마태복음 Chapter 25

Translation: ESV

1

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.

Key Message

Readiness for Christ's return is not a momentary act but a sustained condition of faith maintained over the long haul of waiting.

▸The Parable of the Ten Virgins is the first of three parables about readiness for the return of the Son of Man (cf.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins is the first of three parables about readiness for the return of the Son of Man (cf. 24:44). 'Then' (τότε) connects directly to the eschatological setting of chapter 24. All ten virgins are waiting for the same bridegroom and have the same outward role; what distinguishes them is the quality of their preparation — specifically whether they have sufficient oil for an extended wait.

Related Verses

The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice.
3

For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,

Key Message

External religious participation without the inner life of genuine, sustained faith fails when the waiting grows long.

▸The five foolish (μωραί) bridesmaids have lamps but no reserve oil.

6

But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'

Key Message

The Lord's return will come at the most unexpected hour, making sustained preparation — not last-minute scrambling — the only viable strategy.

▸The bridegroom comes at 'midnight' (μέσης νυκτός) — the deepest, most unexpected hour.

12

But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.'

Key Message

On the final day, what matters is not outward religious association but genuine, living relationship with Jesus Christ.

▸'I do not know you' (Οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς) is among the most sobering statements in the Gospels, echoed in Matthew 7:23.

14

"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.

Key Message

God entrusts gifts and responsibilities calibrated to individual capacity and expects faithful stewardship of what is given.

▸The Parable of the Talents begins.

21

His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'

Key Message

God rewards faithfulness proportional to what was entrusted, not absolute size of results — the quality of stewardship, not its scale.

▸'Well done, good and faithful servant' (Εὖ, δοῦλε ἀγαθὲ καὶ πιστέ) is one of the most treasured commendations in Scripture.

25

so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.'

Key Message

Fear that leads to inaction is not safety — it is the greatest waste of what God has entrusted.

▸The one-talent servant's explanation reveals the root of his failure: fear (φοβηθεὶς).

29

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

Key Message

Faithful use of God's entrusted gifts produces abundance; neglect of them leads to their forfeiture — the kingdom's dynamic law of stewardship.

▸This is the kingdom principle of faithful stewardship.

34

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Key Message

The kingdom is God's eternally prepared gift — not human achievement — graciously offered to those whose love for Christ overflowed into love for the least.

▸The climax of the sheep and goats parable.

40

And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

Key Message

Jesus identifies himself with the most vulnerable; to serve them is to serve him, making care for the poor and suffering the irreducible test of genuine love for Christ.

▸The theological heart of Matthew 25: Jesus completely identifies himself with 'the least of these' (ἐλαχίστων).

46

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Key Message

The final judgment's two destinations are equally permanent: eternal punishment and eternal life — making present choices of eternal consequence.

▸The parable's final declaration: 'eternal punishment' (κόλασιν αἰώνιον) and 'eternal life' (ζωὴν αἰώνιον) are the two ultimate destinations.