WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.419 Well, thank you very much, Katie, for your welcome. 00:00:04.179 --> 00:00:09.179 And you may like to have that passage open as we work through it in this session and the next. 00:00:09.980 --> 00:00:13.099 And because they're quite long passages, as you've noticed, 00:00:13.740 --> 00:00:19.500 I'll also be putting various things on screen, which I hope will help us to navigate through these passages. 00:00:19.500 --> 00:00:24.519 And you'll see on screen that our first title is Ready and Waiting. 00:00:25.100 --> 00:00:28.060 We're reading from verse 36 to 51. 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:32.500 I wonder if you've heard a very ancient Chinese proverb. 00:00:32.780 --> 00:00:33.299 This is it. 00:00:33.699 --> 00:00:38.519 To prophesy is extremely difficult, especially with regard to the future. 00:00:39.640 --> 00:00:43.399 In fact, there are quite a lot of people trying to do that in the city where I live. 00:00:43.479 --> 00:00:46.759 The bookshops are groaning with books about the future. 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:50.239 Many of them are surprisingly optimistic. 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:55.120 But the vast majority of people who are thinking about what the future holds 00:00:55.119 --> 00:00:59.780 tend to line up with a man called Arthur C. Clarke. 00:00:59.839 --> 00:01:00.780 I don't know if you remember him. 00:01:00.839 --> 00:01:04.340 He was a movie director, 2001, A Space Odyssey. 00:01:05.039 --> 00:01:06.620 And he said this. 00:01:07.179 --> 00:01:11.659 No age has shown more interest in the future than ours, 00:01:11.840 --> 00:01:14.500 which is ironic since it may not have one. 00:01:14.500 --> 00:01:18.379 And many people share his pessimism. 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:24.000 There is now quite a deep set uncertainty, isn't there, about what the future holds, 00:01:24.319 --> 00:01:29.060 whether the future of our planet or the future of international relations 00:01:29.060 --> 00:01:32.000 or even our own nation and our own lives. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:36.879 And in fact, just in the last few months, there have been these discussions 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:43.840 about forthcoming cataclysmic events which might impact us through climate change, for example, 00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:48.460 and all of the challenges associated with population extinction. 00:01:49.099 --> 00:01:51.719 Or even just in the last week or two, of course, 00:01:52.099 --> 00:01:58.620 back on the agenda is the possibility of a third world war, of nuclear conflict. 00:01:58.620 --> 00:02:05.480 Well, this weekend, we're thinking about living in the light of a much more significant event 00:02:05.480 --> 00:02:09.000 than even those which we've been thinking about in the opening months of this year. 00:02:09.480 --> 00:02:12.360 And that is, of course, the return of the Lord Jesus. 00:02:13.020 --> 00:02:17.659 And we're going to see how Matthew, in his teaching, and Paul, tomorrow, 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:24.680 teach in order to help us to live now in the light of Jesus' coming. 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:29.480 In the Bible, Old and New Testament, there's a lot of discussion about the future, 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:33.680 but there's always a feedback loop, which is, if that's going to happen, 00:02:34.099 --> 00:02:35.680 this is how we should live now. 00:02:35.740 --> 00:02:36.700 And that's what we're going to do. 00:02:36.760 --> 00:02:39.900 That's why we're looking at being ready and waiting. 00:02:40.620 --> 00:02:45.400 I wonder how you match up to the question of being ready for Jesus' return. 00:02:45.540 --> 00:02:49.120 I mean, in normal life, I put on the screen here the kind of thing that many of us have, 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:53.500 just to be, you know, we have signals, we have triggers, alarms, reminders. 00:02:54.200 --> 00:02:56.060 Maybe your watch does that. 00:02:56.420 --> 00:02:58.620 Maybe you get notifications on your smartphone. 00:02:59.259 --> 00:03:00.300 Be ready for this. 00:03:00.780 --> 00:03:03.159 Maybe you get a bleep on your Google calendar. 00:03:03.620 --> 00:03:04.700 We've got to be ready. 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:07.819 But I thought of a little piece of advice to give you this morning. 00:03:08.200 --> 00:03:12.000 There are 239 shopping days to Christmas now. 00:03:12.200 --> 00:03:13.740 So you heard it here first. 00:03:13.980 --> 00:03:14.659 Be ready. 00:03:14.659 --> 00:03:20.419 There are always lots of things on our minds which help us to keep alert to what is coming up. 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:23.099 What's interesting, though, in terms of the story of Jesus, 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:28.419 if you think about his first coming, people were not expecting him. 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:30.139 They weren't ready. 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:33.159 They were really surprised when they discovered who Jesus was. 00:03:33.500 --> 00:03:37.479 There'd been centuries of predictions about Jesus' coming, his first coming, 00:03:37.939 --> 00:03:39.960 but his own people didn't recognize him. 00:03:40.079 --> 00:03:41.579 John says they even rejected him. 00:03:41.580 --> 00:03:48.340 And in the last few weeks, over Easter time, I don't know how you've covered the passages 00:03:48.340 --> 00:03:54.200 at Brunsfield in our church, we were looking at the stories of how people didn't expect Jesus. 00:03:54.420 --> 00:03:57.820 Even his followers, they didn't expect Jesus to rise from the dead. 00:03:58.460 --> 00:04:03.140 Again, there'd been prophecies over centuries that Jesus would come back to life. 00:04:03.860 --> 00:04:05.480 And Jesus himself had taught it. 00:04:05.520 --> 00:04:07.480 We find that in the gospel several times. 00:04:07.479 --> 00:04:11.079 He said, the Son of Man must die and rise again on the third day. 00:04:11.399 --> 00:04:15.099 But still, the disciples were taken by surprise. 00:04:15.239 --> 00:04:17.659 They weren't ready for Jesus' resurrection. 00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:25.480 So when it comes to Jesus' promised return, I wonder if we're going to be ready in that way. 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:30.539 Will it be the same kind of surprise as Jesus' birth and Jesus' resurrection? 00:04:30.540 --> 00:04:38.420 The passages we're looking at, 24 and 25 in Matthew, are the last section of teaching which he gives. 00:04:38.580 --> 00:04:43.379 Matthew, you might know, is organized into various blocks of teaching, five big blocks. 00:04:43.760 --> 00:04:45.280 And this is the very last one. 00:04:45.460 --> 00:04:49.040 And it focused particularly on the theme of judgment. 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:56.700 And in particular, as I've already mentioned, Jesus is concerned that that focuses on the return of the Son of Man, as he's called. 00:04:57.200 --> 00:05:01.379 And particularly on what that will mean as we prepare for that. 00:05:01.960 --> 00:05:04.920 A couple of things just to mention by way of introduction. 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:09.220 The first is, of course, Jesus will return. 00:05:09.420 --> 00:05:14.780 That's what's clear from the sweep of these passages and from the tenor of the New Testament as a whole. 00:05:14.939 --> 00:05:16.420 Now, I don't know how you feel about that. 00:05:16.420 --> 00:05:27.160 When I sometimes speak with friends, they're happy with the idea of Jesus as the carpenter, Jesus the great preacher, Jesus the moral leader. 00:05:27.699 --> 00:05:31.640 That's all acceptable within their understanding of who Jesus might be. 00:05:32.060 --> 00:05:40.340 But when it comes to these final things, you know, the trumpets and the coming on the clouds and cataclysmic events, they're not so sure. 00:05:40.939 --> 00:05:43.939 And they tend to think, well, that's rather more mythological. 00:05:43.939 --> 00:05:46.200 You know, that's more of a fairy tale. 00:05:47.319 --> 00:05:51.660 But Jesus, of course, spoke frequently about his return. 00:05:52.540 --> 00:05:54.480 And you'll find it in these chapters. 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:56.819 It's in 24, 25 and 36. 00:05:57.040 --> 00:05:58.060 Let me just write them down. 00:05:58.240 --> 00:05:58.800 There they are. 00:05:59.660 --> 00:06:01.160 Verse 30 of this chapter. 00:06:01.379 --> 00:06:03.080 Then will appear the Son of Man in heaven. 00:06:03.560 --> 00:06:08.879 And then all the people of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 00:06:09.740 --> 00:06:11.959 And then in chapter 25, we'll look at this. 00:06:11.959 --> 00:06:12.719 Verse 31. 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:18.620 When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 00:06:18.620 --> 00:06:31.180 And then chapter 26, when Jesus was on trial, I say to all of you, from now on, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the mighty one and coming on the clouds of heaven. 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:35.639 So just in these chapters, we see it was a repeated theme. 00:06:35.780 --> 00:06:36.680 It was central. 00:06:37.160 --> 00:06:42.439 It was critical to what Jesus was teaching about his life and his mission. 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:44.900 Jesus is coming back. 00:06:44.899 --> 00:06:53.179 But the other certainty that we have in these verses, paradoxically, is we don't know when. 00:06:54.379 --> 00:06:58.519 Verse 26 of this chapter we've just read. 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:05.839 And about that day or hour, no one knows, not even the angels, nor the Son, but only the Father. 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:14.659 And this idea of we don't know when actually lies behind many of the stories and parables which we find in chapters 24 and 25. 00:07:14.979 --> 00:07:19.879 We don't know when he's going to return, but his return is certain. 00:07:20.919 --> 00:07:27.039 Well, from verse 36 that we've just read, Jesus goes on to explain what the future will hold. 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:34.199 And he quotes from a critical event in the past, as it was in the days of Noah. 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:43.719 Now, we know from reading Genesis that this was a period of extreme sinfulness, and that was what called forth judgment. 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:51.099 But Jesus' emphasis here, when you read it in these verses, is that people were carrying on just as they always did. 00:07:51.159 --> 00:07:51.759 They were eating. 00:07:52.159 --> 00:07:52.800 They were drinking. 00:07:53.000 --> 00:07:53.779 They were getting married. 00:07:54.060 --> 00:07:54.839 They were working. 00:07:56.039 --> 00:07:58.060 They didn't listen to Noah. 00:07:58.060 --> 00:08:04.480 And it says they were doing all of these things, normal life, right up to the day Noah entered the ark. 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:11.420 Verse 39 says they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. 00:08:12.379 --> 00:08:15.420 I wonder if that's partly our culture as well. 00:08:15.540 --> 00:08:18.199 Do you think that's the situation in which we are living? 00:08:19.100 --> 00:08:23.199 People carrying on as though this world, this life, is all there is. 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:24.639 Eat, drink, and be merry. 00:08:25.159 --> 00:08:27.339 Tomorrow we diet, as they say. 00:08:27.979 --> 00:08:30.959 In other words, there's no need to be thinking about ultimate issues. 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:33.580 You just maximize on your present experience. 00:08:34.759 --> 00:08:41.019 And Jesus gives the picture that this is going to be a long time of waiting, and then suddenly an act of judgment. 00:08:41.139 --> 00:08:48.220 Just as it was in the time of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man, he says in verse 39. 00:08:48.220 --> 00:08:53.060 It will be unexpected, just as the flood was unexpected. 00:08:53.779 --> 00:08:57.920 And it's going to be clear that this matters from what now follows. 00:08:58.019 --> 00:09:04.300 So now I've chosen just three simple exhortations to summarize this section of ready and waiting. 00:09:04.460 --> 00:09:09.180 They're very obvious, but I hope they'll help us to understand the flow of what Jesus is saying. 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:15.420 And the first thing, of course, is be ready, from verses 36 to 44. 00:09:15.419 --> 00:09:22.259 And Jesus gives a series of illustrations from everyday life, which will help us to understand why this is so important. 00:09:23.059 --> 00:09:30.059 Now they're designed to show, once again, that Jesus' return does happen, but it will catch people by surprise. 00:09:30.199 --> 00:09:31.439 They'll be unprepared. 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:36.120 Verses 40 and 41, if you look there, you'll see there are two cameos. 00:09:36.240 --> 00:09:41.419 The first one, put up on the screen, are two farm workers, two laborers. 00:09:41.419 --> 00:09:49.479 These two, for all you can tell from the story, from the text, they're living and working in identical circumstances. 00:09:49.759 --> 00:09:54.579 But Jesus says suddenly one will be taken away and one will be left. 00:09:56.500 --> 00:10:02.459 Taken there means taken possibly, taken to be with the Lord. 00:10:02.620 --> 00:10:09.159 Some people think it's linked to the passage we look at tomorrow in 1 Thessalonians 4, where we are taken to meet the Lord. 00:10:09.159 --> 00:10:14.939 Other people aren't quite sure about that, because, remember, we just read about the people in Noah's day. 00:10:15.019 --> 00:10:17.639 They were taken away in judgment. 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:21.559 So maybe the take away is actually a reference to judgment. 00:10:21.719 --> 00:10:22.600 We could talk about that. 00:10:22.699 --> 00:10:26.379 Either way, Jesus uses this verb in the present tense. 00:10:26.539 --> 00:10:29.539 Actually, there's a lot of urgency in the way in which Jesus is talking. 00:10:29.639 --> 00:10:35.360 He says it's very vivid and very dramatic when he describes what is happening in the present tense. 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:37.799 Then he gives another little cameo, very similar. 00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:40.779 It's about two women in verse 41. 00:10:41.159 --> 00:10:43.799 And it's more or less repeating the same idea. 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:47.719 They're carrying on their normal work, their domestic duties. 00:10:47.819 --> 00:10:50.159 They're grinding away at the mill, these two women. 00:10:50.259 --> 00:10:52.059 And again, separation occurs. 00:10:52.219 --> 00:10:55.359 One will be taken and the other is left. 00:10:55.359 --> 00:11:02.039 So both of those little cameos describe Jesus' main point, which is there in verse 42. 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:03.000 Here it is on the... 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:04.259 Oh, no, I'll jump too quickly. 00:11:04.259 --> 00:11:10.720 Therefore, keep watch because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 00:11:11.819 --> 00:11:15.179 So it's underlining, be ready, keep watch. 00:11:15.460 --> 00:11:16.360 It's unexpected. 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:22.720 And that links then to the third illustration, which is in verse 43. 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:33.840 All the time he's trying to remind us, you should be living now in the light of that potential moment when Jesus returns, that reality. 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:38.519 And he gives in verse 43 the picture of a house burglar. 00:11:38.879 --> 00:11:39.800 Understand this. 00:11:39.940 --> 00:11:48.279 If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 00:11:48.279 --> 00:11:50.279 Well, we all know this. 00:11:50.379 --> 00:11:51.779 Another simple illustration. 00:11:52.519 --> 00:12:00.879 I mean, a burglar doesn't usually send an email or a text message in advance, does he, to say, oh, by the way, I'm burbling your house tomorrow night. 00:12:00.939 --> 00:12:03.240 If he did that, of course, we'd be ready for him. 00:12:03.699 --> 00:12:08.799 But instead, the thief chooses an unexpected time. 00:12:09.319 --> 00:12:10.699 He's going to get away with it. 00:12:10.700 --> 00:12:13.860 And I don't know if these adverts are screened in Scotland. 00:12:14.020 --> 00:12:19.860 We have adverts on our TV quite often about house security. 00:12:20.020 --> 00:12:27.400 Do you have those, you know, fitting the videos and the alarms and the special doorbells with remote access on your phone? 00:12:27.900 --> 00:12:31.360 And the thing about those adverts, every time I watch them, it strikes me. 00:12:31.420 --> 00:12:36.140 It's a little bit similar to Jesus' parables because there's a certain urgency about them. 00:12:36.920 --> 00:12:38.940 You know, a guy just fitted his alarm system at home. 00:12:38.940 --> 00:12:43.560 And the neighbors see it and they come in and say, oh, we need to get one. 00:12:43.680 --> 00:12:46.260 In fact, I'm going to go right away and telephone them. 00:12:46.560 --> 00:12:50.620 And the ads instill a certain sense of urgency but also fear. 00:12:50.800 --> 00:12:52.280 You know, don't get caught out. 00:12:52.760 --> 00:12:55.080 Ring up quickly and get your alarm fitted. 00:12:56.120 --> 00:13:02.540 Well, Jesus' point is that the sensible householder will make precautions at all times. 00:13:02.660 --> 00:13:03.680 We're going to be ready. 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:08.500 And verse 44, again, completes the argument in this little section. 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:09.399 Here it is. 00:13:10.199 --> 00:13:16.759 So you must also be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:21.419 And again, you is very emphatic in the way this is written. 00:13:21.799 --> 00:13:23.459 You must be ready. 00:13:23.460 --> 00:13:30.379 You might remember Peter talks a bit about this in his letters, both 1 Peter and 2 Peter. 00:13:30.620 --> 00:13:34.620 And he's talking about the Lord's return in more detail in chapter 2. 00:13:34.780 --> 00:13:40.400 And he states it categorically, what we've just seen, the day of the Lord will come. 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:50.299 And interestingly, he also underlines, we don't know when, when he says, verse 10, the day of the Lord will come like a thief. 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:51.699 Same concept. 00:13:52.860 --> 00:14:00.079 Except here, Peter, in the way he writes it, it doesn't mean he'll come like a thief quietly, surreptitiously, so that no one notices. 00:14:00.240 --> 00:14:00.459 No. 00:14:00.740 --> 00:14:03.399 When Peter writes about it, he says it's going to be cataclysmic. 00:14:04.079 --> 00:14:06.639 We're not going to miss this when Jesus returns. 00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:13.879 Unlike his first coming, which was humble and quiet and unexpected, unnoticed by many, 00:14:14.519 --> 00:14:21.480 Jesus' return will be announced in all kinds of ways, which these passages describe and Peter himself underlines. 00:14:21.980 --> 00:14:29.439 So it will not be secret, but what Peter's talking about is the suddenness of Jesus' arrival, the unexpected moment. 00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:33.080 So again, he says, be watchful, be prepared. 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:37.400 We don't know when he will return, so we must be ready. 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:43.580 And I remember hearing Tony Campolo speak on the Peter passage, I think it was, and he said, 00:14:43.900 --> 00:14:46.040 I've no idea when Jesus is coming back. 00:14:46.780 --> 00:14:49.520 I'm on the welcoming committee, not the planning committee. 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:53.620 And that's how it should be, that we don't know when it will be, but we're ready. 00:14:54.060 --> 00:14:56.300 We are waiting to welcome Jesus. 00:14:56.500 --> 00:14:57.460 So be ready. 00:14:57.460 --> 00:15:01.500 Then secondly, be faithful. 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:08.780 Because now, verses 45 to 51, Jesus turns from the idea of watching, being alert, 00:15:09.280 --> 00:15:14.280 to talking about what it means to wait patiently, to be a faithful disciple, 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:19.500 to act productively while we're waiting for the Son of Man to come. 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:22.460 And again, it's a story we can all understand. 00:15:23.340 --> 00:15:25.720 It's the story of a master with a large household. 00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:27.920 He obviously had several slaves. 00:15:28.620 --> 00:15:36.440 And one day, before he leaves on a long journey, he appoints one of the slaves to oversee all of the operations, 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:41.399 you know, to make sure everything works smoothly, that the other servants and slaves have food at the right time, 00:15:41.700 --> 00:15:43.840 keeping the household well managed. 00:15:44.580 --> 00:15:49.899 So he begins by talking about the faithful servants, verses 45 and 46, 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:54.060 who gets on with the job that the master has given him to fulfill. 00:15:54.059 --> 00:16:03.219 And when the master returns, it's clear that the servant is still working away faithfully, fulfilling his responsibilities. 00:16:04.019 --> 00:16:09.739 Verse 46, it will be good for the servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 00:16:10.239 --> 00:16:11.359 And there's our warning. 00:16:11.839 --> 00:16:12.539 Are you ready? 00:16:12.539 --> 00:16:19.240 And then he continues with the punchline, which you can see in verse 47. 00:16:20.079 --> 00:16:25.000 Truly, I tell you, and you might know that in the Gospels, whenever that appears, 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:31.099 it means something really significant is coming up when Jesus says, truly, truly, you know, I am going to tell you this. 00:16:31.219 --> 00:16:31.779 Listen up. 00:16:33.059 --> 00:16:36.959 Truly, I tell you, he will put him in charge of all of his possessions. 00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:39.040 So he's rewarded. 00:16:39.160 --> 00:16:42.700 He's given the opportunity of serving with greater responsibility. 00:16:43.160 --> 00:16:47.700 And we're going to look at what that means in the second session. 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:52.540 And then he talks about the wicked servant, verses 48 to 51. 00:16:53.420 --> 00:16:59.259 And verse 48 tells us of this other slave, but he's completely different from the first one. 00:16:59.879 --> 00:17:02.960 He thinks to himself, well, the master's been away a long time. 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:03.920 He's delayed. 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:05.500 You know, he's missed his flight. 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:06.860 He's not going to come. 00:17:07.180 --> 00:17:09.840 So I might as well carry on as I always do. 00:17:10.019 --> 00:17:14.559 He's not worried at all about the possibility of his master's return. 00:17:15.340 --> 00:17:18.340 And so he acts just as if his master didn't exist. 00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:19.980 He's not going to come back soon. 00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:27.079 And so far from being faithful and trustworthy, he acts, the passage says, with cruelty. 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:28.420 He acts unjustly. 00:17:28.460 --> 00:17:30.240 He beats up his fellow servants. 00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:34.720 And the parable shows as well, he's completely self-centered. 00:17:34.920 --> 00:17:37.240 I mean, he really is eat, drinking, and be merry. 00:17:37.299 --> 00:17:39.000 He's very self-indulgent. 00:17:39.620 --> 00:17:42.859 Verse 49 says he spends his time eating and drinking with drunkards. 00:17:43.700 --> 00:17:44.900 So it's a very different picture. 00:17:45.019 --> 00:17:49.240 You notice Matthew's again building up these, or Jesus is building up these contrasts. 00:17:50.779 --> 00:17:55.000 And then next, of course, the master returns, verses 50 and 51. 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:58.039 And the master returns unexpectedly. 00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:06.019 Again, you see, Jesus says, verse 50, on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he is not aware of. 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:12.619 And seeing what this wicked servant has done, the master punishes him quite severely. 00:18:12.619 --> 00:18:20.059 Now, weeping and gnashing of teeth, well-known phrase, and it's used several times in Matthew's gospel. 00:18:20.199 --> 00:18:21.759 We'll see it again before the end of the day. 00:18:21.799 --> 00:18:26.239 It's one of his little proverbial expressions, which means anguish and suffering. 00:18:27.299 --> 00:18:35.119 Well, the lesson is quite clear from this little cameo, and that is live in the light of the master's return. 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:36.439 Be faithful. 00:18:37.239 --> 00:18:38.559 Keep working away. 00:18:38.739 --> 00:18:39.639 Don't be careless. 00:18:40.519 --> 00:18:43.879 Don't be distracted by other things like this lazy servant. 00:18:44.939 --> 00:18:45.939 Be faithful. 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:49.459 Again, we're going to underline that in the next session. 00:18:50.199 --> 00:18:54.379 And then the third thing he mentions is be prepared. 00:18:54.779 --> 00:18:57.099 It's in verses 1 to 12. 00:18:57.219 --> 00:19:02.359 It's a well-known parable, and it once again underlines this theme, ready and waiting. 00:19:02.359 --> 00:19:06.379 Verse 1, at that time, Matthew begins. 00:19:06.619 --> 00:19:08.959 The kingdom of heaven will be like, or Jesus begins. 00:19:09.459 --> 00:19:16.839 At that time probably means this is hard on the heels of what Jesus has already been teaching in 24. 00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:23.579 So it's a flow through to again, to underline be prepared for the master's return. 00:19:24.459 --> 00:19:29.559 I had an illustration about being prepared, which I'll just drop in now in case you're losing me. 00:19:29.559 --> 00:19:31.960 Do you know Cecil B. DeMille? 00:19:32.039 --> 00:19:32.519 Do you remember him? 00:19:32.579 --> 00:19:33.879 The great movie director. 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:35.960 He did these epic scenes. 00:19:36.779 --> 00:19:42.059 And on one occasion he was in the Middle East filming a big battle scene in a valley. 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:47.079 And they had hundreds of cavalry, thousands of foot soldiers. 00:19:47.079 --> 00:19:53.799 And so because it was such a big scene that he was filming for this epic, he had three cameras. 00:19:53.960 --> 00:20:01.399 He had one camera down in the valley with him, and then another cameraman sort of halfway up the hill, looking out across the valley. 00:20:01.559 --> 00:20:05.139 And a third cameraman right at the top of the hill. 00:20:05.240 --> 00:20:06.879 So then the action started. 00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:13.199 He called for the troops to start moving, and they had this huge conflagration. 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:14.700 And then he said, cut. 00:20:15.640 --> 00:20:18.100 And he yelled to the man who was quite close to him. 00:20:18.140 --> 00:20:19.080 He said, did you get that? 00:20:20.039 --> 00:20:22.819 And the poor cameraman said, I'm so sorry, sir. 00:20:23.160 --> 00:20:24.340 But the camera jammed. 00:20:25.660 --> 00:20:31.160 So then he looked up to the next man who was up on the hill halfway up. 00:20:31.559 --> 00:20:34.279 And he said to him, did you get that? 00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:37.140 And the cameraman replied very nervously. 00:20:37.400 --> 00:20:40.140 I'm so sorry, he said, but the tape broke. 00:20:40.140 --> 00:20:48.280 So then he got his loud hailer to talk to the cameraman at the top of the hill, who by that time had been up for hours, actually. 00:20:48.360 --> 00:20:50.780 He was setting everything up, and he was boiling hot. 00:20:51.840 --> 00:20:54.800 And we heard Cecil B. DeMille shouting. 00:20:55.040 --> 00:21:01.340 So he came up behind his camera, and he put up his thumb and said, ready when you are, Mr. DeMille. 00:21:02.780 --> 00:21:05.820 It's a story about being prepared just for light relief. 00:21:05.819 --> 00:21:08.119 But the point of Jesus is underlining here. 00:21:08.179 --> 00:21:09.740 You see there's a sort of sequence here. 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:10.619 Be ready. 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:11.960 Be faithful. 00:21:12.599 --> 00:21:13.460 Be prepared. 00:21:14.259 --> 00:21:22.419 And in order to illustrate the preparation, he gives this lovely parable of a wedding, a Palestinian wedding. 00:21:22.539 --> 00:21:27.059 Now, of course, you probably know that the Palestinian weddings, as far as we tell, we don't have a lot of information about it. 00:21:27.439 --> 00:21:28.740 But they're quite different from ours. 00:21:28.740 --> 00:21:32.660 You know, we might have a Saturday afternoon wedding and an evening reception. 00:21:33.120 --> 00:21:38.819 Sometimes in the Middle East, and actually in other countries in Africa and some European countries, weddings can go on for days. 00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:41.319 I mean, they're lovely, long celebrations. 00:21:42.140 --> 00:21:45.920 And Jesus, again, uses the story to build a contrast. 00:21:46.720 --> 00:21:47.640 And you'll know it. 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:52.740 It's between the wise, five wise girls, and the five foolish girls. 00:21:52.740 --> 00:21:58.299 This contrast of wise and foolish, remember, again, it's used by Matthew quite a lot. 00:21:58.420 --> 00:22:04.019 It's a really interesting gospel in urging us to live as we should, like builders. 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:05.620 You know, wise builders, not foolish ones. 00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:08.039 Well, here it is, wise and foolish. 00:22:08.460 --> 00:22:18.960 And this exactly fits the purpose of Jesus' teaching, and indeed Matthew's gospel, to help disciples to live now in the light of the future. 00:22:19.940 --> 00:22:21.220 Let's just walk it through. 00:22:21.220 --> 00:22:23.940 The foolish girls are announced, first of all. 00:22:24.579 --> 00:22:29.259 Five girls didn't have the necessary oil to keep their lamps burning. 00:22:29.880 --> 00:22:31.860 Lots of discussion about what these lamps were. 00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:35.039 They were probably ordinary lamps with maybe some cloth at the top. 00:22:35.640 --> 00:22:37.700 And then you add oil to keep it burning. 00:22:37.799 --> 00:22:42.860 But the key thing, of course, is it will go out quickly unless you have a flask of oil with you. 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:44.440 And these girls didn't. 00:22:45.420 --> 00:22:50.100 So they were extremely careless going to a wedding, especially in the light of the delay, 00:22:50.099 --> 00:22:52.439 which now occurs in this passage. 00:22:52.539 --> 00:22:53.559 They weren't prepared. 00:22:54.879 --> 00:22:59.059 The wise girls, verse 4, tell us that they were sensible. 00:22:59.240 --> 00:23:02.359 They had good supplies of oil for their lamps. 00:23:03.199 --> 00:23:08.259 And it was a good job they did, because the next verse says the bridegroom was delayed. 00:23:08.259 --> 00:23:14.079 Well, there's nothing they could do, any of these ten girls. 00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:15.720 So they all fell asleep. 00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:17.920 Now, they're not criticized for that. 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:22.980 But eventually, suddenly, in the middle of the night, someone shouts, 00:23:22.980 --> 00:23:23.759 He's here! 00:23:24.359 --> 00:23:26.079 Come out and meet him! 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:28.299 And so the bridegroom arrives. 00:23:29.899 --> 00:23:32.419 And, of course, all of them woke up. 00:23:32.539 --> 00:23:33.939 All of them picked up their torches. 00:23:34.059 --> 00:23:37.480 But the foolish girls found themselves in big trouble. 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:41.259 They soon realized they didn't have enough oil. 00:23:41.539 --> 00:23:43.759 So they asked the wise girls, could we have some of yours? 00:23:44.299 --> 00:23:47.759 And you'll notice in the story, in the parable, the wise girls say, 00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:51.559 No, I'm afraid not, because we may not have enough for the entire night, 00:23:51.640 --> 00:23:52.839 or the long celebrations. 00:23:53.059 --> 00:23:54.519 You go and buy some more. 00:23:54.619 --> 00:23:58.819 So the foolish girls, unfortunately, in the middle of the night this was, 00:23:59.099 --> 00:24:02.779 trying to find a seller, wake him up, and buy some oil. 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:04.000 Well, they did that. 00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:07.180 But, there it is, verses 10 to 12, 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:11.660 By that time, by the time they got back, it was too late. 00:24:12.420 --> 00:24:15.160 While they were away, the bridegroom came, 00:24:15.259 --> 00:24:17.000 the procession to his house took place, 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:20.160 and the five wise girls went into the wedding feast, 00:24:20.660 --> 00:24:22.400 and the door was shut. 00:24:23.740 --> 00:24:26.339 Well, the other five eventually arrived, 00:24:26.440 --> 00:24:28.819 but you'll notice in verse 11, they cry out, 00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:31.680 Lord, Lord, open the door for us. 00:24:32.599 --> 00:24:33.839 But it was too late. 00:24:34.519 --> 00:24:35.779 They were excluded. 00:24:35.779 --> 00:24:38.740 It's one of the very sharp parables that Jesus tells. 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:42.480 Truly I tell you, verse 12, notice, again, 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:46.119 it's a little phrase to say, watch out, look, look, listen carefully. 00:24:46.119 --> 00:24:48.399 I didn't know you. 00:24:48.479 --> 00:24:49.639 I don't know you. 00:24:49.640 --> 00:24:53.640 Jesus is warning us. 00:24:53.740 --> 00:24:56.759 He's warning people to be prepared. 00:24:56.980 --> 00:25:01.480 It's underlining that a terrible fate awaits those who are not ready, 00:25:01.740 --> 00:25:02.880 not prepared. 00:25:03.580 --> 00:25:07.240 So again, verse 13 hammers home the lesson that we've been looking at 00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:08.780 in this session as a whole. 00:25:08.779 --> 00:25:14.039 Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. 00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:17.720 We've heard it several times in chapter 24. 00:25:17.940 --> 00:25:18.599 It keeps on coming. 00:25:18.680 --> 00:25:21.339 I won't read them all, but if you want to scribble them down, you can. 00:25:21.399 --> 00:25:21.899 You'll see it. 00:25:22.259 --> 00:25:26.319 Verse 36, verse 42, verse 44, and verse 50 all say, 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:31.220 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him 00:25:31.220 --> 00:25:34.059 and at an hour he is not aware of. 00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:38.119 And here it is again in chapter 25 and verse 13. 00:25:38.220 --> 00:25:40.200 So Jesus is just repeating the point. 00:25:40.579 --> 00:25:44.039 You don't know the day or the hour, so keep watch. 00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:45.319 Be ready. 00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:46.240 Be prepared. 00:25:47.099 --> 00:25:49.899 We're going to say more about that after our break in just a minute. 00:25:49.900 --> 00:25:53.960 I've mentioned already Peter's writing in 2 Peter. 00:25:54.220 --> 00:26:01.100 He's looking out at the future because part of the issue that Jesus is raising here, 00:26:01.500 --> 00:26:04.759 as it was in the days of Noah, is a long waiting period, 00:26:05.340 --> 00:26:06.680 and then something happens. 00:26:07.519 --> 00:26:10.780 So Jesus is helping us to understand we need to patiently wait. 00:26:10.900 --> 00:26:17.120 This may be a long wait as it was for these 10 bridesmaids or whatever they were. 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:18.780 Long waiting. 00:26:18.779 --> 00:26:23.599 And Peter picks this up in 2 Peter. 00:26:23.879 --> 00:26:27.639 To those who are asking, why isn't God doing something? 00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:30.039 Where is the promise of Jesus' return? 00:26:30.920 --> 00:26:33.299 Everything's carrying on just like it always was. 00:26:33.420 --> 00:26:34.960 Why doesn't God do something? 00:26:35.660 --> 00:26:37.920 And so Peter quotes from Psalm 90. 00:26:38.220 --> 00:26:38.920 This is it. 00:26:39.099 --> 00:26:41.220 Do not forget this one thing, dear friends. 00:26:41.740 --> 00:26:47.339 With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 00:26:47.339 --> 00:26:53.119 So the delay to us might seem a long time as we wait for Jesus. 00:26:53.500 --> 00:26:58.259 But of course, God sees time with a perspective which we lack. 00:26:58.959 --> 00:27:01.599 He doesn't count time in quite the way that we do. 00:27:02.099 --> 00:27:05.339 Long time for us isn't necessarily a long time for him. 00:27:06.039 --> 00:27:10.480 I've often thought when reading Peter that we have different ways of looking at time, don't we? 00:27:10.480 --> 00:27:13.380 So a week on holiday, don't you agree? 00:27:13.579 --> 00:27:16.180 It's definitely shorter than a week at work. 00:27:17.059 --> 00:27:21.360 And five minutes in a dentist chair, I mean, that really is a long time. 00:27:21.920 --> 00:27:25.539 And I'm told that as you grow older, life seems to speed up. 00:27:25.620 --> 00:27:26.559 I don't know if that's true. 00:27:26.559 --> 00:27:31.659 But you'll notice all the time we're using time in different ways. 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:37.419 And so the principle that Peter is drawing out is learn to look at life from God's perspective. 00:27:38.099 --> 00:27:43.000 Look at your life now in the light of God's plans and God's purposes. 00:27:44.179 --> 00:27:47.200 He's referring, of course, to God's ultimate time scale. 00:27:47.599 --> 00:27:51.679 It's going to end, he says, with a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:56.120 And we're going to see this weekend, I think time and again, if not in this session, 00:27:56.860 --> 00:28:01.799 that the vantage point of the end, that if we see things from the point of view of the end, 00:28:02.019 --> 00:28:08.700 it will transform our perspective and our priorities and our motivations now. 00:28:09.799 --> 00:28:13.400 The danger, I think, is that we Christians can sometimes, you know, 00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:18.960 subscribe formally to these doctrines of the future and of heaven and of Jesus' coming, 00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:23.140 but live practically as though we didn't believe them. 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:26.860 And we can live as though there were no tomorrow, you know, no promises, 00:28:27.640 --> 00:28:29.319 only the here and now. 00:28:29.539 --> 00:28:33.640 Managing our life now, we've got enough to worry about, coping with this present moment. 00:28:34.019 --> 00:28:37.480 But Peter says, no, think, have God's perspective. 00:28:37.680 --> 00:28:40.400 Think about his time in the universe. 00:28:40.600 --> 00:28:45.900 So if the men and women of this world live within the cramped quarters of time, 00:28:45.900 --> 00:28:49.740 that's, you know, where everyone is thinking and working and acting. 00:28:50.640 --> 00:28:57.019 We Christians should inhabit the wide open spaces of eternity, Peter says. 00:28:57.120 --> 00:29:00.720 We should be thinking about God and his ultimate purposes. 00:29:01.440 --> 00:29:06.920 And Peter introduces another reason why what might seem like delay is quite important. 00:29:07.040 --> 00:29:08.200 Let me put it up on screen. 00:29:08.640 --> 00:29:10.360 It's in verse 9 of 2 Peter 3. 00:29:10.359 --> 00:29:12.740 God is working out his plan. 00:29:13.919 --> 00:29:15.599 Jesus will come, as we've said. 00:29:15.679 --> 00:29:16.159 It's definite. 00:29:16.479 --> 00:29:19.019 We don't know when, but he is going to come. 00:29:19.099 --> 00:29:23.799 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some understand slowness. 00:29:24.099 --> 00:29:27.919 He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, 00:29:28.299 --> 00:29:30.379 but everyone to come to repentance. 00:29:31.279 --> 00:29:33.859 So it's God's patience which holds him back. 00:29:33.859 --> 00:29:40.639 Or just in the next verse, verse 15, bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation. 00:29:41.779 --> 00:29:47.059 Peter's used that argument before when God waited patiently in the days of Noah. 00:29:47.719 --> 00:29:49.740 God held back from acting. 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:53.139 In Noah's days, this is 1 Peter 3 and verse 20. 00:29:53.819 --> 00:29:57.240 So this delay is not God's impotence. 00:29:57.339 --> 00:29:58.500 It's God's mercy. 00:29:59.539 --> 00:30:03.240 He is longing that people will respond to the good news of Jesus. 00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:06.539 That's the reason for this apparently long delay. 00:30:07.140 --> 00:30:08.259 Why doesn't he intervene? 00:30:09.079 --> 00:30:10.720 Why hasn't Jesus come back? 00:30:11.339 --> 00:30:14.380 It's because he longs to show mercy to everyone. 00:30:14.620 --> 00:30:16.900 He's the good creator, the redeemer. 00:30:17.039 --> 00:30:20.980 He doesn't want any part of his creation to perish. 00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:26.900 So Peter is saying every day is a gift of his mercy. 00:30:27.559 --> 00:30:28.720 Don't you think that's true? 00:30:28.720 --> 00:30:33.860 Well, here are the lessons then from these opening stories, these parables. 00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:38.220 Three things, and I will summarize them as we draw to a close. 00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:44.079 And I'd like to ask if we are preparing as responding as Jesus calls us. 00:30:45.279 --> 00:30:46.140 Be ready. 00:30:48.140 --> 00:30:52.579 There are many things, aren't they, which can distract us from what really matters. 00:30:52.579 --> 00:31:00.339 And it's telling in the Gospels that Jesus talks about the fact that the love of many will grow cold. 00:31:00.480 --> 00:31:03.679 Their commitment to Jesus will gradually fade away. 00:31:04.859 --> 00:31:08.019 So it's very important to ask, am I ready? 00:31:08.179 --> 00:31:10.399 Am I seeking his coming? 00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:15.079 Am I living in a way which honors what Jesus has done and what Jesus will do? 00:31:15.079 --> 00:31:22.439 Are there things in my life that I need to deal with so that I can stand ready for Jesus' unexpected return? 00:31:23.919 --> 00:31:27.099 I heard someone a while ago wrote this down. 00:31:27.159 --> 00:31:30.919 The only way to be ready for that day is to be ready every day. 00:31:32.199 --> 00:31:34.759 And that's partly what we're thinking about this weekend. 00:31:35.919 --> 00:31:37.919 Secondly, be faithful. 00:31:37.920 --> 00:31:47.060 Because part of patient waiting, Jesus tells us, is to give our energies to the work the Lord has given us to do. 00:31:47.880 --> 00:31:49.940 Again, as I say, we'll pick that up in the next session. 00:31:50.080 --> 00:31:55.539 But it's really important that we don't sit passively waiting for Jesus to return. 00:31:55.640 --> 00:31:59.240 We should be active getting on with the master's business, as we saw. 00:32:00.039 --> 00:32:02.180 And I like the phrase by Martin Luther. 00:32:02.180 --> 00:32:06.720 He said, work as though Jesus will not be coming for a thousand years. 00:32:07.539 --> 00:32:10.220 Be ready as if he should come today. 00:32:11.120 --> 00:32:12.539 So those two things belong together. 00:32:13.440 --> 00:32:15.140 Keep working, but be ready. 00:32:15.420 --> 00:32:17.500 And that leads finally to be prepared. 00:32:18.660 --> 00:32:23.660 I didn't say much about that parable, but I think it does talk about genuine faith. 00:32:24.779 --> 00:32:28.160 I mean, all 10 of those girls expected to get into the wedding, didn't they? 00:32:28.160 --> 00:32:36.980 I can't help thinking the story has something to say to our continent, and perhaps to what we call nominal Christians or notional Christianity, 00:32:37.560 --> 00:32:40.360 where people say, well, you know, I go to church occasionally. 00:32:40.980 --> 00:32:42.019 I've got a Christian family. 00:32:42.259 --> 00:32:43.620 I do my best. 00:32:44.040 --> 00:32:47.000 I give my charitable activities. 00:32:48.140 --> 00:32:50.180 But they don't truly know the Lord Jesus. 00:32:51.580 --> 00:32:53.800 It may be the parable has something to say about that. 00:32:54.680 --> 00:32:55.279 Be ready. 00:32:55.440 --> 00:32:56.120 Be prepared. 00:32:56.119 --> 00:32:56.259 Be prepared. 00:32:57.239 --> 00:33:02.699 And so we need to make sure that we ourselves have turned to the Lord Jesus in repentance and faith. 00:33:02.819 --> 00:33:07.039 We come to know him as our Lord and Savior, and we begin to anticipate his return. 00:33:08.199 --> 00:33:14.959 And these parables also remind us, of course, which we're going to look at, the need to tell others about Jesus' return. 00:33:15.259 --> 00:33:18.379 Isn't that also the force of what Jesus teaches here? 00:33:18.379 --> 00:33:18.479 Amen.