Matthew 25

Chapter Overview

What happens in Matthew 25

Continuing his Olivet Discourse, Jesus tells three parables about being prepared for his return: the Ten Virgins, the Talents, and the Sheep and Goats. Each parable intensifies the urgency of spiritual readiness, faithful stewardship, and compassionate service as the defining characteristics of those who will inherit the kingdom.

Scripture

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Study note

Five wise virgins bring extra oil for their lamps while five foolish ones do not. When the bridegroom's arrival is delayed and the foolish virgins scramble to buy oil, they find the door shut and hear the devastating words, 'I do not know you.' This parable warns that spiritual preparedness cannot be borrowed, improvised at the last minute, or taken for granted. The closing exhortation to 'stay alert' echoes the theme of readiness from the previous chapter.

1 "The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten young women took their oil lamps and went out to wait for the groom to come. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2 Five of them planned ahead, and five of them did not think things through. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 The five careless ones brought their lamps but forgot to bring extra oil. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

4 The five smart ones packed jars of extra oil along with their lamps. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 The groom took much longer than expected. As the hours dragged on, all ten women got drowsy and fell asleep. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6 Right in the middle of the night, someone shouted, 'He is here! The groom has arrived! Get up and go meet him!' And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

7 All ten women jumped up and started getting their lamps ready. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

8 The careless ones said to the others, 'Share some of your oil with us — our lamps are dying out!' And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

9 But the wise ones said, 'We can't — there is not nearly enough for all of us. Go find a shop and buy your own.' But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

10 While the five careless women were gone buying oil, the groom appeared. The five who were ready walked in with him to the wedding celebration, and the door was locked behind them. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11 The other five came back later and banged on the door. 'Sir! Sir! Please let us in!' they called out. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

12 But he answered from inside, 'I am telling you honestly, I don't know who you are.' But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

13 So stay alert and be ready! You don't know the day or the hour when the Son of man will arrive. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

The Parable of the Talents

Study note

A master entrusts his servants with different amounts of money -- five talents, two, and one -- according to their abilities. The first two double their master's investment and receive identical commendation: 'Well done, good and faithful servant.' The third buries his talent out of fear and is condemned as wicked and lazy. This parable teaches that God expects fruitful use of whatever he has given, that faithfulness matters more than the scale of our responsibility, and that fear-based inaction is never an acceptable response to God's generosity.

14 Here is another picture of God's kingdom: A man was about to set off on a long trip. Before he left, he called his servants together and put his money in their hands. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

15 He gave one servant five talents, another servant two talents, and the last servant one talent — each amount based on what they could handle. Then he headed out on his trip. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

16 The servant with five talents immediately got to work investing the money. He earned five more talents on top of what he started with. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

17 The servant with two talents did the same thing and doubled his amount too. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.

18 But the servant who got one talent went outside, dug a hole in the ground, and buried his master's money. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

19 A long time passed, and then the master finally came home. He sat down with his servants to review how they had managed his money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

20 The servant who had been given five talents came forward with ten. He said, 'Master, you trusted me with five talents. Look — I turned them into ten!' And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

21 His master beamed at him and said, 'Outstanding work! You are a good and faithful servant. I gave you a small responsibility, and you handled it beautifully. Now I am going to give you much bigger responsibilities. Come celebrate with me!' His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

22 The servant with the two talents came forward next and said, 'Master, you trusted me with two talents. Look — I turned them into four!' He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.

23 His master said, 'Outstanding work! You are a good and faithful servant. I gave you a small responsibility, and you handled it beautifully. Now I am going to give you much bigger responsibilities. Come celebrate with me!' His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

24 Then the servant with one talent stepped up and said, 'Master, I know you are a tough man. You expect to harvest crops you never planted and gather grain you never scattered. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

25 I was scared of losing your money, so I buried it in the ground to keep it safe. Here it is — every bit of it.' And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

26 His master shot back, 'You are lazy and worthless! If you truly believed I harvest where I don't plant and gather where I don't scatter, His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

27 then at the very least you should have deposited my money in the bank. When I came back, I would have gotten my money plus interest. Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

28 Take the one talent away from him and give it to the servant who has ten. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

29 Because the person who makes the most of what they have will receive even more — more than they can handle. But the person who wastes what they have will lose even that. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

30 Now throw that useless servant outside into the darkness.' That is a place of weeping and grinding of teeth. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Sheep and the Goats

Study note

In this climactic vision of final judgment, the Son of man separates all nations as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The criterion of judgment is startlingly concrete: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and imprisoned. Jesus identifies himself with 'the least of these,' declaring that service to the vulnerable is service to him personally. This parable establishes that genuine faith inevitably produces practical compassion and that indifference to human need is indifference to Christ himself.

31 When the Son of man arrives in all his glory, every holy angel will be with him. He will sit down on his glorious throne. When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 Every nation on earth will stand before him. He will sort people into groups. It will be like a shepherd sorting sheep from goats. And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 He will put the sheep on his right side and the goats on his left. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then the King will say to the people on his right, 'Come! You have my Father's blessing. Step into the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world even existed. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 When I was hungry, you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me water. When I was a stranger with nowhere to go, you brought me into your home. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 When I had nothing to wear, you gave me clothes. When I was sick, you came and sat with me. When I was locked up in prison, you visited me.' Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 The good people will be confused and ask, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? When did we see you thirsty and give you a drink? Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When did we see you as a stranger and take you in, or see you without clothes and dress you? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and come visit you?' Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 The King will answer, 'I tell you the truth. You were kind to one of these forgotten people. You did it for me.' And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then he will turn to the people on his left and say, 'Get away from me, you cursed people. Go into the fire that burns forever, the one that was made for the devil and his angels. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 Because I was starving, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was dying of thirst, and you gave me nothing to drink. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and you turned me away. I was naked, and you did not clothe me. I was sick and in prison, and you never came to check on me.' I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 They will protest, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry, thirsty, homeless, naked, sick, or in prison, and not help you?' Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 The King will answer, 'I tell you the truth. You refused to help one of these forgotten people. You refused to help me.' Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 Then those on the left will go away to be punished forever. But the righteous will enter into life that lasts forever." And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Key Themes

Themes in Matthew 25

Spiritual preparednessFaithful stewardshipAccountability at judgmentCompassion as evidence of faithChrist identified with the poorEternal consequences

Apply This Today

Living Matthew 25

These three parables leave us with an inescapable question: what am I doing with what God has given me? The ten virgins warn against complacency, the talents challenge us to invest our gifts boldly rather than hiding them in fear, and the sheep and goats reveal that the true test of faith is how we treat the most vulnerable people around us. Look for someone in need today -- hungry, lonely, sick, or struggling -- and serve them as though you were serving Jesus himself, because according to his own words, you are.

Go Deeper

Study Matthew in Covenant Path

Read every chapter with study aids, bookmarks, and daily reading plans — free in the app.

Download for iOS Download for Android

← Matthew 25 →