NOVEMBER 01 THE JESUS QUESTIONS 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)

 

NOVEMBER 01  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  

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 Prayer   

JESUS, Lord You have proven Yourself Faithful in leading me when

 I am not sure exactly which direction to take — You Lord through

 the Holy Spirit “correct” my course if I start to stray from the

 “Safe and Narrow Way”. Lord Your watchfulness is a testimony

 to the Great Sacrifice You made on the cross for me over 2000

 years ago and now You are still watching and caring for me as I live

 my day-to-day life “in the world” but Your Grace prevents me 

from being “of the world”.  I must praise You for awaking me this

 morning with a solution to a major problem for the “work task” you 

have given me and it just made me remember King David writing

 “Your rod and your staff they comfort me” and I do take comfort in

 knowing that Your Presence is with me for David had just written 

a Psalm: “I will fear no evil for You are with me”!!! 

Thank You Lord that I, a sinner born over 2000 years after You died

 on the “Cross”, can still in this day and age get “comfort” from 

the “Cross” on which You, the Son of God endured the

 “Ultimate Discomfort” which paid the penalty for my sin!       

AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is Teaching the Parable of the Ten Virgins so that we might be

 encouraged to be prepared when He Returns at the “end of the age”

 for “At that time” (Matthew 25:1) of His Return as the “bridegroom”

 He will call us to join in the celebration of this “marriage made in heaven”. 

Jesus has used the analogy of the bride and the bridegroom several 

times as well as previously describing “heaven” as being 

“like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son” 

(Matthew 22:2) 

and all along Jesus has been referring to 

God Almighty as Heavenly Father 

and repeatedly demonstrated that

 Jesus Himself IS the Son of God.  

When Jesus, whom John the Baptist called “the Lamb of God”, 

was baptized and the Holy Spirit was observed descending upon Jesus,

 that eyewitnesses recorded hearing God speak from heaven saying, 

“This is My Son in whom I AM well pleased.” 

(Matthew 3:17) 

therefore it is easy to see that at the end of the age that 

JESUS IS RETURNING to get His “Bride” 

and there is going to be a great wedding feast. 

The fact that Jesus is Teaching the Parable of the Ten Virgins 

at the Passover Feast in Jerusalem and is Teaching that He will be

 killed by men but will be Raised the 3rd Day by God Himself, 

we can easily surmise that Jesus is the “Passover Lamb”! 

Then in John’s vision of heaven at the end of the age we read of 

“The Marriage Supper of the Lamb” in Revelation 19:6-9 

which ties “marriage” and the “Passover Lamb” 

to the “Son of God” 

who the “mighty angel” revealed that 

the “Lamb” is Jesus the “Son of David” 

when the angel asked John in his vision of heaven 

“Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals(?)” 

and we read that John “wept for no one was worthy” but then 

an elder approached John and exclaimed “Do not weep. 

Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, 

has prevailed to loose its seven seals” 

and then John looked and there 

“stood a Lamb as though it had been slain…

and the [Lamb] came and took the scroll out of the right hand 

of Him who sat on the throne.” 

(Revelation 5:2-7) 

Jesus also has declared God His Father as the “King” in the

 Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22 (Key verse: Matthew 22:2) 

and then the first miracle that Jesus performed was at the Wedding Feast

 at Cana where Jesus started His earthly Ministry was when Jesus

 turned water into wine and His mother [MARY]

declared to the “servants” at the wedding feast, 

[what this writer likes to call “THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARY”]

“Whatever He says to you, do it.” 

(John 2:5) 

There are many other instances that tie “weddings”,

 the “bridegroom”, the “bride”, “servants”, the “king of heaven” 

and the “Lamb” to Jesus and His Return at the end of the age 

therefore adding validity to what Jesus Taught 

during His Last Week before the Passover!!! 

Once again Jesus is giving us some very important details 

as He paints

 the picture of the Parable of the Ten Virgins 

“who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” 

Let us listen to the words of wisdom spoken by Mary, the mother 

of Jesus as she proclaims to all that would be

 “faithful and wise servants” — 

[This is my Son Jesus] 

“Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5)

 Taking Mary’s advice would certainly help us to 

be prepared when 

“Jesus the Bridegroom” 

comes back for “His Bride”!!!

OCTOBER 31 THE JESUS QUESTIONS 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)

 

OCTOBER 31  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  

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 Prayer   

JESUS, this day is another blessed day that 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

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 

“ACTION PHRASES” 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 response 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 you know that 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!!