UNMERCIFUL SERVANT
UNMERCIFUL SERVANT
(CP Mt 18:23-35) This is also known as the parable of the unforgiving servant. It is only found here and was spoken by Jesus in response to Peter's question concerning forgiveness in V21-22 (CP V21-22). What Jesus is teaching us here is that forgiveness must be a constant attitude with believers. When Jesus told Peter that he had to forgive someone who sinned against him 490 times Jesus was simply underlining the fact that believers cannot ever afford not to forgive others, irrespective of how many times they sin against them. We are to forgive others as God has forgiven us (CP Psa 103:10-12; Mt 6:14-15). Forgiving also means forgetting (CP He 8:12). We are to behave toward others as God behaves towards us. If we claim to be His then we must have His disposition to forgive, even our enemies (CP Mt 5:7; Lu 6:35-36). Forgiveness is a matter of life or death for believers. If we do not forgive others neither will God forgive us. Jesus teaches us in this parable that the forgiveness of God, though freely given to repentant sinners, nevertheless remains conditional according to their willingness to forgive others (CP Mk 11:25-26). The judgement the king pronounced on the unforgiving servant is the equivalent of eternal damnation upon unforgiving believers, because God has forgiven their debt, so too they must forgive others, just as the servant could never repay his debt to the king, believers can never repay their debt to God. Forgiveness is a kingdom principle, and it is incumbent upon Christians to live out this principle in their Christian life. Christians have had all their sins forgiven by God, so they must forgive others in return.
LABOURERS IN THE VINEYARD
(CP Mt 20:1-16) This parable too is only found here. It is a continuation of what Jesus was teaching in Chapter 19. Jesus told this parable to illustrate the meaning of His closing statement in V30 there which He repeats in V16 here, but in reverse order to conform to the order in the parable (CP Mt 19:27-30). In answer to Peter's question as to what exactly could the disciples expect seeing that they had left all to follow Him, Jesus assures them that the blessings He gives will far outweigh any material loss they may suffer for Him. But in His closing statement that many that are first shall be last, and the last first, Jesus warns that not even those who have given up most for Him are to presume that the chief places in the future eternal kingdom are guaranteed to them, and then to illustrate the meaning of what He said, He told the parable of the labourers in the vineyard. Jesus teaches us in the parable that salvation is by grace alone, not by merit, and everyone who responds affirmatively to God's call to salvation will have a place of honour in the future eternal kingdom. Length of service has no bearing on it - new Christians in their service to God are just as important to Him as those who have served Him the longest. God is no respecter of persons (CP 23:12).
No one should feel superior because of position or length of service in the church. In the age to come many who held high office in the church and were thought to be great leaders will be placed behind others who held no office and were considered to be unimportant. In the future eternal kingdom every Christian will be treated according to how their works are made manifest at the Judgement Seat of Christ (CP Ro 14:10; 2Cor 5:9-10). Every Christian has to come before the Judgement Seat of Christ in the future eternal kingdom for their earthly works to be tried, and it is how those works stand or fall that will determine the Christians' position in heaven (CP 1Cor 3:11-15). God will evaluate every one of the earthly works we build upon the foundation of Christ, but only the works symbolized by gold, silver and precious stones will be able to withstand the heat of the refining fire. All lesser works, represented by the wood, hay, and stubble will burn up. Christians will not lose their salvation if this happens, but there will be a loss of heavenly rewards. The phrase that Jesus uses to close the parable, "... for many be called but few chosen," simply means that while God's call to salvation goes out to all of humanity, only those who respond affirmatively to the call and conform strictly to the conditions Jesus has laid down for salvation are chosen to inherit the future eternal kingdom. They constitute the glorious church, which is what God predestined before the foundation of the world, not the individuals themselves (CP Eph 1:3-5, 9-10; 3:1-11; 2Ti 1:1, 8-10).
TWO SONS
(CP Mt 21:28-32) Here Jesus illustrates for the Jewish religious leaders that the responsibility for propagating the Kingdom of God would be taken from them and given to the gentiles (CP V43-46). The religious leaders were like the second son in the parable who said he would go but did not. They were self-righteous hypocrites who not only would not enter into the kingdom themselves, but held others out who wanted to enter in. They had promised to do everything for God but when the time came they did nothing (CP Mt 22:1-7; 23:13).
LANDOWNER
(CP Mt 21:33-41) This parable of the landowner is also recorded in Mk 12:1-12 and Lu 20:9-19. Here Jesus demonstrates the response to His ministry by the nation of Israel. The landowner symbolizes God; the husbandmen are the Jewish religious leaders; the servants are the Old Testament prophets, and the son is Christ Himself. What happened to the servants in the parable is what happened to the Old Testament prophets (CP 1Ki 22:7-9, 13-14, 19-28; 2Chr 24:20-22; 36:15-16; Neh 9:26; Jer 2:30). The "other vinedressers" in V41 typify the gentiles who obtained the salvation that the Jews rejected (CP Ac 13:46-47). This is not to say though that there will not be a rebirth of the Jewish nation (CP Ro 11:7-11). There will be a rebirth of the Jewish nation when they repent of their unbelief and accept Jesus as Messiah (CP Zech 12:8-13:2 with Ro 11:23-28).
MARRIAGE FEAST
(CP Mt 22:2-14). This parable is only found here but its subject matter is similar to the parable of the great supper in Luke's gospel (CP Lu 14:16-24). They both clearly allude to the rejection of Jesus by the Jews and the grafting in of the Gentiles into the kingdom. The prophetic aspect of the parable of the marriage feast concerning the destruction of the city and the murderers of the king's servants was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. The Jewish leaders of Jesus' day were like the king's invited guests who refused his invitation to the marriage feast - they rejected Jesus and would not enter into the kingdom (CP Ac 13:46-48). The king having to turn to other guests both bad and good to take part in the marriage feast illustrates God turning to all men, and not to Jews only, to be a part of His kingdom. Notwithstanding though that anyone at all could take part in the marriage feast, those who did were under the king's authority and had to comply with the conditions of entry he had laid down - they had to wear a wedding garment, and they all complied with this condition except one man (CP Mt 22:11-12). In the Greek construction of this passage it shows that not only was the man not wearing a wedding garment, but that he had no intention of even putting one on. He wanted to partake of the king's provision, but on his terms not the king's. This was a gross insult to the king, accounting his authority for nothing. The man's punishment was to be cast into outer darkness.
Jesus is teaching us here that in the present earthly aspect of the kingdom of heaven there are many professing Christians like the man in the parable. They want to partake of the kingdom benefits, but on their terms also, not God's. They profess faith in Christ but are not yielded to the authority of God's word. Jesus said only those who hear God's word and do it will inherit the kingdom (CP Mt 7:21-27; Ro 2:13; Jas 1:22-25; 2:14-26). Only those who comply with the conditions God has laid down will enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who do not comply will be cast down to hell. Wearing the garment in the parable and being yielded to the authority of the king is symbolic of our having "put on" Christ - being completely yielded to Christ in continued obedience to His word (CP Ro 13:12-14; Ga 3:27; 5:24). If we have not "put on" Christ then we cannot partake of His kingdom benefits, and just as the man without a wedding garment in the parable could not partake of the feast and was cast into outer darkness, so we will be damned for eternity in hell.
TEN VIRGINS, FIG TREE, GOODMAN OF THE HOUSE, FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT
(CP Mt 25:1-13) This parable is only recorded here and is a continuation of Jesus' discourse in Mt 24 about the events that will take place on earth during the time of the Great Tribulation just prior to His second coming. We need to read at least part of that discourse to better understand what Christ is teaching here because this parable has been used down through the ages to teach many different things in the contemporary church (CP Mt 24:27-51). There are three parables included in these scriptures all pertaining to the uncertainty of the time of Christ's return: the parable of the Fig Tree (V32-33), the Goodman of the House (V43-44) and the Faithful and Wise Servant (V45-51).
The core teaching in all of them is faithfulness, preparedness and watchfulness in view of the second coming of Christ, and the same teaching applies to the parable of the ten virgins. The church is not in view in any of these teachings either in Mt 24 or Mt 25 - it is raptured, or caught up to heaven before the emergence of Antichrist and the onset of the Great Tribulation (CP Ro 5:8-9; Eph 5:1-7; 1Th 4:13-18; 2Th 2:7-9; Rev 3:10). But by way of application the teachings in both Mt 24 and Mt 25 are relevant to all believers in every age until Jesus comes back, whether in the air to rapture the church, or on land to defeat Antichrist.
The parable of the ten virgins has been used variously to teach among other things that there are two kinds of Christians - wise and foolish; the oil is the baptism in the spirit; the rapture will take place at midnight or in the middle of the Great Tribulation; only those baptized in the spirit will be saved; only those baptized in the spirit will celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb; the door of mercy will be closed to the Gentiles after the rapture and the five wise virgins represent the true church, etc, etc. The list goes on, but none of these teachings have any grounding in scripture whatsoever. They only detract from the real meaning of the parable - that of Christians always being in a state of readiness for when Jesus returns. The bridegroom's response to the foolish virgins' knocking on the door echoes what Jesus also teaches in Mt 7:21-23 (CP Mt 7:21-23). Not everyone who calls Jesus Lord will enter into the eternal kingdom of heaven - only those will who have prepared themselves for His return. The kingdom will not be open to those who profess to belong to Christ but have no divine resources within.