I have to remind myself that, if I call myself a follower of Jesus, then especially in these last few chapters, he is talking to me.
Remember the scene.
He is not in the Temple. He is not with the crowds. He is sitting on the Mount of Olives, privately, with his disciples (24:3). He has not yet washed their feet. He has not yet celebrated the Passover.
No, he has come out of an intense time of being face-to-face with the religious—you know, those folks who are supposed to be telling everyone about God.
Thumb back through your bible to chapter 21. A mere 12 verses in and he is cleansing the Temple. The next day he is back at the task. And from chapter 21 verse 23 through chapter 23, he is engaged in one of his most extreme confrontations with those in charge.
His disciples, after all of that, still praise the Temple (24:1). I wonder if that triggered this long and private teaching series.
I wonder if Jesus was saying, “Don’t worship your church, and especially don’t worship its building.”
It is not that these organizations, and the buildings, are bad. Afterall they were formed by God’s people, and the buildings were in fact dedicated to God. Yet history proves that humans have this tendency to turn inward.
Jesus in chapter 24 emphatically tells them that this world is coming to an end—so don’t focus on “this world” things. In chapter 25 he is now telling them to be ready.
I write all of that to remind myself—Jesus is talking to me.
The end of the world has not yet happened—and Jesus has two points.
First, there will come a time when it will be too late for me. Second, do not squander the investment he has made in me. Let’s look at each.
In the parable of the Ten Virgins it is clear. They are part of the wedding invitation. They are, you might say, members of the church. They have heard the Name of Jesus. They think of themselves as “in”.
Yet Jesus, by this parable, points out that church membership is not what is key. Association is not what you need. No, the last day is coming. Be prepared for His return. Am I?
Returning to the second point, I am not to squander what Jesus has invested in me. In the parable of the Talents there is again great clarity. Faithfulness to the absent Master, who has invested in those he left behind, is tested. Have they used what he invested in them?
What is the investment Jesus has made in me? It is first that, by His grace alone, I know him. All of us come to a knowledge of God through Jesus and the action of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who moves toward us. He is the one who invests Himself in us.
Check out these Eight Verses about how Christ is in us with one-click here.
These two parables at first blush seem severe. The image of Jesus is not the “soft and cuddly” Jesus carrying a little lamb. It is Jesus, about to go to the Cross, determined to get us to listen.
The battle for our souls is afoot. The Son of God is about to defeat the power Satan has over this world. It is terribly serious.
Jesus is not asking me to be morbid. He is challenging me to use that which He has invested in my, his very self—and to be ready.
How about you?