OCTOBER 31 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31-16 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

OCTOBER 31  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31-16  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

305 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, this day is just another day until my thoughts turn to You. Only by putting my every HOPE on You can I begin my days, Lord take my Praise as an offering, grant it be acceptable to Your ears and may my soul forever wake each morning with the Name of Jesus ever before me. Lord, hedge me from the evil one that I may grow strong and learn to use Your Armor to protect me until the Glorious Day of the LORD when we will be caught up to Your Side! Lord forgive me when I fail to be a good witness to Your Glory in my life and I pray that my life will be lived as a True and Good Witness to my Redeemer. May all my words be from Your Holy Spirit and that when people see me they will see only Your Grace and Your Love!   AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

OCTOBER 31  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31-16  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)  Jesus again tells us what “heaven shall be likened to” as He Teaches this Parable of the Ten Virgins — maybe some of you asked the same question I did about the connection between “heaven” and “ten virgins”??? Jesus always introduces each Lesson with a statement that really focuses our attention on a particular gem and that statement is always a clue to point us into the direction of God’s Truth and in this case it also points us in the direction of God’s Truth about getting into God’s Kingdom of Heaven! Let us look at the phrases Jesus uses to introduce this parable: “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” (Matthew 25:1) It is significant that Jesus started the parable with the word “Then” which many translations use the phrase “At that time” because Jesus has been Teaching His disciples what to look for at the “end of the age” and the sign of His “coming”  (see Matthew 24:3) therefore to establish a proper time frame for the Parable of the Ten Virgins we could paraphrase Matthew 25:1 as “At the time of the Return of Jesus at the end of the age the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to…” which will add more meaning to the parable. When we consider also the “ACTION” words/phrases we understand that Jesus is Teaching us to be “doers” of the word and not just “hearers” because of “ACTIONS” like “who took” and “went out to meet”. At the time that Jesus gave these instructions there was “significance” to what “actions” were being done especially when we consider that it was “ten virgins” and they “took their lamps” and they were going “out to meet the bridegroom”. A quick study of the marriage traditions in Israel at the time Jesus gave this parable is both very interesting and very informative! On the web site: GotQuestions.org a search for the “Parable of the Ten Virgins Matthew 25:1-13” produced a most informative commentary on “The historical setting…describing a first-century Jewish wedding” … the article quoted D. A. Carson from the Expositor’s Bible Commentary as he describes the setting this way: “Normally the bridegroom with some close friends left his home to go to the bride’s home, where there were various ceremonies, followed by a procession through the streets — after nightfall — to his home. The ten virgins may be bridesmaids who have been assisting the bride; and they expect to meet the groom as he comes from the bride’s house…Everyone in the procession was expected to carry his or her own torch. Those without a torch would be assumed to be party crashers or even brigands. The festivities, which might last several days, would formally get under way at the groom’s house.” and the article adds: “The torch was either a lamp with a small oil tank and wick or a stick with a rag soaked in oil on the end of it which would require occasional re-soaking to maintain the flame.” When one reads a description of a “first-century Jewish wedding” and then considers Jesus is Teaching this Parable of the Ten Virgins to His disciples who were Jewish and compares the “wedding” to “heaven” then there are many things that come to light as is always the case when the MASTER Teaches us anything. Jesus has used action words to describe what I feel is a “required” response to His “coming” and the obvious is that if we do not “expect him” and are not prepared with our “lamps” then we will be left in the darkness and will not enter into the “festivities” of the “wedding” that is about to take place! Any time you see a wedding in our modern culture that has “ten” bridesmaids attending the bride then there is going to be a big celebration and none of the wedding “festivities” will occur without a lot of “ACTION and PREPARATION” and all those that are not “prepared” to be part of the wedding “action” will have to suffer the “Consequence” of not “expectantly watching” for the “bridegroom”. This is not the first “wedding” Jesus has used to reveal God to us as earlier Jesus taught: “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son.” (Matthew 22:2) and Jesus concluded that Lesson with: “So [the king] said to [the unprepared guest at the wedding feast], ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And [the unprepared guest] was speechless. Then the king said to [His] servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast [the unprepared guest] into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (Matthew 22:12-13)  If Jesus says it once that should be enough, but if Jesus says it more than once we should really pay attention and “be ready” — He certainly has given us plenty of warnings!!!