"THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"

Chapter Twenty-Five

Jesus continued His discourse on the Mount of Olives with two parables illustrating the need to be prepared and productive: 1) the wise and foolish virgins (1-13), and 2) the talents (14-30). He concluded the discourse by predicting His judgment of the nations on how they treated His brethren (31-46).

POINTS TO PONDER
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  1. What are the main points of this chapter?
    - Parable of the wise and foolish virgins - Mt 25:1-13
    - Parable of the talents - Mt 25:14-30
    - The judgment of the nations - Mt 25:31-46
  2. What parable illustrates the importance of being prepared? (1-13)
    - The parable of the wise and foolish virgins
  3. Why is it imperative that one always be prepared? (13)
    - "for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."
  4. Which "coming" is Jesus talking about? (13)
    - Either His coming in judgment on Jerusalem or His Second Coming, possibly both
  5. What parable illustrates the importance of being productive? (14-30)
    - The parable of the talents
  6. Based on this parable, what does Jesus expect of His disciples? (15, 21,26-27)
    - To use what "talents" we have to the best of our ability and opportunity
  7. In the judgment depicted, who is being judged? On what basis? (32, 40,45)
    - All the nations; their treatment of Jesus' brethren (His disciples)
  8. Where is there a similar judgment portrayed in the Old Testament?
    - Joel 3:1-2,12-14, in which nations are judged based on their treatment of Israel
  9. Even if such "judgments" are limited to the nations, what do they foreshadow?
    - The coming of the Lord to judge all men at the end of time, cf. Ac 17:31; 2Co 5:10
  10. How are punishment and reward described in this chapter? (34,41,46)
    - The righteous: inherit the kingdom, go away into eternal life
    - The wicked: into the everlasting fire, go away into everlasting punishment