Matthew 25 Summary - Quick Bible Study

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MATTHEW 25 SUMMARY IN 5 MINUTES

• WHEN:

  • The birth of Jesus probably occurred around 4 B.C..

  • From Luke 3:23, we know Jesus began His ministry when He was about 30 years old.

  • This would place the events of Jesus’ ministry roughly between 26-31 A.D..

• CHARACTERS:

  • Jesus - The Messiah. The Son of God.

  • Disciples - Jesus’ followers and students.

  • Ten Virgins - Characters in Jesus’ parable intended to teach about preparedness.

  • 3 Servants - Characters in Jesus’ parable. Each man was entrusted with a number of talents by the master.

• WHERE:

  • This conversation between Jesus and the disciples was a continuation of the conversation in chapter 24, which took place on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem.

• OUTLINE:

  • PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS (25:1-25:13):

    • Jesus compared the Kingdom of Heaven to 10 virgins awaiting a bridegroom.

    • 5 were wise and took extra oil for their lamps, but 5 were foolish and did not.

    • The bridegroom was delayed and the foolish virgins had to leave to buy oil.

    • While they were away, the bridegroom came and the doors to the marriage feast were closed. The 5 wise virgins joined the feast while the foolish were locked out.

    • Jesus said, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

  • THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS (25:14-25:30):

    • A man went on a journey and entrusted some of his money to three servants.

    • 5 talents to one servant, 2 talents to another, and 1 talent to the final servant.

    • The servant with 5 talents invested the money and made 5 talents in profit.

    • The servant with 2 talents invested the money and made 2 talents in profit.

    • The servant with 1 talent hid the money and didn’t make any profit.

    • When the master returned, he evaluated his servants work.

    • He blessed the servants who made a profit and rewarded them.

    • He condemned the slothful servant and punished him.

    • The Lesson: “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

  • THE JUDGEMENT DAY (25:31-25:46):

    • When Jesus returns to the earth, He will separate the sheep (righteous) from the goats (wicked).

    • Jesus is pictured commending the righteous, saying, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”

    • Jesus is pictured condemning the wicked for not doing any of those things for Him or for anyone else.

    • The righteous will receive “eternal life” while the wicked will go away into “eternal punishment”.

• BIG PICTURE:

  • This chapter gives us some insights into what will happen at the end of time.

  • Everyone will have to give an account of their actions.

  • The unpunished injustices that occurred in the world will not remain unpunished.

  • The secret good deeds of the humble will be brought to light and rewarded.

• APPLICATION:

  • Like the virgins who were prepared for the unexpected, we need to be prepared for the return of Jesus at any time.

  • According to the parable of the talents, we will be judged based on how we used what God entrusted to us.

  • And we will have to answer for how well/poorly we treated others who were in need.