“Be Ready”


BIBLE READING: Matthew 25
DISCUSSION                                                                              
Matthew 25:13 
If Jesus had told us exactly when He was coming, who would not be ready?  How many would try to lead sinful lives just before His coming and then change their lifestyles just before He returned?  This can be seen in so many ways in our daily lives.  If you are driving down the road and you meet a car whose driver is flashing his lights, you know there is a police officer up ahead waiting to catch us speeding.  We drive along and then see the officer just off the road ahead.  After we pass him, we’ll probably speed up again.
Since we don't know when Jesus is coming, we must always be prepared.  In Jesus' words, "keep watching and praying that [we] may not enter into temptation" (26:41).  Does this mean that we are to sit idly by, waiting and watching the heavens for the Lord's return?  There have been many over the years who have tried to predict when Jesus will return.  They all failed.  Jesus says in Matthew 24:36, "But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only."  This straightforwardly says no one knows the date of Christ's return except the Father.  If Jesus didn't know and the inspired writers of the Bible didn't know, then those who try to look for "clues" in the Scriptures are wasting their time.
Jesus knew that some would try to foretell His second coming.  To avoid this, He presented the Parable of the Talents.  The parable clarifies a misconception about the Lord's return.  Some early Christians apparently believed the Lord would return shortly after He ascended into heaven.  They gave up working and tending to matters of life to spend their time in continual prayer, study, and meditation.  The parable of the talents shows this to be inappropriate.


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