MATTHEW CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE COMMENTARY
Contents
I. Introduction. 1
II. Matthew Chapter Twenty-Five Commentary Verses. 1
25:1-13- Watch Therefore, for Ye Have Not Known the Day nor the Hour in Which the Son of Man Doth Come. 1
25:14-30-Well Done, Servant, Good and Faithful 1
25:31-46-Final Matters. 1
III. Illustrations and Tables. 1
Figure 1. Two Advents. 1
Figure 2. Polar Symmetry in Recompense. 1
Works Cited and References. 1
Notes. 1
Our purpose is to render a commentary on the conclusion to our Savior’s Olivet Discourse, The Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter Twenty-Five. The reader may wish to peruse our commentary on the introduction to our Savior’s Olivet Discourse, the Gospel according to Matthew, ChapterTwenty-Four, as a preparatory introduction to this study.
In His Olivet Discourse introduction, our Lord Jesus outlined the broad sweep of history that will culminate with His second advent, which culmination marks the end of mundane time and space. The end of mundane time and space as we, people of the created order ever so constrained by these mundane realities have, by Jehovah God the Creator’s grace, come to understand them. Certainly, not to their fullest extent have we come to know them, by no means, yet well enough to yearn for freedom from these chains of time and space. And our Savior’s second advent marks the culmination of another, more grievous chain-operative, that of Sin, itself something more familiar than the former chains (imagine that), and more constraining (no marvel here), for Sin is a spiritual constraint that stymies fellowship with Jehovah God, and thus quintessential Life. Our Savior’s second advent spells “the manifest end” of these chains and, “the manifest beginning” of Freedom from their confining clutches. It is the concerned, loving purpose of our Savior’s conclusion to His Olivet Discourse to help the hearer of His words prepare for, get themselves ready for, His second advent. To prepare themselves in such a way as to partake of the Freedom that the cataclysmic event of His second advent brings to the fragile, hyper-fine threshold that separates mundane and spiritual reality. Let us very carefully, meticulously, and with due diligence, listen to our Savior’s final address in this matter, so that we might clearly hear what He says to us, and thus better ready ourselves for His final appearance, His final appearance in this familiar envelope of mundane time and space and sin and sorrow, an envelope He will crumple up, call out of existence at such time. An envelope which He will crumple up, call out of existence at such time and replace with a New Envelope bearing the seal of His Name (“O, That Name!”). We do so yearn to be a part of that New Beginning (Acts 1:11, Revelation 22:20, “A Letter of Invitation”). Praised be your blessed Name great savior God of New Beginnings, amen.
We will follow this format:
Verse of Scripture utilizing the YLT text followed by an NASB mouse over of that verse. Key words in the YLT text will be footnoted with a link to a word study based on the Greek text, and/or a general discussion relative to the given word (we are not biblical Greek or Hebrew scholars, please consider our grammatical constructions with a critical eye).
Commentary We shall be commenting on this passage keeping before us at all times the crucial fact that every jot and every tittle comprising these verses came forth under the inspiration of the blessed Holy Spirit. We pray that He, by His grace, helps us along the way.
YLT TEXT: 'Then shall the reign of the heavens be likened to ten virgins, who, having taken their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom; and five of them were prudent, and five foolish; they who were foolish having taken their lamps, did not take with themselves oils; and the prudent took oil in their vessels, with their lamps. 'And the bridegroom tarrying, they all nodded and were sleeping, and in the middle of the night a cry was made, Lo, the bridegroom doth come; go ye forth to meet him. ' Then rose all those virgins, and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish said to the prudent, Give us of your oil, because our lamps are going out; and the prudent answered, saying -- Lest there may not be sufficient for us and you, go ye rather unto those selling, and buy for yourselves.' 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; and afterwards come also do the rest of the virgins, saying, Sir, sir, open to us; and he answering said, Verily I say to you, I have not known you. 'Watch therefore, for ye have not known the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man doth come (Matthew 25:1-7, 8-13, cf. Matthew 25:1-7, NLT, Matthew 25:8-13, NLT).
COMMENTARY: Preparedness is a today-thing. To whom is Jesus speaking in these verses? Let us recall that Jesus is sitting on the Mount of Olives, and is speaking to His disciples Matthew 24:3). Thus, in these opening verses, He speaks to you and I Christian friend. And what is our Lord’s keen desire, His purpose, in these opening verses? It is His express purpose to inform us that plastic Christianity is no currency for entry into His Jubilee. Plastic Christianity of the sort that treasures Him not...today.
With His omniscient eyes, Jesus looks deep into mundane time as He sits there on the Mount of Olives, and likens Christianity, as He sees it unfolding in the world going forward, to ten virgins. And no doubt with a sad heart, maybe with some tears, makes He this comparison. For fully half, treasure Him not. Plastic Christians. Fully half, treasure Him not, in their todays. They care not, to keep their lamps fueled and lit for Him (Matthew 5:14-16, “The Beatitudes”). Unprepared to meet the Bridegroom. Lots of other “more important” things to prepare for in their todays than a Bridegroom and a marriage feast, especially when the prospect for many more “todays” seems sure.
And our Lord’s heart lifted some when He saw the other half, that treasure Him in their todays. Real Christians. Disciples, and servants, that love Him, that treasure Him. Those that care, care enough to keep their lamps fueled and lit for Him in their todays. Prepared to meet Him, today. Not just when the prospect for more todays expires do they care, but today, in all their todays do they care to meet Him, because they treasure Him, and wish to meet Him whenever and wherever possible. Thus, they love and treasure precisely Him. And He, in turn, is fully prepared, to lay down His life for precisely them.
They took their lamps, all of them, and went forth to meet the Bridegroom. So, they all had lamps. This is good. There is light in them. There is light in the Christian. This is to be expected. How did it get there? It comes not of themselves this light. It is of God, a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path (Psalms 119:105). It is God’s Word, and it fuels the lamps. In this way does the Word of God, even Jesus, fuel Christianity (John 1:1). As does the Spirit of God quicken His Word in its vessel (John 14:26). And a lamp, this light, is only as good as the quality and quantity of its fuel. Christianity shines bright for the longest time when its vessels have sufficient Fuel. But fully half had not sufficient fuel to keep their lamps lit—plastic Christians, foolish, Godless really (Psalms 14:1). No Word suffusing the heart and the mind, a pretense of Godliness in Christendom. This is not good. “...'Then shall the reign of the heavens be likened to ten virgins, who, having taken their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom; and five of them were prudent, and five foolish; they who were foolish having taken their lamps, did not take with themselves oils; and the prudent took oil in their vessels, with their lamps...”. Preparedness is a today-thing, and in this context, it entails prayerful fueling with the Word of God, daily. Such preparedness is practical, it is doable. God made it that way so that we would do it—no excuses. In turn, the Spirit of God comes alongside—even He—and prepares one to meet the Bridegroom. God does this, He keeps the lamps lit, quickening the lamps that draw on the Word of God when it is sufficiently available within them, lamps shining, shining long enough to light the path to the Bridegroom.
Preparedness is a today-thing, for the cry comes at midnight, when the eyelids are heavy, even fast shut tight in cozy sleep. No time to prepare then, no way. Falling, fumbling; frantic, frustrated; fast, flashingly fast, forgotten, forever forgotten. “...'And the bridegroom tarrying, they all nodded and were sleeping, and in the middle of the night a cry was made, Lo, the bridegroom doth come; go ye forth to meet him. '...”. Jesus sees here His people sleeping, the wise and the foolish alike. We think it is His people’s distractions that He has in view. Distractions that run the gamut from dozing sorts of distractions to full-blown sleep sorts of distractions. Busyness, exceeding busyness, a superfluity of things, religiosity, and the pleasures of the world too inundates His people. It means, simply, less focus on fueling the lamps, because so much time and effort is spent servicing a plethora of distractions (Ecclesiastes 3:9-13; gifts misappropriated, worshiped, in this context, “The Sacred Zone”). Quiet time with God in His Word suffers here. No fuel. The lamps are burned out, or fast burn out. Nodding and sleeping, all ten virgins thus nod and sleep. Fully half of His people—so-called—are so distracted at any given time here in the land of the living we think, that they will miss the Bridegroom’s return. Imagine, we are speaking here of our Lord’s people, so-called. They are in dreamland of course, they think all is well! Heaven-bound for sure! So they think. But they will not make it there. And why? Because they are unprepared to meet the Bridegroom when He comes at midnight, be it their midnight, or otherwise at the midnight of His coming. No fuel; these lamps are burned out. They do not know where they are going anymore. Maybe they did at one time, but they do not know when it counts. These poor Christian “brethren” are in chains; they are chained to their distractions. And the sad thing is that they do not believe that they are in chains and that their lamps are burning out or are in fact burned out. Jesus is looking deep into mundane time seated there on the Mount of Olives and sees His people, wise, and foolish alike, sleeping. But the wise know they are sleepers, they admit and confess it; these keep aplenty fuel on hand, because oft sleeping, they wish to be prepared to meet the Bridegroom at these inopportune, sleepy times. Let us be wise.
Our Lord’s vision is sharp. Though He sees far and wide, the grand sweep of mundane time as in the previous chapter, He sees you and me Christian friend, in the finest detail. All must rise to meet the Bridegroom when the cry comes at midnight, with no exceptions. And all must give account for the state of their lamp, trimmed to give its best light—this is allowed, for thus trimmed its best quality is apparent to the Bridegroom’s detailed scrutiny. It is a work, an effort, getting the wick just so, to draw its fuel, and shine. Each must trim their own lamp. And for some, it is then when it is first apparent that the flame will not cooperate, while for others the flame ever laps large, for much work and care and concerned fussing has been directed to their lamp aplenty before the Cry. The former has not sufficient fuel; sleep, distractions, have birthed neglect. Running on empty, on fumes, a flicker of a flame, just enough light to make it a few steps yonder to meet the Bridegroom, but no more than that. And neglect fast birthed unpreparedness, for neglect is always rewarded with ignorance, ignorance of the status quo, be it of fuel levels or otherwise. Thus, not only does the flame but flicker for some, it fast goes out for want of fuel, just when the emergency hits, when the Cry comes. And so, what to do? The usual, of course—put the prepared in jeopardy by asking them to give some of their fuel—thus the Godless foolish always take care of self, irrespective of the cost to others. But, the prepared are wise, and give not, lest they miss out on meeting the Bridegroom, whom they love, and give all to meet. “...Then rose all those virgins, and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish said to the prudent, Give us of your oil, because our lamps are going out; and the prudent answered, saying -- Lest there may not be sufficient for us and you, go ye rather unto those selling, and buy for yourselves...”.
These foolish still have a desire in themselves to meet the Bridegroom, an indication of desire for that is there, but that desire had been too dull for too long to motivate preparedness before, and now, when suddenly that which before was desired manifests, that dullness suddenly becomes sharpness, like a knife piercing the heart, and off they rush to do that which should have been attended to daily heretofore. And they miss out. That is the typical pattern when dreams and hope fade, become dull, and forgotten, and soon quite neglected, only to become possible when it is too late owing to this neglect and, on the heels of that, unpreparedness. Giving in to weariness, and just flat giving up are all a part of this too. “...' 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; and afterwards come also do the rest of the virgins, saying, Sir, sir, open to us; and he answering said, Verily I say to you, I have not known you. 'Watch therefore, for ye have not known the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man doth come...”. Preparedness is a today-thing, day after day after day. We must not get bored, give up, give in to weariness, slack up, and so forth. That is, if meeting the Bridegroom is worth the cost to us. It (He) is worth it! Amen?! Let us tank up daily with the Word of God as though punching our ticket to meet the Bridegroom. The Bridegroom in turn shall take care of the rest in the way of our manifest preparedness to meet Him, even at midnight.
YLT TEXT: 'For -- as a man going abroad did call his own servants, and did deliver to them his substance, and to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his several ability, went abroad immediately. 'And he who did receive the five talents, having gone, wrought with them, and made other five talents; in like manner also he who received the two, he gained, also he, other two; and he who did receive the one, having gone away, digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 'And after a long time cometh the lord of those servants, and taketh reckoning with them; and 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. 'And his lord said to him, Well done, servant, good and faithful, over a few things thou wast faithful, over [same as note 29] many things I will set thee; enter into the joy of thy lord. '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 '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. '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; and having been afraid, having gone away, I hid thy talent in the earth; lo, thou hast thine own! '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! it behoved thee then to put my money to the money-lenders, and having come I had received mine own with increase. 'Take therefore from him the talent, and give to him having the ten talents, for 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 takenfrom him; and the unprofitable servant cast ye forth to the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth (Matthew 25 14-20, 21-27, 28-30, cf. Matthew 25:14-20, NLT, Matthew 25:21-27, NLT, Matthew 25:28-30, NLT).
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COMMENTARY: Sitting there on the Mount of Olives Jesus sees even Himself caught up in the broad sweep of mundane time. He sees Himself incarnate as the Son of Man, walking about, ministering, on His beloved earth. He sees deep into mundane time and sees Himself a Traveler, translating out of a dimensionless existence in heaven—normative to Him—and into the constraints imposed by mundane time and space as He created these, an envelope of mundane time and space thus created by Him. He sees Himself incarnate, flesh and blood, caught up in Ministry, that of Redemption and Salvation, on earth, an earth in desperate need of the same. Thus, He came, ministering. And then straightaway He left, when His share in the Ministry was perfectly finished (John 19:30, 16:28). His Ministry persists, in His absence, for He but laid its foundation (1Corinthians 3:11, Ephesians 2:17-20). And looking deeply into mundane time seated there on the Mount of Olives He sees ministrants, prepared—gifted, talented—and, enabled, and, appointed, by Him, all alike by Him. Stewards, good stewards meant to be, of His Ministry; stewards entrusted with the care of His Ministry, a Ministry which persists now that He has gone abroad back home to heaven, to the Father, to His normative existence. “...'For -- as a man going abroad did call his own servants, and did deliver to them his substance, and to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his several ability, went abroad immediately...”.
Who are these servants, these stewards entrusted with Jesus’ ministry? That would be you and me Christian friend. Each of us has been prepared—gifted, talented—and, enabled, and, appointed, by Him, all alike by Him (John 15:15-16). Stewards, good stewards meant to be, of His ministry; stewards entrusted with the care of His ministry, a ministry which persists now that He has gone abroad back home to heaven, to the Father, to His normative existence (1Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11-13).
Some of us have been blessed with more “talents” to work with and some less. But to the Enabler it makes no difference, the quantity of talent, but rather the quality of the return wrought with given talent/s. It is the return on investment that God considers. Return, it is what the Word of God refers to as Fruit. And fruit, fruitfulness for God, multiplies not based on talent/s, but on Tether (John 15:1-4). That Tether is Jesus Christ, whose Ministry we (you and I Christian friend) are entrusted to steward. Fruit is a metric of reckoning; it is weighed in the balance on the day of reckoning by the Enabler—though that day comes not for a long time, maybe, that day shall certainly come. “...'And he who did receive the five talents, having gone, wrought with them, and made other five talents; in like manner also he who received the two, he gained, also he, other two; and he who did receive the one, having gone away, digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 'And after a long time cometh the lord of those servants, and taketh reckoning with them...” (Fig. 1).
There comes a day of reckoning for Christians. The Word of God calls it the Judgment Seat of Christ (2Corinthians 5:10). In this context, we are interested in that day as it concerns the fruit metric, fruitfulness for Jesus Christ by His ministrants in His physical absence. Before, in our Lord’s Olivet Discourse introduction, we had polar symmetry in recompense as it concerned ministerial responsibility toward the Flock of God (“Matthew Chapter Twenty-Four Commentary: Hast Thou, Steward, Fed My Sheep?”). Here, in our Lord’s conclusion to His Olivet Discourse we again see polar symmetry in recompense, that concerns this time Fruit. One wonders, the Judgment Seat of Christ is perhaps symmetrically polarized in its recompense for Christians per their labor/s satisfying these two charges (feeding the Flock, and fruit-bearing).
In this chapter, the polar symmetry in recompense is again pronounced. The two servants that wrought gain (fruit) with their talents, irrespective of the amount of the gain, were recompensed equally. Why equally? Because the Joy of the Lord, the precious part of their recompense, is a constant we think. To enter into His joy, the joy of Him, His presence, His person, His deity most of all, is surpassing, it is joy unsurpassable. Thus, it is a constant. In other words, the Joy of the Lord is something that He qualifies, it is not qualified by one’s perception of it, which perception is not a constant. Thus, in keeping with polar symmetry in recompense, these were greatly recompensed, and sit on the positive pole, where there is exceeding joy. “...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....”. The servant that buried his talent in the ground was also greatly recompensed, but he sits on the negative pole, where there is exceeding sorrow, weeping and gnashing of the teeth. “... 'Take therefore from him the talent, and give to him having the ten talents, for 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; and the unprofitable servant cast ye forth to the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth...” (Fig. 2).
How exactly did the fruitful servants indeed manage to be fruitful? Their lamps were fueled. They knew where they were going—to the harvest—and they clearly saw the path that led there. And they could work day and night, having sufficient light. This allowed them to double their portion. It goes without saying that they worked hard. They were willing, they wanted, to work hard for the Master, the Enabler. And He, in turn, enabled them. The glory is His. Let us be willing to work hard for the Master. He shall bring in the sheaves, but we must be workers, this mindset, in His fields, with lamps fueled, lit, thus working day and night.
And the servant who hid his talent in the ground? He was no worker; lazy. He was world-wise, no doubt about that. He knew all the “right” tactics to maintain and sort of secure his laziness (I was afraid—your reputation precedes you lord, I hid, I lost not, here is thine own back, and so forth, and no doubt he engaged his lord with all the “right” inflections of voice and facial expressions of the day, that probably benefited him otherwise [these things do not get by the Lord and Master, even Jesus]).
As from the Mount of Olives, Jesus sees us, you and me fellow Christian laborer, as we work, the finest details of our labors, He sees it. And we are already rewarded for our labors because the work of our hands is so terrific, so satisfying, working with, working for, Him, our blessed Master. Thus, we enter into His Joy, day and night. This is so wonderful. Thank you Master, for the O so blessed work of our hands. Amen.
YLT TEXT: '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; and 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, and he shall set the sheep indeed on his right hand, and the goats on the left. '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; for 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; naked, and ye put around me; I was infirm, and ye looked after me; in prison I was, and ye came unto me. 'Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungering, and we nourished? or thirsting, and we gave to drink? and when did we see thee a stranger, and we received? or naked, and we put around? and when did we see thee infirm, or in prison, and we came unto thee? 'And 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. Then 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; for I did hunger, and ye gave me not to eat; I did thirst, and ye gave me not to drink; a 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. '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? 'Then 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. And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.' (Matthew 25:31-37, 38-44, 45-46, cf. Matthew 25:31-37, NLT, Matthew 25:38-44, NLT, Matthew 25:45-46, NLT).
COMMENTARY: King Jesus is coming back in glory to set up His Reign, which Reign we think is Jubilee (“Jesus Our Jubilee”, “The Kingdom of God”). “...'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...”. That throne of His glory is His Jubilee Throne.
Our Lord’s reapers are going to be busy on that day, for gathered before King Jesus will be all the nations. He intends at that time to separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares: “...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...”. Please note how King Jesus is on His throne here and yet acts as a Shepherd. Those offices intersect in Him. He will always be a Shepherd at heart; though He is certainly a King, He is ever a Shepherd. Our blessed Lord has a Shepherd’s heart. But as a King, His decisions as Shepherd cannot be called into question, they stand. Thus, when the Shepherd-King separates, here the nations, so it stands. He separates with the heart of a Shepherd, and the knowledge of a Shepherd, yet with the authority of a King. He knows how and what to separate, because He is a (Good) Shepherd, and when He separates, it stands, because He is a (The) King. Thus, when He separates His own: sheep, from the rest: goats, He does so aright, because He is a Shepherd, and once separated, it stands so forever, because He is a King. “...and he shall set the sheep indeed on his right hand, and the goats on the left...”. And so, it stands, by an Act, of the Shepherd-King. He has indelibly wrought a manner of polar symmetry in recompense for a superset that includes real and plastic Christendom and everybody else. Real Christendom alone is sitting on the positive pole, on the Shepherd-King’s right, where is found Jubilee, the rest sit on the negative pole, on the Shepherd-King’s left, where is found anything but Jubilee, and there each remains, on into eternity. “...And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during...” (Fig. 2).
What guides our Shepherd-King’s staff-scepter to the right, and not to the left? The answer is so obvious it hardly needs to be said: it is simply a passionate heart-tether to this very Shepherd-King (“A Letter of Invitation” offers some details). And, as touching a prevalent theme here in our Lord’s Olivet Discourse conslusion, such as these are profitable to God! How so? Profitability unto God lies quite practically in the outworking by Spirit of God empowered God-fearers of the Great Commandment of God: love of God, love of others, love of the things and ways of God, passionately (Luke 10:26-28, cf. Deuteronomy 10:12; James 2:18= the plasticity test). We believe moreover that this great commandment is a vital part of our Shepherd-King’s Jubilee Law. As such, it is another very informative insight into the character of our Shepherd-King’s Jubilee, which has as its core operatives Rest, Liberation, and Restoration. “...for 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; naked, and ye put around me; I was infirm, and ye looked after me; in prison I was, and ye came unto me...”. Blessed Jubilee.
Praised be your Name Jubilee Jesus, Shepherd-King. Amen.
Figure 1. Jesus waited long the first time, and then suddenly He came (the first announcement-Genesis 3:15, and note Malachi 3:1-Malachi [ his name means ”My Messenger”] was the last of the Old Testament prophets-still four-hundred years were to pass from this announcement before the birth of Messiah Jesus). Following the same pattern, Jesus waits long again, but suddenly, quickly, in a flash, like lightning ripping open the eastern sky, He shall come again (Revelation 22:20). Let us be prepared (Matthew 24:36). Please send our Shepherd-King Jesus back to gather us soon Papa God. Amen.
Figure 2. Polar Symmetry in Recompense.
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Young's Literal Translation.
The YLT is in the public domain.
[Then shall the] reign of the heavens-Strong’s G932+G3772. Kingdom of heaven. That sphere in which Jehovah God has dominion, wherein His ways flourish, and are treasured, and are assimilated and followed. Does not God, as God, have dominion everywhere, period—what is meant by “sphere?” God does not necessarily have dominion when it comes to volitional creatures. He certainly has dominion everywhere else. See also, and also.
[Then shall the reign of the heavens be likened unto] ten-Strong’s G1176 [virgins]. Ten people were to be present at the benedictions accompanying Jewish weddings in Jesus’ day (Edersheim 788). See also.
[be likened unto ten] virgins—G3933. Perhaps bridesmaids in context, attending to the bride. In the broader application of the term we like those sanctified (set apart) unto Jehovah God through Jesus Christ. As the further context shows, only half—five—were in fact sanctified unto God through Jesus. See also, and also.
[having taken their] lamps—G2985. Should the bridegroom appear suddenly at night, it was necessary to have lamps on hand to go outside into the dark to join the marriage procession heading toward the groom’s father’s house per note thirteen, even more so if it is true that in ancient Palestine no one was allowed in the street after dark without a lighted lamp (Barclay 134). ”The ‘lamps’—not ‘torches’ which the Ten Virgins carried, were of well-known construction. They bear in Talmudic writings commonly the name Lappid, but the Aramaised form of the Greek word in the New Testament also occurs as Lampad and Lampadas. The lamps consisted of a round receptacle for pitch or oil for the wick. This was placed in a hollow cup or deep saucer—the Beth Shiqqua (Kel.2.8)—which was fastened by a pointed end into a long wooden pole, on which it was borne aloft. According to Jewish authorities, it was the custom in the East to carry in a bridal procession about ten such lamps. We have the less reason to doubt that such was also the case in Palestine.” (Edersheim 788). One can imagine how lovely that procession was owing to the ambiance of the lamps—no doubt that festive ambiance was one of the reasons for having lamps in the procession in the first place besides the practical and spiritual significance of the light. See also.
[went forth to meet the] bridegroom-Strong’s G3566. Clearly this is Jesus Christ in context (consider for example Psalms 45:14, Isaiah 62:5, Matthew 9:15, Revelation 19:7). See also, and also.
[and five of them were] prudent-Strong’s G5429. Wise. We must get ahead of ourselves and compare to the other five of them that were foolish, and thus the other five were Godless, for the fool says in his heart there is no God (Psalms 14:1), and so by contrast we understand these to be wise ones in the sense of being sanctified and tethered unto Jehovah God, besides the practical wisdom of having extra oil on hand.
[and five] foolish—Strong’s G3474. Godless, for the fool says in his heart there is no God (Psalms 14:1). They are shown by Jesus to have no genuine concern to meet the bridegroom (God). In this sense, they were not really virgins, sanctified, unto God. Take ten professing Christians at random, are any half of them really sanctified and tethered unto God, or someone or something else?
[they who were foolish having taken their lamps, did not take with themselves] oils—G1637. Olive oil to keep the lamps lit, fuel. They cared not enough to bring enough fuel to keep the lamps lit for the duration, till the bridegroom was appropriately met. In this way they did not value meeting him; they were not intent on meeting him. See also.
[and the bridegroom] tarrying-Strong’s G5549. Tarrying from the perspective of who? Certainly, not from the perspective of the bridegroom, but from the perspective of the bride—she knows not when he shall arrive, but he does, so it seems to her as though he tarries. “Tarry” carries with it the notion of delay. In the context of Jesus, the Bridegroom, His not coming for these many years since His resurrection and ascension seems to the Bride to be a delay, but it is not a delay. The perfect agenda of His return is unfolding in mundane time exactly the way it is supposed to. As you can see dear reader, Jesus in this Ten Virgins parable quite communicated the fact that He would not be coming back immediately. This can be corroborated by the fact the He made provisions for His Bride in His absence (John 14:16-18,). Verbal usage is present (the Greek present tense denotes the time of the action—and absolutely so—when in the indicative mood; moreover, it signifies a continuous action, and thus we get the sense of ongoing action in present time here), active voice—the subject is acting, indicative as said. Note Jesus’ use of the present tense! No way had He planned on coming back immediately. See also.
[they all] nodded and were sleeping-Strong’s G3573+G2518. We get the sense of transitioning from being about half asleep to full blown sleep. Verbal usage is aorist, active, indicative for the former, and imperfect, active, indicative for the latter. The “one-shot” aorist makes sense for the former, but it is the continuous action (imperfective aspect) in past time (past tense) imperfect for the latter that is the interesting verb right here, because it suggests that the whole lot of them had gone off to sleep, and stayed that way, right up until the shout came that the bridegroom was nigh at hand. Is the Church asleep today too, like unto this imperfect verb scenario? And how would one characterize this sleep? Probably it means that Bride and bridesmaids alike are not solidly in the sojourner mode, a persistent tendency, but rather are fixed on the things of this life. She nods off with this infatuation and that and the other (ongoing action) even, oftentimes, to the extent that She may as well be fast asleep. We think it is Her distractions—busyness and pleasures and whatnot—that Jesus has in view here.
[and in the middle of the night a] cry-[Strong’s G2906 [was made]. The cry, the shout, ‘...Lo, the bridegroom is here! Let the marriage feast begin!...’. Verbal usage is second perfect (same as the perfect—completed action), active, indicative. What does the perfect verbal form indicate here? Completed action of what? The time to Watch...is completed. The time for Preparation...is completed. The Church Age...is completed. The Age of Grace, and Redemption unto Salvation...is over. Too late now, for all that blessing. Too late, no turning back toward it henceforth. In other words, mundane time and space have completed their function and purpose in the Grand Design, the second advent of Jesus Christ, the blessed Bridegroom, is at hand.
[Then rose all those virgins and] trimmed-Strong’s G2885 [their lamps. Adjust the wick to the right height, fiddle with it to get the perfect flame. Verbal usage is Aorist, active, indicative.
‘and those ready went in with him to the] marriage-feasts-Strong’s G1062. The custom of the day had the bridegroom travelling to the bride’s father’s house to get her and bring her to his father’s house. Along the way from her father’s house to his father’s house a marriage procession celebrated the marriage. The ten virgins of our parable would be found somewhere between the bride’s father’s house and the groom’s father’s house, waiting for groom and bride, to join the procession heading for the groom’s father’s house, where the marriage feasts would take place. Any of the ten virgins that joined the procession became part of the groom and bride’s entourage, and were thus understood to be genuine invitees to the marriage feasts, but if any missed the procession, they were not allowed entrance into the groom’s father’s house because they could not be identified as a genuine invitee. Marriage feasts typically lasted for one full week(Theopedia: “Parable of the Ten Virgins”). Concerning Jewish marriage see also, and also, and also.
[and the door was] shut-Strong’s G2808. Note that the door is that of the father of the groom’s house per note thirteen. When the door is shut one cannot meet the bridegroom; one must meet him before the door is shut. Henceforth, going forward, the bridegroom “knows not” those who seek admission. Verbal usage is aorist (we like the inceptive aorist here—the action is marked by a specific point in time and is in force going forward), passive (the subject—door—gets the action), indicative (a statement of fact).
[afterwards come also do the rest of the virgins, saying, Sir,sir, open to us; and he answering said, Verily I say to you, I have not] known-Strong’s G1492 [you]. Interestingly, and sobering, the Greek EIDW is utilized, which bespeaks not of intimate knowledge, as does GINWSKW (G1097), but rather relational knowledge in this instance, like so: ‘...ye foolish, ye Godless, are none of mine, I know ye not...’. The fact that there was no intimate knowledge here is forfeited by the foolish (Godless) ones, and is thus a given, so God closes the loop on His interests in the relationship going forward and shows His intentions very specifically, unambiguously, by switching to the EIDW verb communique. Verbal usage is perfect (the door is shut on the matter, Jesus knows them not, it is a done deal), active, indicative. Note the perfect.
[Verily I say to you, I have not known you. Watch-Strong’s G1127. [therefore]. Pay close attention, do not be distracted, stay focused, on all that which Jesus has in this and the previous chapter outlined. It will come to pass, we just do not know when, and so we must stay alert and watchful. Verbal usage is present (continuous action in present time), active, imperative. Catch the imperative! Jesus knows our nature, how that we are prone to lollygag, and be distracted, so He helps us wake up here by pinning a command on the matter. The matter is serious enough for Jesus to issue a command. If His command to be watchful does not get our attention in this nothing else will either.
[for ye have not known the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man doth] come-Strong’s G2064. It is a done deal; our Lord is coming back. Verbal usage is present (ongoing action in the present—no surprise here), middle (we think the middle voice is the correct understanding of Jesus’ intentions here—He is purposely communicating the fact that the action is folding back on Himself—He is coming back), indicative mood (a statement of fact). This threefold cord—present, middle, indicative—cannot be broken easily or otherwise for that matter.
[For the kingdom of heaven is as a man going abroad-Strong’s G589. Or, as a man travelling to a far country. Thus, Jesus ascended to heaven, He left this envelope of mundane time and space and went back home (John 16:28). Verbal usage is present (ongoing action in the present as we have known now for two millennia), active, (Jesus, the Subject, is acting), participle (the action persists unbroken)—but one must appreciate this utterance not necessarily from today’s vantage point millennia removed, but from the time of the utterance, because as said before this bespeaks of intimate foreknowledge and heads-up that Jesus the speaker would not be back any time soon—one of that day, the time of the utterance, cannot return from a far country overnight (and note 2Peter 3:8 which gives us somewhat an apples-to-apples-dimensions-metric to keep in mind). Just exactly where we are on His “present tense timeline” only God knows, but we are moving toward consummation particularly because of the peculiar capacity of this modern age to fulfill prophecy going forward.
[did call his own] servants-Strong’s G1401. One who works in and is concerned for his master and his master’s household. By default, a (good) steward. Jesus quite sets the standard here (Philippians 2:3-8, note John 15:15). See also.
[did call his own servants, and] did deliver-Strong’s G3860 [to them his substance]. Hand over, put into the hands of. Verbal usage is aorist (the inceptive aorist is good here), active, indicative.
[did deliver to them his] substance-Strong’s G5224. We know from the further context that certain talents of monies worthy of trade are meant. In the broader application by substance is meant that which servants of God are blessed with to serve Him and others, in no little way to meet the great responsibility of stewarding the Flock of God—the Flock is our Lord’s greatest Substance. Evangelization is also a great responsibility here—this is how the Flock grows in number. All-in-all it is the Ministry of Jesus, a Ministry for which He but laid its foundation.
[and to one he gave five] talents-Strong’s-G5007. A weight of currency in antiquity. In the broader application that which servants of God are blessed with to serve God’s interests (1Corinthians 12:27-31). see also.
[to each according to his several] ability-Strong’s G1411. The Greek has it literally as “power.” Power—energy expenditure in a given interval of time—to do something. Power obviously comes not of self but is given, by God. Thus, God knows our abilities, our capacity within to do this well and that not so well. He knows when we cheat our abilities, and He knows when we make good use of them, appreciate them, particularly for His, the Giver’s, glory and profit.
[And he who did receive the five talents, having gone] wrought-Strong’s G2038 [with them]. Following the Greek literally, the meaning is he put his talents to work, he worked with them. In good time, he made manifest use of the personally-special energy that was given him; he manifested his God-given power, and worked (ERGAZOMAI is the Greek word here) with it. We are to work with our several abilities entrusted to us is the point God makes. To work in such a way that exalts and honors and pleases, that is, that glorifies and profits the Good Giver Jehovah.
[and he who did receive the one, having gone away, digged in the earth and] hid-Strong’s G613 [his lord’s money]. Hid in the literal sense, to hide something. Verbal usage is aorist (inceptive aorist—he put it underground at a specific point in time [after having received it]—and left it there is probably the takeaway [or rather, vexation, to Jesus], all nicely communicated by the inceptive form of the aorist; past tense here), active, indicative.
[And after a long time cometh the lord of those servants, and taketh reckoning-Strong’s G4868 [with them]. “A day of reckoning,” of settling accounts, of opening the books and computing, considering, settling things. Verbal usage is present (probably the historical present—also called the narrative present—is communicated), active, indicative.
[And his lord said to him] well done-Strong’s G2095 [servant, good and faithful]. Literally good; good work. How sweet those words, amen?!
[well done, servant, good and faithful-Strong’s G18+G4103. For this context, we like “of benefit” for the former, and “true to their call” [=serving their master in every conceivable way] for the latter. Contrast the servant who hid their talent—in that case we get evil and slothful, so the latter may serve as appropriate contrasts to the intended meaning of good and faithful. A good servant is a faithful servant; a faithful servant is a good servant. An evil servant is a slothful servant (not true to their call here), a slothful servant is an evil servant.
[over a few things thou wast faithful] over-Strong’s G1909 [many things I will set thee]. EPI—over—is a preposition of distribution (“distribution” is the key idea/signal), it is a preposition of distribution with respect to its noun (its complement) POLUS (many things). The intended meaning must follow in like manner, and so we get the sense of charge, head, rule. A head, a ruler, in charge of, over, many things.
[over a few things thou wast faithful, over] many things-“Strong’s G4183 [I will set thee]. POLUS is a genitive, plural, neuter noun. Many things.
[over a few things thou wast faithful, over many things I] will set-Strong’s G2525 [thee]. Appoint, set. Verbal usage is future, active, indicative.
Enter-Strong’s G1525 [into the joy of thy lord]. Enter in. Verbal usage is second aorist (same as the first aorist; consummation at the point of action, or, punctiliar here), active, imperative. Note the imperative!
[enter into the] joy-Strong’s G5479 [of thy lord]. Joy. Joy immeasurable, indefatigable, inexpressible, indispensable, invaluable, irreplaceable, irreversible... (here it is in shoe leather, today-John 15:9-12).
[And he also who hath received the one talent having come, said, Sir, I] knew-Strong’s G1097 [thee]. Here the Greek GINWSKW is utilized, which communicates the notion of perception, even intimately so. This is not relational knowledge as in note fifteen, it bespeaks rather of personhood knowledge. It is of course subjective. By using GINWSKW this servant talked himself into a corner. He pretends to know his lord (God is implied) intimately here, and just later accuses him of being Hard and whatnot all the while having buried his talent in the ground, which is the last thing a hard lord would want him to do—if in fact he knew his lord intimately, he would not have buried his talent. Here is an example where the popular definition points in one direction—intimate knowledge; no problem with that—but the context zooms in on that for us—if in fact there was intimate knowledge the so-called knower would behave differently. Verbal usage is second aorist, active, indicative.
[he also who hath received the one talent having come, said, Sir, I knew thee, that thou art an] hard-Strong’s G4642 [man]. Scripture speaks openly, it does not mince words: Is God the One in view here, reaping where He does not sow, and gathering from whence He did not scatter? And what is the insinuation behind this rather negative accusation of reaping and gathering? Yes, God is in view. However, the negative reaping and gathering insinuation is a cover-up, it is an excuse for laziness, at least, based on pretentions of fear, thus it presumes to know God, and in turn to show Him going to any lengths, even cheating here, to get gain, and so hopes to excuse lack of effort, and work, through fear of the consequences deriving from a hard lord owing to any loss of the money entrusted into this servant’s hands. God writes this scenario into Scripture because this sort of self-excusing, self-motivated finger-pointing at God happens all the time in multiplied settings. God addresses this insinuation ever so elegantly, as one would expect of deity. Please notice what else He Jehovah writes into Scripture here: God in effect says to this evil servant: ‘...if you think (know) that I am as hard (greedily driven, ruthless, wicked) as you say I am, then surely you are informed enough to know that burying my money in the ground with no hope for gain is the last thing a supposedly hard one like myself motivated by greedy gain would want you to do—you could have put the money in the bank and at least one like myself ever so motivated by gain as you say would have gotten some interest on it, thus, if you were in fact afraid of losing my money, the bank would have offered you a safe alternative...’. God is never mocked, not even a little bit—this scenario with the evil servant is in Scripture for good reason, in that this sort of thing happens constantly in other settings—blaming God (and not least presuming to know Him apart from Jesus Christ), to cover up self-indulgences and self-motivations and laziness and whatnot. And yes, this was a servant—so-called—that pointed the finger at God in lieu of self; and this sort of thing happens all the time too; the scenario is apropos both inside and outside the Church. God does bear long with humankind, but then He is God in every sense of that elegant Name.
[and] having been afraid-Strong’s G5399 [having gone away, I hid thy talent in the earth; lo, thou hast thine own!]. Afraid. Verbal usage is aorist, passive, participle. Through the aorist, he makes it sound as though he became fearful the instant he received the talent, and through the participle he makes it sound as though he stayed that way. The passive voice puts extra emphasis on himself. This evil servant is covering up, he is justifying his (non) actions.
[and his lord answering said to him] Evil servant, and slothful-Strong’s G4190+G3636. Evil, wicked + lazy, slothful. See how our Lord marries evil and slothful into one flesh. One can in every respect be hard-working in the things of the world and be quite lazy in the things of God. Distractions, servicing distractions, is one way to become lazy in the things of God. But some people are lazy in general.
[for to every one having shall be given, and he] shall have overabundance-Strong’s G4052. Exceeding, great, overabundant grace upon grace. It is the sure signature of Jehovah God when blessing spills over into more blessing. Bushel-baskets of blessings and more blessings. Verbal usage is future, passive, indicative. Note the indicative.
[and from him who is not having, even that which he hath] shall be taken-Strong’s G142 [from him]. Wrest, take away from, even by force, and carry off (for example, Luke 12:20). Physical death operates, takes, wrests, like that; and what are to say of spiritual death, which is the operator in this context? For while physical death wrests those things that are in the final analysis not very needful, spiritual death wrests all that and, one’s very soul, which in the final analysis is all one really has (Job 1:21); thus it wrests, forever. Verbal usage is future, passive, indicative. Note the indicative.
[and the] unprofitable-Strong’s G888 [servant cast ye forth to the outer darkness]. Unprofitable is terrific in this context. He buried his talent and profited his lord nothing. Useless, good for nothing. Thus, are pious phonies, eased back, lazy, big talkers usually, but essentially do-nothings; hyper-religious usually, pious phonies. Unprofitable to God, and precisely thus, good for nothing. And what becomes one, what is pleasing to such a one, one good, for nothing? Sleep. May as well sleep, in familiar environs, even outer darkness, where is required no service of God.
[and the unprofitable servant cast ye forth to the] outer darkness. There, is required no service of God, for there, in that place, there is no hint of God (1Jo 1:5). Thus, it is dark, even outer darkness, quintessential darkness. This is not a good place for one’s soul to spend the rest of eternity.
[and the unprofitable servant cast ye forth to the outer darkness; there shall be the] weeping -Strong’s G2805 [and gnashing of the teeth]. No fun and games in this miserable place, no laughter, no hope, nothing but misery, and tears, an ocean of tears, upon which float myriad peculiar vessels named:
“...~~Unprofitable to God, by Choice~~...”.
[and the unprofitable servant cast ye forth to the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the] gnashing-Strong’s-G1030 [of the teeth]. Grinding; the picture conveyed is that of grinding the teeth, back and forth, back and forth, for a long, long, time, forever. This and the note before are expressions of sorrow and misery. That is the point that God wishes to communicate up front to the intelligent reader to sober them (just to be clear, we believe this does happen, literally, because Jesus said so [the outer darkness, the weeping, the gnashing of the teeth...). God wants people to be informed. This is information, sad as it is. What one does with it is a personal decision that no one can escape irrespective of the conclusions one draws about the information per se. One is free to accept this information, or reject it. But a decision is always made, one way or the other, when it comes to the things of God, as here, and every mentally adept individual thus informed shall reap the consequences of their decision for example Deuteronomy 30:19 in another context); this too is inescapable.
It should be noted that many hold that the Judgment Seat of Christ is a judgment of rewards only. Perhaps here in the context of Matthew chapter twenty-five, and in the chapter before this one, the judgments spoken of, both clearly with respect to Christians, come on some other occasion. It seems to us that God will take care of such business in one sitting. But the when of it is the much lesser concern; the what of it, this one and the one in the previous chapter, is sobering ([with respect to phoniness, plastic: Jesus sees right through it] Matthew 7:21-23, [with respect to feeding the Flock] Matthew 24:45-51, [with respect to fruit-bearing] Matthew 25:28-30). There is polar symmetry in recompense in each instance.
[And whenever the Son of Man] may come-Strong’s G2064—[in his glory]. Come, appear. Verbal usage is second aorist (at such point in time when Jesus returns), active (the Greek ELQH and thus the active [not middle] voice here—the action concerns the Subject, the Son of Man), subjunctive (the subjunctive mood communicates, expresses, inexact knowledge of the day and hour of Jesus’ return in this context [Matthew 24:36]—“whenever”; the subjunctive mood is in stark contrast to the indicative mood; in Father God’s thinking the exact time of Jesus’ return is in the indicative mood, but to everyone else’s thinking and speaking concerning it, the exact time of Jesus’ return is in the subjunctive mood, but the fact of His return per se must be communicated in the indicative by all speakers).
[and whenever the Son of Man may come in his] glory-Strong’s G1391 [and all the holy messengers with him]. Not a babe in a manger here. The right thing to do probably is to reference Jesus’ transfiguration (Matthew 17:2) and appearance to the apostle John (Revelation 1:12-16, cf. Daniel 7:9, 10:5-6). There is so much more to our Lord’s glory than these visible things that engage our senses. His consummate holiness for example.
[and all the holy] messengers-Strong’s G32. Angels, messengers. See also.
[then he] shall sit-Strong’s G2523 [upon a throne of his glory. The posture of a dignitary; here a King on his throne, a Judge at the bench. Verbal usage is future, active, indicative.
[upon a] throne-Strong’s G2362 [of his glory]. Not just any throne (consider Daniel 7:9). See also. This Judge’s Bench...is also a Throne. Royalty and Legality intersect in Jesus. Rule and Law intersect in King Jesus, the Judge. And His kingdom is a Jubilee Kingdom governed by His Jubilee Law.
[and] gathered together-Strong’s G4863 [before him shall be all the nations]. Our Lord’s reapers do this (Matthew 13:27-30, cf. John 15:6). Verbal usage is future, passive, indicative.
[and gathered before him shall be all the] nations-Strong’s G1484. We think it is all peoples that have lived on this earth starting with Adam and Eve. The Greek has it EQNOS, which in the strict sense is too narrow for this context we think. See also.
[and he] shall separate-Strong’s G873 [them from one another]. Separate, so as to put some on at His right hand and the rest at His left hand. Verbal usage is future, active, indicative. Note the active voice—Jesus issues the separation command, His reapers do the separating (Matthew 13:27-30).
[and he shall separate them from one another, as the] shepherd-Strong’s G4166 [doth separate the sheep from the goats]. The Good Shepherd Jesus in context (John 10:11-14). See also.
[and he shall separate them from one another, as the shepherd doth separate the] sheep-Strong’s G4263 [from the goats]. Representative of the Flock of God in context, those:
“...~Profitable to God, by Choice~....”. See also.
[and he shall separate them from one another, as the shepherd doth separate the sheep from the] goats-Strong’s G2056. Tares, unprofitable to God by choice.
“...~~Unprofitable to God, by Choice~~...”. See also.
[then shall the] king-Strong’s G935 [say]. King Jesus (John 18:37).
[then shall the king say to those on his right hand, come ye the] blessed-Strong’s G2127 [of my Father]. Those Jesus places at His right hand have Father God’s favor, which is a summary-statement of adoption, with all the attendant filial benefits accruing to a Child of God, and thus, like unto Jesus, the Son. His Father, is our (the sheep’s) Father. See also.
[come ye, the blessed, of my Father] inherit-Strong’s G2816 [the reign that hath been prepared for you from the foundation of the world]. Inheritance is a family affair. And it is bitter-sweet. An inheritance typically passes to heirs upon the death of someone in the family, and in this context, it was the death of Jesus Christ, who purchased our inheritance with His blood, and speaks in context so lovingly, anticipatorily extending, even sharing (imagine that) His inheritance with us, for He is the Son, the Heir, before ever there were any adopted of God (Romans 8:14-17, the “blessed of my Father”-2Corinthians 1:21-22, and again, Ephesians 1:11-14, NLT). It is the work and good pleasure of the triune God Jehovah to extend this inheritance usward: “...from the foundation of the world...”. It follows that Jesus was “earmarked” to be slain from the foundation of the world, and of course He stepped right up, hustled even in our thinking, to say: ‘...here am I, send me...’ (a great savior God; how great thou art Lord Jesus). And the inheritance? It is Jubilee, entirely centered in Jesus our Jubilee. Jubilee, which presupposes Salvation—life eternal in God’s presence. See also.
[come ye, the blessed, of my Father inherit the] reign-Strong’s G932 [that hath been prepared for you from the foundation of the world]. Kingdom. The Kingdom of God, a Jubilee Kingdom. See also, and also.
[Then shall the] righteous-Strong’s G1342. [answer]. The sheep at their Lord’s right hand, the blessed of the Father from the foundation of the world, the joint-heirs with Christ. See also.
[inasmuch as ye did it to one of these my] brethren-Strong’s G80 [the least]. The family theme continues—it is consistent throughout (cf. another time in the ministry of Jesus-Matthew 12:46-50).
[inasmuch as ye did it to one of these my brethren – the] least-Strong’s G1646. We can two ways, there may be another one or two alternatives besides: maybe Jesus is referring to brethren that have been less profitable to God by choice than others, and are ranked accordingly (Matthew 5:19), or, He refers to those brethren that are of low esteem and value in the eyes of other brethren owing to a presumed lesser Christian office held, or maybe owing to poverty, or for physical reasons, and whatnot, a spirit James (God) condemns (James 2:1-7,8-9).
[then shall he say also to those on the left hand, go ye from me, the] cursed-Strong’s G2672 [to the fire, the age-during]. The meaning of cursed here is precisely this: to be cast out of the presence of Jehovah God. Before the Cross of Redemption unto Salvation (eternal fellowship with Jehovah God), it was for rejection of the Great Commandment (Mark 12:28-31)—love of God, love of others—as in this context, and after the Cross of Redemption unto Salvation it is for rejection of Jesus Christ, who stands in place of, and fulfills the Great Commandment for needy sinners. Verbal usage is perfect (completed action in past time), passive (the subject gets the action here—the wretched accursed, commanded to depart), participle (as a verbal noun). Note the perfect—it was immutably adjudged to be so in eternity past (the fate of the wicked Godless—wretched accursed, and Satan and his cronies too, cast out of God’s and His righteous’ sight, forever; thus are they aright cursed; good riddance). See also.
[Go ye from me, the cursed, to the] fire-Strong’s G4442 [the age-during, that hath been prepared for the devil and his messengers]. Hell fire. See also, and also.
[Go ye from me, the cursed, to the fire the] age-during-Strong’s G166. Eternal, everlasting.
[Go ye from me, the cursed, to the fire, the age-during, that] hath been prepared-Strong’s G2090 [for the devil and his messengers]. God is always innumerable steps ahead of His enemies, is He not? Our God Jehovah is never mocked, not even a little bit. Verbal usage here complements, stands shoulder to shoulder with, that cursed combo just before: perfect, passive, participle. Note the perfect.
[Go ye from me, the cursed, to the fire, the age-during, that hath been prepared for the] Devil Strong’s-G1228 [and his messengers]. An unclean thing by God’s standards; takes the unclean name Satan, and is the foremost enemy of Jehovah God and humankind—a murderer and a liar says Jesus (John 8:44-who was he murdering at the beginning?)—the very one whose rebellion Jehovah God squelched (Revelation 12:7-9), and for whom Jehovah God prepared a very hot place for his eternal discomfort and misery—it is meant for Satan to be punishment—payback time (Psalms 91:8), for all the evil, the blasphemy, the bloodletting, and on it goes ad nauseam. And again, good riddance. Our Captain and Savior Jesus Christ ever rides victorious in this, because Jesus whipped Satan—no contest even (Psalms 45:4-5, 92:11). Hardly is Satan worth the time and the ink here.
[Go ye from me, the cursed, to the fire, the age-during, that hath been prepared for the Devil and his] messengers-Strong’s G32. These are the (angelic) cronies of that unclean thing of the previous note. Demons. They do his bidding, his dirty work. Good riddance here again; let them sore burn too. Amen.
[Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of these, the] least. Same as note sixty-two, but here now we get probably the sense of homeless, marginalized, poor, generally of low esteem and value in the eyes of society (certainly not in the eyes of God); not necessarily just Christian brethren are in view.
[And these shall go away to] punishment-Strong’s G2851 [age-during]. Cast out from the presence of God, accursed, into the fire that burns eternally. God is never mocked, not even a little bit.
[but the righteous to] life-Strong’s G2222 [age-during]. Quintessential Life, because it is intimately in the presence of God, the Source of Life. Our great savior God Jesus Christ has made this possible (John 1:1-4, 3:16).
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