In Matthew 24 Jesus speaks of the coming destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. It would happen about forty years after His death and resurrection, yet the details are uncannily accurate. He also continued to talk about various signs of the end of the age, or of His return. While the details seem to apply in some manner to every era of history the key truth for us is Jesus tells us to be ready. Being ready is a vital call and challenge for each of us as Jesus’ followers.
In Matthew 25 we read two parables about Jesus’ coming and one illustration of what will happen when He returns. The first parable is the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Each of the virgins awaited the return of a “bridegroom,” who is an image for Jesus. Five were wise, and brought extra oil, in case the bridegroom came later than expected. The other five were foolish and brought no extra oil. When the foolish virgins’ lamps went out, they went to look for more oil. That would have been impossible in the middle of the night. As they were out looking, the bridegroom arrived. The five wise virgins were permitted into the wedding banquet. This is another way Jesus said, “Be ready!” The second parable is often called the Parable of the Talents, because a master went on a trip and left his money in the trust of three of his servants. The measure of money was called “talents.” The master apportioned the money differently. One servant received five talents of gold, another two, and the third received one. We’re told the master did this to account for variations in their abilities. While the master was away, the first two servants worked diligently and doubled their master’s money. The third buried the money. When the master returned home, the first two servants were praised equally for their faithfulness and invited to share their master’s joy. The final one was condemned for being lazy and wicked and cast out into outer darkness. The point of the parable is not that we must work to be praised by God, but we must be faithful and ready when He returns. In the final illustration, Jesus tells us when He returns the people will be divided into two groups: the “sheep”, and the “goats”. The sheep are those who did Jesus’ will in small, everyday ways. The goats are those who did not. The illustration shows us Jesus values our daily efforts to meet the needs of His children, and rewards those who carry them out faithfully.
As we return to John 20, we read the account of Jesus’ resurrection. The key points of John’s account are: 1) Jesus appeared alive first to Mary Magdalene; 2) Jesus appeared to ten of the remaining eleven disciples (Judas had hanged himself) at one time; and 3) Jesus appeared to Thomas, who was missing during Jesus’ first appearance to the disciples, and Thomas fell before Him in worship. John tells us at the end of the chapter why he wrote his gospel: so that we might believe Jesus is the Messiah, and that by believing we might have life in His name!