THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW ~ Chapters 25
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 maidens
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Of those, 5 were
foolish and 5 were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps along but forgot to
take oil with them. But the wise ones brought not only their lamps but also
extra oil in their containers. While the bridegroom delayed in coming they all
grew drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight there was a shout, ‘Wake up! The
bridegroom is on his way! Go out to meet him!’ Then all those maidens got up
and trimmed their lamps. ‘Give us some of your oil’, said the foolish ones to
the wise ones, ‘for out lamps are going out’. Then the wise answered, ‘No;
there may not be enough for us and for you, too. Rather, why don’t you go to the
dealers and buy some for yourselves?’ But while they were gone to buy oil, the
bridegroom came, and those who stood ready went in with him to the marriage
feast, and the door was shut. After a while, the other maidens came, begging, ‘Sir!
Please open! Let us in!’ But the answer was, ‘Truly, I don’t know you’. Watch,
therefore, because you do not know the day or the hour when the Son of man will
come.”
“For it is like a man who was leaving his
homeland. He called to his servants and entrusted his property to them. He gave
one of them $5,000, to another $2,000, and to a third, $1,000 – to each one
according to his ability. This done, he left the country. When he had gone, the
man who had received $5,000 used them in business and made a profit of $5,000
more. In like manner, the man who had received $2,000 made an extra $2,000. But
the one who had received only $1,000 went and dug a hole in the ground, where
he hid his master’s money. After along stay, the master of these servants came
back and had a settlement with them. The one who had gotten $5,000 came up,
bringing with him the additional $5,000. He said, ‘Sir, you let me have $5,000.
Look! Here are $5,000 extra that I have made as profit.’ His master said to
him, “Fine! You are a good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a
few things. I shall entrust many things to your care. You may have a share in my
joy.” The man who had gotten $2,000 also came before him and reported, ‘Sir,
you let me have $2,000, but see! With them I have $2,000 more’. Said his master
to him, “Wonderful! You, too, are a good and faithful servant. You have been
faithful over a few things, and I shall set you over many things. I want you to
have a share in my joy.’ Also the man who had gotten $1,000 came to him and
gave an accounting. He said, ‘I knew that you are a tight-fisted man, reaping
where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not planted. So, I was
afraid, and I went and buried your money in the ground, and here it is.’ His
master said to him, “You wicked and lazy servant, you say you knew that I reap
where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered. Therefore, you
should have deposited my money with the bankers, so that when I returned I
could get my money back with interest. So, take away from him the $1,000, and
give it to him who now has $10,000. For to everyone who has will be given, and
he will have plenty; but from him who has virtually nothing, even what little
he has will be taken from him. And now, put the useless servant into the
darkness outside, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
“When the Son of man comes in His glory, and
all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit down on His throne of glory. And
all the nations will be gathered before Him, and he will separate them one from
another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the
sheep at His right hand, the goats at His left. Then the King will say to those
on His right hand, “Come, you folk who received a blessing from My Father;
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I
was hungry and you fed Me; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a
stranger and you took Me in. Yes, I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick
and you cared for Me; I was in prison and you came to see Me.” Then the good
people will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we ever see You hungry and feed
You? Or thirsty and gave You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You
in? Or naked, and clothe You?’ And the King will say in reply, “Believe Me when
I say that whatever good deed you done to the least of My brothers, you have
done to Me.”
To those on His left He will then say, “Begone,
you accursed folk, into the everlasting fire prepared for Lucifer and his
angels! For I was hungry, but you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, but
you gave Me nothing to drink. I was a stranger, but you did not take Me in; I
was naked, but you did not clothe Me; I was sick, and in prison, but you did
not visit Me.” Then also these will answer, asking, ‘When did we ever see You hungry
or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not
minister to You?’ In answer, He will say, “Truly. I say to you, that since you
did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me”. And they
will go into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.”
**Matthew 24: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-gospel-according-to-matthew.html
