Two Questions at the Last Time  

Matthew 25:19-21, 34-36    

Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent. Advent is the season to await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It seems many people do not know the difference between Advent and Christmas. Even Christians are confused, and non-Christians even more. During the Advent season, carols are heard everywhere. Christmas decorations abound. The atmosphere tells us it’s already Christmas. So many people tend to think Advent is a sort of prelude to Christmas.  

However, Advent and Christmas clearly differ in terms of this theme: the end and judgement.  

Advent is the time to await Jesus’ coming. The coming of Jesus happens twice in history. The first coming already took place 2000 years ago. As I preached last week, Jesus proclaimed the year of favor when He came to this world. We believe in the Incarnation and Nativity of Christ Jesus.  

And Jesus will come again. We do not know when that will be, but since Jesus promised that He would return, Christians live believing in this promise. As I preached last week, when Jesus returns, He will proclaim the day of vengeance. As such, we believe in the second coming of Christ and the judgement that will follow.  

I explained that Advent is the season to await the coming of our Lord. Since the Incarnation and the Nativity already took place on earth, it would not be appropriate to say that we “await” them. Of course, we need to remember and be grateful for the Nativity. But our remembrance of baby Jesus is centered around Christmas. That is why, on Christmas, we celebrate, remember, and express gratitude for the Incarnation and the Nativity of Christ.  

In this sense, Advent ought to be a time for us to await the future coming of Christ. Advent is the season to wait for Jesus who will come again according to His promise. What will happen then? On that day, our Lord will come again and proclaim the year of vengeance; and we will all be judged.  

This day, in short, will be the day on which all the time given us disappears. All the time given us will expire, and the end will come. Advent is the very season to deeply consider this day and look back on our lives.  

This is why during Advent churches traditionally light candles. Each week, churches light one candle more. The symbolism of the candle is twofold: first, it shows that Jesus came as the light of the world; second, it is a reminder that time is running out. Our time is melting away like the candles. The time given to us is decreasing even now. We cannot know when the end will come, but one thing is clear: the time until the end is slowly running out. All living things experience this decrease of time. The time given to me is also melting away.  

Then how should we view, and prepare for, the end of time? Advent is the season to ask this very question.  

This theme, the end of time, may feel distant to some of you. It may be easier to understand Advent by asking these questions: “What will happen to me at my very last, the moment I die? What will happen to me then? And what must I prepare for that time?”  

Men cannot live forever. The moment we are born, we embrace death. Each day, the day of our death draws near. The Bible says that on that day Jesus will judge us. Advent is the very season to consider this.  

Now that I have explained the meaning of Advent, let’s move to today’s Scripture.   

Today’s Scripture is from Matthew 25. This chapter contains largely three parables spoken by our Lord. At first glance, the three seem to be telling three different stories, but, in fact, they are closely intertwined. Furthermore, they are deeply connected to chapter 24.  

Let’s study today’s passage in relation to the structure of chapters 24 and 25.   Before teaching the three parables in Matthew 24, Jesus prophesied about the demise of Jerusalem with sadness in the last section of chapter 23:   

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate.” (Matthew 23:37-38 NIV)  

Then, in chapter 24, looking at the temple of Jerusalem, Jesus goes on to say:   “‘Do you see all these things?’ he asked. ‘Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.’” (Matthew 24:2 NIV)  

Then the story naturally develops into a discussion about the time and the signs concerning Israel’s fall.  

However, as Jesus talks about the demise of Jerusalem, He also talks about the end of the world.  

So the theme shifts to the day of His second coming:  

“Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:29-30 NIV)  

Then Jesus talks about the lesson from the fig tree.

Speaking about how we know that summer is near by the tender leaves of the fig tree, Jesus says that we must be able to discern the times and be alert:

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” (Matthew 24:42 NIV)
“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matthew 24:44 NIV)

Then comes Matthew 25, our text for today. So we can see that Jesus taught the three parables in Matthew 25 as an extension of the themes in chapter 24.

The first of the parables in Matthew 25 is the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Jesus recaps the theme of being awake by making a distinction between the virgins who prepared oil and the ones that failed to do so.

““Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matthew 25:13 NIV)

Then comes the Parable of the Talents and the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.

Matthew 25:31 reveals to us that these two parables are related to the second coming of Jesus:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.” (Matthew 25:31 NIV)

By looking at the structure of Matthew 24-25, we can confirm that the Bible is dealing with the theme of Jesus’ second coming and the judgement. Now, considering this structure, what is Jesus trying to say through the Parable of the Talents and the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats? Let’s take a closer look.  

The three parables in Matthew 25 all have different messages, but they work in harmony to emphasize their messages.  

First, the Parable of the Ten Virgins conveys this message in a lively manner: Have you prepared oil for yourselves? Are you ready to greet the Lord? These are the questions the parable asks us. Then what is the oil we must prepare? There is no need to interpret its meaning in a complicated, symbolic, or analogous way. The two parables that follow the first one reveal what that oil means. 

Then what are the messages of the two–the Parable of the Talents and the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats?   

Interestingly, the two parables contain the questions that our Lord is most likely to  ask us on the day of judgement. Each parable holds one expected question.  
What must we prepare for the day of judgement when Jesus comes? What will He ask us on that day and how will He settle accounts? What will be His criteria for judgement?   

Now let’s look at the parables with such questions in mind. First, the Parable of the Talents.  

This parable starts with the master entrusting his servants with different amounts of gold (or talents) as he sets off on a long journey. The first servant received five talents, the second two, and the third one. After a long time, the master returned and settled accounts with his servants.  

This is a foreshadowing of how our Lord will judge us on the last day.  

What message does this parable give us? We all have received talents, or gifts, from God. Some have received five, some two, and yet others one. As such, we have all been given our respective talent(s).  

The question is not why we have been given different amounts of talents. The point is we have all received our respective talent(s). On the last day, our Lord will return and ask us, “What did you do with the talent(s) I gave you?”  

This will be our Lord’s first question to us upon His return.    

This question may be connected to our very existence, going beyond the mere question of “What did you receive, and how much?” In other words, Jesus will be asking us, “What have you done with your life, your path in life, your unique gifts, and opportunities? How have you lived your life?”  

Dear friends, let’s assume we have been diagnosed with an incurable, terminal disease. We don’t have much time left to live. What would your first thoughts be? As you move beyond all sorts of emotions such as anger and regret, what will you ask yourselves as you wrap up your life?  

Have I lived a good life? Have I used my God-given talents well? Have I carried out the work that God has given me well? Wouldn’t we be asking these questions?  

The Parable of the Talents reminds us that on the day we stand before our Lord we will settle accounts with Him in terms of our life and God-given talents.  

What talents have we received? They may be wealth, fame, knowledge, character, personal tendencies, and health.  

They may also be various positions in life. Spiritually, they may be the positions of pastor, elder, senior deaconess, deacon, choir member, Sunday school teacher, member of the church council, member of the women’s/men’s evangelism group, members of the senior deaconess group, and all sorts of work that build up the church.  

Our God-given talents may also be a position or a responsibility at work or in society. We may be a firefighter, a police officer, a National Assemblyman, a president of a country, a CEO of a company, a doctor, a lawyer, a justice, a prosecutor, a pilot, a teacher, or a businessman.  

No matter what our position or responsibility may be, our Lord will ask us, “Have you used your talent well? Have you carried out the mission I gave you?” Therefore, preparing for Advent and the second coming of Christ is not about making special, out-of-the-ordinary preparations. It is to examine if we are faithfully carrying out our God-given work. By doing this, we are preparing the oil and awaiting Jesus’ return.  

The second parable is about separating the sheep and the goats. The parable goes like this. Jesus says that when the Son of Man comes again, He will sit on the throne and start His judgement. Just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, He will separate the blessed and the cursed. The parable explains the criteria for this screening.   

After setting aside a group of people to His right and giving them their inheritance, the King will say:  

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:35-36 NIV)  

But to the ones on His left, the cursed, He will say:  

“For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.” (Matthew 25:42-43 NIV)  

The two groups ask Jesus the same question:  

“When did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?” (Matthew 25:37 NIV)  

At this, Jesus replies:  

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40 NIV)  

After giving the above answer, Jesus asks this question to all listeners and readers of His parable: “What are you doing for the least of the brothers and sisters I have placed around you?”  

Jesus’ words are not just about the poor, the sick, and the beggars around us. He is asking us how we are treating, and living with, everyone around us. If we were to expand this question, we can say that Jesus is asking us, “How are you interacting with your neighbors, your colleagues at work, your family, and the needy around you? What kind of relationship do you have with them?”  

Let’s go back to my first question. If you were diagnosed with a terminal illness and had not much time left, what would your thoughts be? Probably, you would first ask yourself, “Have I lived a good life? Have I used my God-given talents well and faithfully?”  

Then your second question will probably be, “How have I treated my family? My wife, my husband? Was I a good wife/husband, a good parent, a good son/daughter? What kind of friend was I to my friends? How will they remember me? How will I be remembered by my housekeeper?”  

On the last day, our Lord will probably ask us this question: “How did you treat your neighbors in need whom I placed around you?”  

As I told you before, I was once waiting in line to check out at a drugstore. A woman in front of me was getting a large bag of drugs from the pharmacist. From her outfit, I could tell she was a manual worker. Taking her bag of medicines, she said to the pharmacist, “Please add this to my account. I’ll pay you as soon as I get my paycheck.” Hearing this, the pharmacist wrote something down on the ledger.  

Feeling a sudden desire to help this lady, I paid for her drugs as I checked out.  
About two months later, I happened to revisit that drugstore. The pharmacist, remembering me, said, “Oh, you were the gentleman who paid for that woman’s drugs the last time… She passed away a few weeks ago…”  

I felt grief, but, at the same time, I realized that I had extended her kindness at the only last chance given to me.

Today, as we celebrate Advent, we will also have a retirement ceremony for elders and senior deaconesses. The two, Advent and the retirement ceremony, have one thing in common: both are about the end.  

What question should we ask at the end? What will Jesus ask us at the end? What will our Lord ask us on this day as we retire from our God-given work?   What did you do with the talent(s) I gave you? What did you do for those around you, those in need, and the least among you?  

On the last day, our Lord will ask us these questions.  

May we consider our talents before the solemn calling of our Lord, who commands us to be alert, and may we consider those around us in this holy season of Advent.