankers (m. Baba Mesi`a 3:11; Gundry 1982:509).
Jesus promises eternal reward for those who prove worthy of his
trust. The servants' rewards were commensurate with their faithfulness
in pursuing the master's interest. Elsewhere we encounter the principle
that one untrustworthy in what is his own will not be trustworthy
in what concerns others (Lk 16:10-12; m. Demai 2:2); here we find
the principle that only those proved in small leadership positions
will be prepared for bigger ones (compare, for example, Ep. Arist.
264; t. Hagiga 2:9). In the context of the preceding parable (Mt
25:10), sharing the master's happiness probably connotes banqueting
with the master.Professed disciples who insult Christ's grace by
neglecting his commission in this world are damned. But as in the
preceding parable (25:12), the exclusion of the unfaithful, who
insult their patron's trust in them, is explicit: it involves hell's
darkness (8:12; 22:13) and wailing (22:13). When the lazy servant
declares, "Here is your own money back!" he refuses to
acknowledge responsibility, a responsibility he could have easily
enough fulfilled. Having already failed the master's trust, he now
proceeds to insult the master. He offers an excuse no master would
have accepted: knowing the master's reputation for sternness, he
was paralyzed with fear (25:24-25). He is like too many Christians
so overwhelmed by the magnitude of God's task that we put off contributing
anything to it. The master rightly responds, "On the assumption
that I am indeed hard and merciless, you should have been all the
more diligent!" (vv. 26-27).Whereas the other servants are
rewarded by the master's benevolence, this servant, fearing the
master's harshness but unaware of his benevolence (compare Patte
1987:346), experiences the very wrath he feared. This, says Jesus,
is what will happen to those who claim to be his followers but do
not invest their lives in the work of the kingdom.
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 throne in heavenly glory. 32All 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.
33He will put 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; take your inheritance, the kingdom
prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For 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 invited me in, 36I
needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after
me, I was in prison and you came to visit 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?
38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes
and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to
visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, 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. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger
and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe
me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry
or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison,
and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not
do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous
to eternal life."
Explanation: The Division of the Sheep and the
Goats (25:31-46)
This final parable in Jesus' final sermon in Matthew brings home
the reality of judgment. As the missionaries from Matthew's churches
spread the good news of the kingdom both among fellow Jews and among
Gentiles, they faced hostility as well as welcome. This parable
brings together some themes from the rest of the Gospel: Christ,
like the kingdom, had been present in a hidden way (compare chap.
13), and one's response to his agents represented one's response
to him (chap. 10).
Jesus is the judge on the day of judgment. The parable assumes Jesus'
deity. Whereas others sometimes fill the role of final judge in
Jewish tradition (as in Test. Ab. 13A; 11B), the central biblical
and Jewish role of final judge that Jesus here assumes normally
belongs to God himself (see, for example, 1 Enoch 9:4; 60:2). As
noted earlier, the king in rabbinic parables is nearly always God.
Likewise, coming with all the angels (Mt 25:31; compare 13:41; 16:27;
24:31; 2 Thess 1:7) alludes to various versions of Zechariah 14:5
(see Gundry 1982:511), where God is in view. Further, Jesus' claim
that whatever others have done to his servants they have done to
him fits a rabbinic perspective about God (Smith 1951:154). Finally,
although shepherds could represent Moses, David and others in biblical
and Jewish tradition, the chief shepherd remained God himself (as
in Ps 23:1-4; 74:1-2; Is 40:11; Ezek 34:11-17; Zech 10:3; Sirach
18:13; 1 Enoch 89:18; Ps-Philo 28.5; 30.5). Jesus is both judge
and the focus of the final judgment, spelling disaster to those
who ignored him on this side of that day.
The nations will be judged according to how they respond
to the gospel and its messengers. The nations or "Gentiles"
in Jewish literature would be judged according to how they treated
Israel (4 Ezra 7:37; Klausner 1979:200). As in other parables, here
they are gathered (compare 13:40; Is 2:4; Rev 16:16) and separated
(Mt 13:30, 49), in this instance the way a shepherd would separate
sheep from goats (compare Ezek 34:17), to keep the goats warm at
night while keeping the sheep in open air as they preferred (Jeremias
1972:206). Sheep cost more than goats (Jeremias 1972:206) and because
of their greater utility and value were nearly always more numerous
on a farm (N. Lewis 1983:131-32).
The older dispensational scheme viewed this passage as the judgment
of the nations based on their treatment of Israel. This suggestion
could fit Jewish perceptions of the judgment, as noted above (compare
Manson 1979:249-50). But this suggestion does not fit well Jesus'
own designation of his brothers in the Gospels elsewhere (Mt 12:50;
28:10; see below). Because the passage explicitly declares that
this judgment determines people's eternal destinies (25:46), it
cannot refer to a judgment concerning who will enter the millennium,
as in some older dispensational schemes (Ladd 1977:38; compare Ladd
1978b:98-102).
Nor is the popular view that this text refers to treatment of the
poor or those in need (as in Gross 1964; Hare 1967:124; Catchpole
1979; Feuillet 1980a) exegetically compelling, although on other
grounds it would be entirely consonant with the Jesus tradition
(such as Mk 10:21; Lk 16:19-25) and biblical ethics as a whole (for
example, Ex 22:22-27; Prov 19:17; 21:13). Jewish lists of loving
works include showing hospitality and visiting the sick, though
not visiting prisoners; such acts were found praiseworthy in the
day of judgment (2 Enoch 63:1-2; Jeremias 1972:207-8; compare Bonsirven
1964:151-52).
In the context of Jesus' teachings, especially in the context of
Matthew (as opposed to Luke), this parable addresses not serving
all the poor but receiving the gospel's messengers. Elsewhere in
Matthew, disciples are Jesus' brothers (12:50; 28:10; compare also
the least--5:19; 11:11; 18:3-6, 10-14). Likewise, one treats Jesus
as one treats his representatives (10:40-42), who should be received
with hospitality, food and drink (10:8-13, 42). Imprisonment could
refer to detention until trial before magistrates (10:18-19), and
sickness to physical conditions brought on by the hardship of the
mission (compare Phil 2:27-30; perhaps Gal 4:13-14; 2 Tim 4:20).
Being poorly clothed appears in Pauline lists of sufferings (Rom
8:35), including specifically apostolic sufferings (1 Cor 4:11).
The King thus judges the nations based on how they have responded
to the gospel of the kingdom already preached to them before the
time of his kingdom (Mt 24:14; 28:19-20). The passage thus also
implies that true messengers of the gospel will successfully evangelize
the world only if they can also embrace poverty and suffering for
Christ's name (compare Matthey 1980).
The stakes involved in our witness are eternal. The horrifying conclusion
(25:46) is the damnation of people who did not actively embrace
messengers of the gospel but nevertheless were oblivious to how
they had offended God. The goats thus depart (7:23) into eternal
fire (the worst possible conception of hell; see comment on 3:8,
10, 12), but tragically, God had not originally created them for
the fire or the fire for them (compare 4 Ezra 8:59-60). Rather,
it had been prepared (compare Mt 25:34) by God for the devil and
his angels (compare 2 Pet 2:4; 1QM 13.11-12).
We too must "receive" one another with grace. In the context
of the surrounding parables, welcoming Christ's messengers probably
involves more than only initially embracing the message of the kingdom:
it means treating one's fellow servants properly (24:45-49). Unless
we "receive" one another in God's household, we in some
way reject Christ whose representatives our fellow disciples are
(18:5-6, 28-29). Paul likewise reminds the Corinthians that to be
reconciled to him is to be reconciled to God himself (2 Cor 5:11--7:1).
