Matthew 25: Separation of Righteous from Unrighteous

Matthew 25: Separation of Righteous from Unrighteous 

Collin Leong, 3rd June, 2025

(1-13)  Parable of the Ten Virgins

(1-5) Jesus said that at that time, the kingdom of heaven is like the ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. The five foolish ones did not take any oil with them. The wise ones took oil in jars with them. The bridegroom took a while to come, and they became drowsy and fell asleep. 

(6-10) At midnight, a cry rang out and said that the bridegroom is here and asked them to come out. The virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones ask the wise ones for oil, but they said it is not enough for all of us, and asked them to go and buy their oil. But when they were away, the bridegroom arrived and went into the wedding banquet with the five wise virgin. And the door was shut. 

(11-13) Later, the other five came and asked the Lord to open the door for them. But the Lord replied that He doesn't know them. Therefore keep watch, because you don't know the day or the hour. 

This is spoken at the same day as Chapter 4. Jesus' word "at that time" means that the kingdom in the last days that Jesus spoke of in the Olivet discourse. His topic is still the same, that they must watch as they do not know the day or the hour of his coming. The story is about the bridegroom has come back to his house, after receiving the bride from her home. The wedding banquet is held at the bridegroom's place. The "delay" is due to the groom's father to ask him to go and get the bride, after he has provide a place for them. However, whether he is early or delayed, we all must be ready. (See appendix for the Jewish customs on wedding.)

Note that this is not the same as Revelation 19:7-9, speaking about the wedding of Jesus and the Church. As there are no unbelievers or false believers there. So this parable is to motivate us to be faithful to Christ while waiting for His second return. 

The wise virgin represents the true believers, who are spiritually prepared for Christ’s return. They have oil in their lamps, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, faith, and readiness. The foolish virgins, on the other hand, represent those who profess faith but lack true spiritual preparedness. They have lamps but no oil, indicating an outward appearance of faith without the inner transformation of the Holy Spirit.  This is similar to the third soil, but the plant grew up with thorns, which choked with them. They are distracted by the world. This parable emphasizes the importance of spiritual readiness—not just claiming faith but truly living it.

(14-30) Parable of the Bags of Gold

(14-18) Jesus said it is like a man going on a journey, who entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold (or talent in NKJV), to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. The man with five bags or gold put his money to work and gained give bags more. The one with two bags of gold gain two more. But the man who had received one bag dug a hole and hid the gold. 

(19-23) After a long time, the master returned and settled the account with them. To the person who had gained five bags of gold, the master told him "well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (v21).  The master said the same thing to the servant who gained two bags of gold. 

(24-27) The man who received 1 bag of gold said to the master that he is a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. He was afraid and went out hid the gold in the ground. Then he gave the one gold bag back to the Master.  The Master criticize the man, calling him "wicked" and "lazy". He told the servant if he thinks this way about his master, then he should have put the money into the bank, so that he can receive the interest when he came back. 

The third servant thinks that his master as a "hard" man - that is, harsh and demanding. He thinks he wants results without providing effort. He was afraid that the master will be extremely angry with him if his investments went south. And even if he earns from his investments, the master will not reward him. So. to play safe, he just hid the gold. The master told him that even if he doesn't want to invest, he should put it into a bank so that the master can earn interest. 

The third servant has a wrong impression of the master. If I could counsel him, I would say:  "You see your master as harsh and demanding, expecting returns without effort. But is that truly who he is? He entrusted you with something valuable because he saw potential in you. He wasn’t looking to take advantage of you—he was giving you an opportunity to grow, to prove your faithfulness. The other servants understood this and embraced their responsibility with confidence. You, on the other hand, let fear hold you back. You assumed failure would lead to punishment, so you avoided trying altogether. But what if your master is not punishing failure, but rather punishing inaction? What if he would have gladly rewarded you, even if you had made only a small gain?"

(28-30) The master asked them to take the one bag from the servant and give it to the one with ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. He asked them to throw the worthless servant into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

"Whoever has will be given more" implies that if we bear fruits from what was given to us, such as wealth, talents, resources, opportunities and spiritual gifts, then God will give us more opportunities and more rewards. It's an upward cycle.  If we do not take any action or make any effort, then God will take away our opportunities to serve him. This is true in real life - the more we put in effort to serve God, the better (not necessarily financially, but also spiritually) we will be, and God will surely reward you in heaven. However, those that does nothing, even though they claim they are Christians, takes the risk of being thrown out of the kingdom of God. 

God, like the master, desires faithfulness—not perfection. He wants you to trust Him, to take risks for His kingdom, and to use the gifts He has given you wisely. He is not a cruel ruler who demands from you what you cannot give. He is a generous provider who invites you to be part of His work. Don't let fear distort your view of Him.

(31-46) The Sheep and The Goats

(31-33)  Jesus said when He comes again in his glory, together with the angels, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 

Jesus is mentioning a judgement for the people who are still alive after his victorious war with the antichrist and Satan and their followers (Rev 19:20-21; Rev 20:1-3). This event has been prophesied by Joel 3:1-2 that says “In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel ..."

All the nations will take it's turn to be judged, but I believe the judgement will supernatural and quick. He will separate the believers (the 'sheep') from the non-believers together and false-believers (the 'goats').

(34-36)  Jesus said that the King will say to those on his right (the sheep) that they are blessed by His Father, and ask them to take their inheritance and come into the kingdom prepared for them since the creation of world. For they gave Him something to eat when He is hungry; and they gave Him something to drink when He was thirsty; and they invited Him in though He was a stranger; and they gave Him clothes when He needed them; they took care of Him when He was sick; they visited Him when He was in prison. 

(v37-40) The righteous asked Jesus when have they ever provide these things to Him? The King replies and said that whatever you did these things for the least of these brothers and sisters of the King, you did it for Me.

It's clear that Jesus is the King, for He said that His father (God) has blessed the righteous ones. The are not righteous because of their good, but because they believed in Jesus and the forgiveness of their sins through His sacrifice on the cross. Romans 3:22-24 says "This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe..." . 2 Cor 5:21 says "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

The King also said that if we love and provide for the need of the people, including the believers, we are doing it for Him. This is Jesus' top priority, for us to take care of each other and to share the gospel to pre-believers, so that they can become a "brother" or "sister" to the King. This exemplified Jesus' love for everyone - the Agape love that unconditional and sacrificial. 

(v41-46) The King said to those on his left (the goats) to depart from Him, for they are cursed by unforgiven sin, and to into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. The King said that they have never given Him food, or drinks, or invite Him in, or clothes or take care of Him when He was sick or in prison. They denied this and said that when they saw His needs, they will definitely help Him. 

The King replied that if they did not do this for the least of these, they did not do it for Him. They will go away eternal punishment, but the the righteous to eternal life. 

Jesus said that the eternal fire, or hell, was created for the devil and angels. It was not meant for humans. It was humans who refused God for his gift of eternal life in heaven, and they end up choosing to go with the devil into hell instead. 

It also shows that they think they have helped others and proudly believe that they should go to heaven because they lived a righteous life. This is not the way God works. In Ephesians 2:8-9 – "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."  (Read Titus 3:5, Romans 3:28, and Galatians 2:16)

These 3 parables tell us that if we are not faithful to God and Jesus, we will be called unrighteous. Faithfulness and Righteousness are tied together. You cannot have one without the other. The sad things are those who think they are Christians but were not faithful or obedient could be false-believers. Many people we see in our church may not be there in heaven. We have to be careful that we are not branded as "goats" in the judgement. 

We need to be in the habit to help those who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, needing clothes, sick, imprisoned, etc. If you are not serving these people, you need to commit to God and ask for opportunities. God loves you so much that a simple prayer can make you a true and faithful believer. He will give you the promised eternal life in heaven, because the Son of God had sacrificed Himself for you.  

Appendix

Weddings in Jesus' time followed a two-stage process: betrothal and wedding celebration.

1. Betrothal (Engagement)

• The betrothal was a legally binding agreement, similar to modern engagement but much more serious.

• Families arranged marriages, often when the bride and groom were young teenagers.

• A formal betrothal ceremony took place, witnessed by others, where the couple was considered husband and wife—though they did not yet live together.

• The betrothal lasted about a year, during which the bride prepared herself for marriage.

• Breaking a betrothal required a formal divorce, and unfaithfulness during this period was considered adultery.

2. Wedding Celebration

• The groom is responsible to prepare a place for the bridegroom. Once he has done that, his father will ask him to go and get his bride. 

• The groom and his companions would process to the bride’s home, then escort her back to his house.

• A wedding feast was held, often lasting up to a week, with food, music, and blessings from family and friends.

• The bride and groom wore special wedding garments.

• The father of the bride would write a marriage contract, officially sealing the union.

• The couple would then enter the bridal chamber, where the marriage was consummated.