I thought I would do a series on the
parables of Jesus. The parables are very exciting and challenging portions of
Scripture. They are like mystery novels; there is always something secret about
them, something hidden; thus they are enticing, challenging. There are clues
given in each of the parables to lead us to the meaning of it. This is God's
way of stimulating us to investigate and discover a hidden truth which will be
a real treasure. I will begin with a series of three parables from
Matthew 24 and 25;
These
three parables concern the subject of the last days and the times of the return
of Jesus Christ to earth, but from three different approaches. They are: The
parable of the household; the parable of the ten maidens (or ten virgins); and
The parable of the talents. All three parables are an amplification of one word which Jesus gave to his disciples. He said to them, "Watch!" That word is stressed throughout this whole passage. It is the one command Jesus gives to those that are waiting for his coming. Through all the centuries, no matter how long he may delay, the word is, "Watch!" These three parables tell us what it means to watch; therefore, they are extremely important to us.
In Chapter 24, Verse 42, Jesus says, "Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming." (Matthew 24:42)
Also in verse 44, "Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Matthew 24:44)
And again in Chapter 25, after he has completed the story of the ten maidens, he says in Verse 13, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." It is clear then that he is amplifying the word, watch!
There have been, two extremes of interpretation of what Jesus meant when he said, Watch: There have been those who took it very seriously. They studied the signs of the coming of the Lord which are brought out in predictive passages in both the New Testament and the Old. They became so involved that they actually set dates for the return of Jesus Christ. Again and again men have said Jesus was coming on a certain day, on the basis of what they found in Scripture and the signs of the times. Sometimes they have even sold their homes and property, put on white robes and have gone out on hilltops to wait for the Lord to return. (I don't know why they always put on white robes; perhaps we associate white robes with the coming of the Lord.) He did not come, of course, and they were disappointed and had to explain it away. But that is an extreme and wrong example of what "watch" means. Jesus did not mean that we are to be standing for-ever gazing up into the heavens, but that we are to involve ourselves in the activities brought out in these three parables. That is why he gave them to us.
Another extreme interpretation of "watch" is to come to the conclusion that we cannot know the time of the Lord's coming and therefore there is no use to worry about it. Forget it! Just go on living life as you like, until he comes. If he comes, then he comes. It is time enough to worry about it then. In the meantime, go on living as you please regardless of whether he is coming or not. That really is to live as though he were not coming at all.
Let us start the first parable found in Chapter 24, Verses 45-51:
Here is a household whose master is away and the household is waiting for him to return. The master has appointed certain servants and given them responsibility during the time of his absence. The only activity mentioned is that of feeding the household. These servants have the primary and important task of feeding the household at the proper time. That is the first essential, then, in watching. Watching means to feed and be fed by the Word of God, as we shall see in a moment. The household must eat or they can do nothing else. That is basic, fundamental. If they do not eat, they will not survive, they will perish. They can do nothing else until they have established their health and strength by eating.
Now the household is also obviously the church, the house of God. It is so described in Scripture. The servants are those appointed to teach within the church. It does not only mean pastors, evangelists, or theologians. It includes also editors of magazines, Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, children's Bible class teachers, even parents within the home who teach their children. It is any one who is in the position of teaching another within the body of Christ.
Notice how Jesus puts it? "Who then is the faithful and wise servant?" He invites us to put our own name there. Are you that kind of a servant? Are you a teacher? Well, then, are you this kind of a teacher? That is what Jesus is asking.
The food is obviously the Word of God. What else could it be? The Word of God is intended to feed the people of God. Jesus said so himself, remember? When the devil came and tempted him to turn the stones into bread, he said, "Man shall not live by bread alone hut by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God," (Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4). The Word of God is truth. It is the unveiling of reality. It is the revelation of the way things really are. So if you are going to live you have got to know what life is all about, to know the way things really are. That is why the word of truth is also food. It is referred to as such in many places in Scripture:
I think many Christians are confused about the need to study the word. They think of it as kind of an option. In this parable you will notice that Jesus takes note of two kinds of servants: There are the faithful, and the faithless. The faithful are those who feed, continually and plentifully, the ones entrusted to their care. When the master returns, Jesus says, "Blessed (or happy) is that servant when his master comes and finds him doing what he was told to do."
What does the Word of God accomplish that makes it so absolutely, fundamentally, necessary? We will look at that tomorrow.
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