Responsible Grace
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Matthew 25:1, 14, 31–32 ESV
These three parables are told by Jesus in Matthew 25, possibly during the last week of His life. All three of them culminate in a message of doing good work that the Lord gives us to do. They each have a slightly different emphasis, result, and message, but there is no mistake that they go together. This was a teaching technique that Rabbi’s used in Jesus day. They would tell three parables in a row to point to a concept or a thing that they were trying to teach.
In this trilogy of parables, Jesus talked each time about the Kingdom of heaven being like a master that has been in a place, leaves the place, and comes back. Upon coming back, there is an accounting to be given for what was done while the master was gone. There is an accounting to be given for what the master left behind.
Since the book of James, there has been controversy on what kind of works the church must do. This got magnified during the Protestant Reformation as men began to champion “by faith alone, by grace alone” in response to the corrupt church’s handling of indulgences and works. Martin Luther didn’t even want Hebrews, James, Jude, or Revelation in his Bible.
So it goes without saying that we are still trying to figure this stuff out. The good news is, solving the controversy isn’t the main point. The issue is never the issue. The issue is what are we going to do about Jesus? He told three parables that all relate to responsibility and then at the last supper said that HE is the covenant and that HE is pouring out His blood for us. If you keep it simple, it stays obvious. Christ died for our sins, and now while He is away, He wants us to do stuff.
Ask the Lord today what work He would have you do. Read the end of Matthew 25 if you need a list of options. He is coming back, and it’s going to be quite a meeting.