Matthew
Chapter 25
1
1 "Then 2 the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2
3 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them,
4
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
5
Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6
At midnight, there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
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Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
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The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
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But the wise ones replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'
10
While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.
11
4 Afterwards the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'
12
But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'
13
Therefore, stay awake, 5 for you know neither the day nor the hour.
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6 "It will be as when a man who was going on a journey 7 called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
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To one he gave five talents; 8 to another, two; to a third, one--to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately
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the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five.
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Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
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9 But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.
19
After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.
20
The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. 10 He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.'
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His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.'
22
(Then) the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.'
23
His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.'
24
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter;
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so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.'
26
His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant! 11 So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?
27
Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
28
Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
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12 For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
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13 And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'
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14 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,
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and all the nations 15 will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
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He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
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Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
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For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
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naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'
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Then the righteous 16 will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
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When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
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When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
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And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41
17 Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
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For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
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a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
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18 Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'
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He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.'
46
And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
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Footnotes

1 [1-13] Peculiar to Matthew.

2 [1] Then: at the time of the parousia. Kingdom . . . will be like: see the note on Matthew 13:24-30.

3 [2-4] Foolish . . . wise: cf the contrasted "wise man" and "fool" of Matthew 7:24, 26 where the two are distinguished by good deeds and lack of them, and such deeds may be signified by the oil of this parable.

4 [11-12] Lord, Lord: cf Matthew 7:21. I do not know you: cf Matthew 7:23 where the Greek verb is different but synonymous.

5 [13] Stay awake: some scholars see this command as an addition to the original parable of Matthew's traditional material, since in Matthew 25:5 all the virgins, wise and foolish, fall asleep. But the wise virgins are adequately equipped for their task, and stay awake may mean no more than to be prepared; cf Matthew 24:42, 44.

6 [14-30] Cf Luke 19:12-27.

7 [14] It will be as when . . . journey: literally, "For just as a man who was going on a journey." Although the comparison is not completed, the sense is clear; the kingdom of heaven is like the situation here described. Faithful use of one's gifts will lead to participation in the fullness of the kingdom, lazy inactivity to exclusion from it.

8 [15] Talents: see the note on Matthew 18:24.

9 [18] Buried his master's money: see the note on Matthew 13:44.

10 [20-23] Although the first two servants have received and doubled large sums, their faithful trading is regarded by the master as fidelity in small matters only, compared with the great responsibilities now to be given to them. The latter are unspecified. Share your master's joy: probably the joy of the banquet of the kingdom; cf Matthew 8:11.

11 [26-28] Wicked, lazy servant: this man's inactivity is not negligible but seriously culpable. As punishment, he loses the gift he had received, that is now given to the first servant, whose possessions are already great.

12 [29] See the note on Matthew 13:12 where there is a similar application of this maxim.

13 [30] See the note on Matthew 8:11-12.

14 [31-46] The conclusion of the discourse, which is peculiar to Matthew, portrays the final judgment that will accompany the parousia. Although often called a "parable," it is not really such, for the only parabolic elements are the depiction of the Son of Man as a shepherd and of the righteous and the wicked as sheep and goats respectively (Matthew 25:32-33). The criterion of judgment will be the deeds of mercy that have been done for the least of Jesus' brothers (Matthew 25:40). A difficult and important question is the identification of these least brothers. Are they all people who have suffered hunger, thirst, etc. (Matthew 25:35, 36) or a particular group of such sufferers? Scholars are divided in their response and arguments can be made for either side. But leaving aside the problem of what the traditional material that Matthew edited may have meant, it seems that a stronger case can be made for the view that in the evangelist's sense the sufferers are Christians, probably Christian missionaries whose sufferings were brought upon them by their preaching of the gospel. The criterion of judgment for all the nations is their treatment of those who have borne to the world the message of Jesus, and this means ultimately their acceptance or rejection of Jesus himself; cf Matthew 10:40, "Whoever receives you, receives me."

See the note on Matthew 16:27.

15 [32] All the nations: before the end the gospel will have been preached throughout the world (Matthew 24:14); thus the Gentiles will be judged on their response to it. But the phrase all the nations includes the Jews also, for at the judgment "the Son of Man . . . will repay everyone according to his conduct" (Matthew 16:27).

16 [37-40] The righteous will be astonished that in caring for the needs of the sufferers they were ministering to the Lord himself. One of these least brothers of mine: cf Matthew 10:42.

17 [41] Fire prepared . . . his angels: cf 1 Enoch 10, 13 where it is said of the evil angels and Semyaza, their leader, "In those days they will lead them into the bottom of the fire--and in torment--in the prison (where) they will be locked up forever."

18 [44-45] The accursed (Matthew 25:41) will be likewise astonished that their neglect of the sufferers was neglect of the Lord and will receive from him a similar answer.


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