Mat 25:24 Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you that you are an hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not strawed:
Alternative: Then the one who received a single talent came and said: "Master, I have learned that you are cruel man, harvesting where you have not planted and pinching from what you haven't harvested.

In the Greek, this comes across as even more critical than the English translation. While clearly a servant who thought this way wouldn't speak his mind this directly, Christ uses this servant to express a common viewpoint about successful people: that they are practically criminal because their ownership of property gives them the ability to profit from the labors of others.

While we tend to think that this analysis began with Marxist "analysis," like most ideas, it has been around since the beginning of civilization. This perception isn't modern in any sense of the word. It is rooted in the most primitive of all thoughts, coveting your neighbors goods, wanting what others have.

It is no coincidence that here Christ portrays this viewpoint as that of the least capable servant. Christ has already made the point that everyone can prosper if they work, no matter how great or small their abilities. Now, he looks at what he see as the key reason that incapable people use to avoid responsbility for their situation. These people don't see wealth (or poverty) as the result of the previous work and judgments. Since they do not want to work, they only see wealth only as a way that others escape from doing work.

In this whole analogy, Christ is preaching against this idea of making judgments based on a snapshot of a specific point in time without considering what has happened before to create that situation and after to resolve that situation.

Consider how this parable begins: the master allots resources and responsibilities based on his judgment of the capability of his servants. Though the story doesn't explain the source of the master's opinion of their capabilities, the story illustrates the source of the master's judgment. He (and everyone else) judges others by the results of their actions.

The least capable servant doesn't want to be judged on the basis of his actions. He wants an excuse not to act so that he is not judged. Nor does this servant see the world as the result of other's judgments of actions. He doesn't see the wealth of his master as the result of other's judgments about past actions. Instead the poor servant doesn't even think about the source of this wealth. For the poor servant, this wealth simply exists out of nothing, as a sort of injustice. From his attitude, we can guess that if pressed, he would simply say that all wealth comes from a prior theft of some type.

Nor does the poor servant think of managing wealth, that is, resources, successfully as productive work. He sees it as something akin to theft: getting a return on the work of others. The servant misses the entire point of his master's test. He doesn't recognize how his fellow servants worked with the resources that they were given. In making good decisions about how to use that money, those good servants have provided resources that others needed to be productive. In return, the good servants have justly shared in the rewards of that productivity and been rewarded for their good management.

Since the least capable servant doesn't see this decision-making as productive work, he blames his master's hardness and cruelty for the poor servant's decision not to work with what he was generously given. This servant ignores the clear evidence of his master's generosity, the sum of money that he was given. Instead this servant prefers to see the productive management of this money as a form of theft and cruelty: the taking of what others have produced.

The again raises the whole issue of the "problem of evil," which I discussed in the last chapter. What people see as suffering is often a "slide of time" problem. Here, the poor servant sees his master as "hard," overlooking the generosity of being given the opportunity and resources to improve himself. People who have a problem with suffering must first ignore the infinite debt we have from getting the gift of life. There is a sense of entitlement here. Not only do I want life, I want a life without any demands on me. Putting demands on others is somehow seen as cruel. This is just telling God that his gift isn't good enough. Seems kind of stupid to me.

"Knew" is from gignôskô (ginosko) which means "to learn to know," "to know by reflection or observation," and "to perceive."

"Hard" is from sklêros (skleros), which means "hard to the touch," "unyielding," "harsh," "bitter," "austere," "cruel," and "stubborn."

"Reaping" is from therizô (therizo), which means "to do summer work," "to reap," "to mow," "to cut off," and, in Asia, "to plunder."

"Sewn" is from speirô (speiro), which means "to sow a seed," "to beget offspring," "to scatter like a seed," and "to sow a field."

"Gathered" is from sunagô (sunago), which means "to bring together," "to gather together," "to unite," "to draw together," "to narrow," "to pinch," "to conclude," and "to prove."

"Strawed" is from diaskorpizô (diaskorpizo), which means "to scatter abroad," "to squander," "to confound," and "to winnow."

Mat 25:22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, you deliveredunto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
Mat 25:23 His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you entering into the joy of thy lord.

Christ often uses the "pattern of three" to indicate the physical, mental, emotion cycle of development. However, here he uses the same rhetorical device to illustrate an critical point about this cycle.

Notice that the words of praise and the reward for the first servant in the previous verse and this servant is EXACTLY the same despite the difference in their abilities and responsibilities.
The physical reward are quantitatively different because their mental abilities are different, but the emotional reward, their place in the heart of their master is the same. Both of these servants get the different benefits of their abilities, but they have the same standing with their master.

Physical and mental differences are important in for allotting physical and mental responsibities, but they make absolutely no difference in the reward involved. When you work to your ability, you earn the same reward, both in how you feel about yourself, how others feel about you, and how God feels about you.

The vocabulary here is the same as the previous verse.

Mat 25:19 After a long time the lord of those servants comes, and reckons with them.
Mat 25:20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, you delivered unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you into the joy of your lord.

Alternative: After a much time the lord of those servants came and gather them together. And the served who had gotten five talents came up to him, offering the five additional talents saying: Lord, you gave me five talents. See, I have gained five more. His lord said to him: "Good [for you], wonderful and trustworthy servant: Since you have been trustworthy over a few things, I will raise you up over many things: rise up to the delight of your lord.

Christ applauds the idea of the rich getting richer. Despite the modern popularity of "social equality" Christianity among many, Christ himself taught something very differently. The rules of the universe say that those who create more value should get more in return, not only more rewards, but more responsibility as well.

As the last verse indicated that Christ didn't believe that all people started with the same abilities, here he indicates that those who work their greater abilities deserve more in return.

Though many today didn't understand the need for incentives or that people are naturally rewarded for better performance, Christ clearly did. This is may be why Christian nations who have followed the principles of meritocracy more than any other groups have been so relatively successful in creating better lives for everyone.

What Christ wants to see is peope "rise up," that is, improve themselves and improve their world.

"Come" is from erchomai, which means "to come" and "to go." It means "to set out" and "to arrive at." It is a little like we use the phrase "he is on his way,"or "to be under way," which can mean either that he is coming or going with no direct reference to the position of the speaker.

"Reckons" is from sunairô, (sunaeirô, sunairo) wich means "raise up together," "bind together," or "yoke together."

"Brought" is from prospherô (prospero), which means "to bring to," "to apply to," "to present," "to offer," "to contribute," "to pay," and "to bear in addition."

"Joy" is from chara , which means "joy" and "delight."

Mat 25:16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made [them] other five talents.
Mat 25:17 And likewise he that [had received] two, he also gained other two.
Mat 25:18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

Alternative: Taking only the five sums of money he received, one worked with them and produced another five sums of money. In the same way, the one with two derived a profit of another two. But the one who received one, went to dig in the earth and to hide the money from his lord.

Christ is emphasizing that idea that money need to be worked to produce something. Money is unique because it is both a product and a tool. In this verse, the money is worked specifically to produce a profit. In this, money is exactly like the grain of wheat that dies, producing a seed and then multiplying itself. Both the seed and money represent information that can duplicate itself in the right environment.

What is the right environment for making money productive? Christ makes it clear here that, unlike seeds, money does not reproduce itself by being planted in the ground, hidden. The hidden is Christ's constant symbol for the spiritual realm, the nature of God. God makes the seed grow hidden in the earth. However, God does not make money grow. The Greek word used for earth here (NOTE: Someday I will have to do an essay on the different Greek words used for "earth" and "world," which are used much more consistently to mean different things in the Greek than in our English translation.) is the one that Christ uses to refer to this planet and its nations in contrast with heaven or the rest of the universe. Christ usually uses the term for "field" which can also be translated as earth, when discussing planting.

The point is that you must WORK money for it to produce. This is an intellectual work but it requires real effort. You cannot expect to the hidden God or the worldly state to grow your money for you.

"Had received" is from lambanô (lambano) which means "to take," "to receive," "to apprehend with the senses," and "to seize." It is also specifically used to mean seized with emotion.

"Went" is from poreuô (poreuomai), which means "make to go," "carry," "convey," "bring," "go," "march," and "proceed."

"Traded" is from ergazomai, which means "to work," "to labor," "to work at," "to make," "to perform," "to work at," "to cause," and "to practice."

"Made" is from poieô (poieo), which means "to make," "to produce," "to create," "to bring into existence," "to bring about," "to cause," "to render," "to consider," "to prepare," "to make ready," and "to do."

"Gained" is from kerdainô, which means "to gain," "to gain an advantage," "to derive profit from," and "to save yourself from."

"Dug" is from orussô (orusso), which means "to

"Earth" is from (ge), which means

"Hid from" is apokruptô (apokrupto), which "to hide from," "to conceal from," and "to keep hidden from." It also means, interestingly, "to lose from sight."

Mat 25:14 For [the kingdom of heaven] is as a man travelling into a far country, [who] called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
Mat 25:15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
Alternative: For it is just as a man going abroad calls to his servants and bestows upon them their resources. And to one he gives five large sums of money, to another two large sums of money, and to another a single large sum of money; to each according to his personal capacity; and he [the master] went immediately abroad.

Again, Christ portrays God as a rich man who is going away. It his case, he is leaving his servants (us) alone with money to manage. It is interesting that Christ portrays the hidden God as distant, that is, in a far away place, rather than as simply hidden. The reason is that God is not only hidden, but he is keeping himself out of our matters, leaving us to make our own decisions. He is distant in the sense that he does not directly correct the mistakes that we make. We can ask God for help, but the answers are never going to be obvious. The purpose of life is for us to develop judgment, which we cannot do if we know that we are protected from making mistakes.

Christ also makes it clear that he doesn't think that all people are equal in ability, responsibility, or capacity. He makes it clear that people are given different skills and from those skills, deserve different amounts of resources. Those who want to believe that Christ was some type of anti-business socialist have to completely disregard Christ's words here where he specifically says that people have different skills and those skills given them different resources.

Interestingly, the word "talent" meaning "balance" or "weight" has also become a synonym in English for our individual skills. Both the "talent" used here in the original KJV, meaning a large sum of money, and our English word "talent" come from the exact same Greek word. This may be a case where the use of the Bible created our current meaning, since the amount of talents of money are so aptly connected to the amount of talent, that is, skill, an individual has.

"Travelling into a far country" is from apodêmeô (apodemeo), which means "to be far from home," "to be abroad," "to be on one's travels," and "to go abroad."

"Delivered" is from paradidômi (paradidomi), which means "to give over to another," "to transmit," "to hand down," "to grant," "to teach," and "to bestow."

"Goods" is from huparchonta, which is the past partiple noun form of huparchô, which means "to take the intiative," "to begin." In this form, it means, "that which is in existence," and "the past record." In this form, it means "existing circumstances," "present advantages," "possessions," "resources," and "future resources."

"Talent" is from talanton (talanton), which means "a weight," "a pair of scales," "a commercial weight," and "a sum of money." In Greek mythology, it was the scales on which Zeus balanced the fortuns of men. As money, the amount varied in different systems.

"Ability" is from dunamis (dunamis), which means "power," "might," "strength," "capacity," "faculty," and "the worth and value of money."

Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man comes.
Alternative: Wake up because you cannot see the day or the hour in which the son of man is on his way.

This connect the previous parable about the virgins to the story in the previous chapter (Mat 24:42) where Christ says that we do not know when we will be taken or left. Again, it is the hidden nature of God and our deaths that makes our choices throughout our lives as important. It doesn't matter where we start. The worst mistakes can always be redeemed. It only matter where we end. The problem is that we do not know when the end comes.

The idea is that we must work every day to make the most of what we have. This, of course, leads us directly into the next parable in which the virtue of making money is taught.

"Watch" is from grêgoreô (gregoreuo), which means "to be or to become fully awake."

"Comes" is from erchomai, which means "to come" and "to go." It means "to set out" and "to arrive at." It is a little like we use the phrase "he is on his way,"or "to be under way," which can mean either that he is coming or going with no direct reference to the position of the speaker.

Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Alternative: But as they left to buy [the oil], the bridegroom came and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage party and the door was closed. But later the remaining virgins came and called, "Lord, Lord, open for us." But he answered and said, "Truly I tell you, I cannot see you."

While the main lesson here is that we must be prepared at all times, Christ is also saying something important about knowledge, our entry into the kingdom of heaven, and our access to each. This is important because the light of the torches that are central to this story is symbolic of knowledge, specifically knowledge of what is hidden.

(NOTE: More and more in my study of Christ's use of words and symbols, I am making connections through other places Christ is translated as using a specific word. This is an increasingly interesting aspect of studying Christ's words in the Greek because so many of the distinct words use in Greek are lost in English. In the last verse here, for example, our English translation uses the word "know" for two very different words used in Greek.)

The word used for "shut" here is used twice previously. In Mat 6:6, Christ tells us to pray to God secretly with the door shut behind us. In this sense, Christ uses the term "shut" to suggest the hidden nature of God and of our thoughts, which are only available to God. However, in Mat 23:13, Christ uses the same term to describe the sin of the scribes and Pharisees: shutting up the kingdom of heaven by requiring too much of regular people.

So though in this analogy, though Christ as the bridegroom is closing the door on those who are unprepared, he is not doing it because he wants to make it difficult to enter into the party. As in the parable of the wedding feast earlier, when a man who is unprepared because he is without a wedding garment (Mat 22:12), there is a sense that those who are unprepared cannot be "seen." They are "hidden" to the universal kingdom in the same way that God is hidden from us. The term that the bridegroom uses here when he says, "I do not know you," means literally, "I cannot see you."

If we extend the analogy of the night and torches, spirits that are unprepared cannot see or be seen in the universal kingdom in the same sense that the spiritual cannot be seen in our world. In Mat 7:7, Christ tells us to ask and it will be given, seek and we will find, knock, it will be opened, using the same term the virgins use for "open." In that verse, he is telling us that we can learn about the what is hidden, what is spiritual in this world by asking, seeking, and knocking. However, here, the foolish virgins knock and the door is NOT opened. Is Christ going back on his word?

The specific problem here is one of timing. The foolish virgins had the light and were properly prepared, but they lost their light over time. When the critical time came, they were unprepared. We can see this critical time as our deaths or we can see it as any time in which we are tested. We cannot know the time of our deaths and we cannot know when we will be tested. In that time, when Christ comes to meet us, either to help us through a trial or to guide us in the next life, we have to be prepared to meet him. We have to have enough light in us so he can see us and we can see him.

Why is this important? Because we live in a world of time, unlike God, who is outside of time. If we ask in this world, we can begin to see what is hidden, but if we are unprepared when we need help, we cannot be seen.

"Buy" is from agorazô (agorazo), which means "to occupy a marketplace," "to buy in the market," and "to buy for oneself."

"Ready" is from hetoimos, which means "at hand," "ready," "prepared," "sure to come," "certain," "active," "zealous," and "bold."

"Door" is from thura, which means "door," "barrier," "gates," and "entrance."

"Shut" is from kleio, which means "to shut," and "to shut up." It is a metaphor for causing the heavens to withhold rain.

"Other" is from loipos (loipoy), which means "the remaining," "remaining over," and "the remaining."

"Open" is from anoigô (anoigo), which means "to open," "to throw open," and "to disclose."

"Know" is from eido, which means "to see," "to examine," and "to know." It is not from gignôskô (ginosko) which means "to learn to know," "to know by reflection or observation," and "to perceive." Christ uses both words, sometimes in the same phrase, but he uses them to distinguish between what we can know from our senses--eido--and what we can know from reason (ginosko).

Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, [Not so]; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.

Christ sharpens the line between the wise and the foolish. The foolish expect others to simply give them things. The wise will share what they can but also recognized what they need for themselves. They refer people to the marketplace for what they need.

Of course, in our age of retail stores with set hours, it may seem odd to send someone in the middle of the night to buy oil. In Christ's time, stores were not manned by anonymous employees. The oil-seller was simply a person who had a stock of oil and made it available for sale to others. While the oil seller probably wouldn't have been happy about being awoking in the middle of the night, it probably wasn't that rare of an occurrence given that people need light when it is dark.

"Gone out" is from sbennumi (sbennumi), which means "quench," "put out," "to be quench," "to be put out," and "cooling."

"Not enough" is from arkeô (arkeo), which means "to ward off," "to keep off," "to suffice for," "to satisfy," "to be enough," and "to endure."

"Go ye" is from poreuô (poreuomai), which means "make to go," "carry," "convey," "bring," "go," "march," and "proceed."

"Sell" is from pôleô (poleo), which means "to sell," "to offer to sell," and "to retail."

"Buy" is from agorazô (agorazo), which means "to occupy a marketplace," "to buy in the market," and "to buy for oneself."

Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Alternative: While the bridegroom took his time, they all dozed and slept. And at midnight, a shout came: See, the bridgegroom is on his way: go out to escort him. Then all the girls awoke and prepared their lamps.

Where are the girls coming from? Why did they go out to wait instead of waiting where they were for the announcement that the bridegroom was on his way?

This parable is an analogy for our lives. "Going forth" is an analogy for being born, coming into the world. The lamps are knowledge, and perhaps even more than that: they are our spirit, our purpose. In this sense, our purpose is not only to accompany the bridegroom but to light his way.

But our lives last more than a moment. We all fall asleep. We forget our purpose. In the last chapter, Christ warns us to be vigilant because we don't know when our time comes, but life is long. We are not awake every moment.

We do get our wakeup calls: a birth, a death, a near tragedy. All of these events bring us fully awake from our half-sleep. The death of my father, my cancer treatment, the more recent deaths of my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are all such wakeup calls. In those moments, reality comes into sharp focus.

Then, we try to prepare our spirits for our real job: meeting the bridegroom, meeting God.



"Tarried" is from chronizô (chronizo), which means "to spend time," "continues," "to take time," and "to linger."

"Slumbered" is from nustazô, (nustazo), which means "to be half asleep," "to doze," and "to hand one's head."

"Sleep" is from katheudô, (katheudo), which means "to lie down to sleep," "to sleep," and "to lie asleep."

"Cry" is from kraugê, (krauge), which means "crying," "screaming," and "shouting."

"To meet" is from apantêsis (apantesis), which means "escort," "reply," "conversation," and "steadfastness in opposition."

"Arose" is from egeirô (egeiro), which means "to awake," "to rouse," "to stir up" and "to wake up."

"Trimmed" is from kosmeô, (kosmeo), which means "to order," "to arrange," "to prepare," and "to equip."

Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five [were] foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that [were] foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

Since Christ specifies that that a marriage consists of one man and one woman, we know that the ten maidens are not the brides but rather the bridesmaids, sent to accompany the bridegroom to the wedding. Christ uses the wedding feast as a symbol for the rewards of the kingdom of heaven.

The dichotomy here between the wise girls and the foolish ones is typical for Christ's analogies, but most of his stories involve just two: a good son and a bad one, the person taken and the person left. Here a whole group of people are split down the middle between wise and foolish. The split is always even because we can all go either way, especially in cases where the choice is not between good and evil as much as wise and foolish. We are all capable of either.

Here, Christ equates intelligence with having foresight, preparing for an eventuality ahead of time. When they set out, none of these girls knew that they would need extra oil. However, some of them were concerned that they might. In Christ's eyes, this made them wise because life is unpredictable, beyond our control. We cannot assume that we know what will happen. Because we can't know what will happen, but we should expect that nothing will go according to plan.

"Foolish" is from môros (moros), which means "dull," "sluggish," and "stupid."

"Wise" is from phronimos, which means "in one's right mind," "showing presence of mind," "sensible," "prudent," and "possessing sagacity or discernment."

"Oil" is from elaion, which means "olive oil," "anointing oil," and "any oily substance."

Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Alternative: Then the kingdom of heaven can be compared to ten maidens, who to their lamps and went out to escort the bridegroom.

We have moved to a new chapter, but Christ's lesson continues from the previous chapter, where he was asked what his presence signifies regarding what he took to mean the purpose of things. The themes of this chapter continue many of the themes, symbols, and ideas from the previous chapter.

As developed in the last chapter, light is Christ's metaphor for knowledge. In choosing to make this parable about "maidens," Christ is saying something very specific about the knowledge we give the next generation as they go off to search for their goals in life. Here, that goal is symbolized by the bridegroom, which also is a symbol for Christ.

Since so much of Christ's teaching is about the cycle of development, it might be worthwhile to use this opportunity to think about how Christ portrays the human life cycle.

In Mat 18:3 and Mat 18:4, he says we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven. In Mat 19:14, he describes little children as like the kingdom of heaven. Interestingly, this previous verse is right after Mat 19:12, which Christ describes how the various ways men become eunuchs, incapable of fathering children.

Adults are usually described in relationships to the kingdom of heaven based upon their success in life. In Mat 20:1, the kingdom of heaven is comparied to a landowner. In Mat 13:45, it is compared to a merchant. And in Mat 13:44, to a treasure a man finds. However, in Mat 19:12, Christ says that being wealthy makes it harder to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Continuing this theme of success, the kingdom of heaven is often describe in terms of a king. Specifically in Mat 22:2 as a king arranging a marriage for his son. (However, in Mat 22:31, Christ says that in the afterlife, which may be different from the kingdom of heaven, there is no marriage.) In Mat 18:23 the kingdom is compared to a king taking account of his servants.

Finally, of course, in Mat 23:13, Christ says that religious leaders try to close off the kingdom of heaven to regular people. And as early as Mat 5:20, Christ says that we have to be better than these religious leaders if we are to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

"Like" is from homoioô (homoioo), which means "to make like," "to become like," "to liken," and "to compare.

"Virgins" is from parthenos, which means a "maiden," "girl," "virgin," "unmarried woman who isn't a virgin", "unmarried man," and as a adjective, meaning "maiden," and "chaste."

"Took" is from lambanô (lambano) which means "to take," "to receive," "to apprehend with the senses," and "to seize." It is also specifically used to mean seized with emotion.

"Lamp" is from lampas, which means "torch," "beacon light," "light," and any type of "lamp."

"Went forth" is from exerchomai, which means "to come or go out of " or "to come out."

"To meet" is from apantêsis (apantesis), which means "escort," "reply," "conversation," and "steadfastness in opposition."

"Bridegroom" is from numphios, which means "bridgegroom," "son-in-law," and "bridal."

Mat 24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for [him], and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Mat 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


Alternative: The lord of this servant will return on a day when he is unexpected and at an hour that is unknown and shall divide him in two and put his parts with the actors where [they] will whine and chatter their teeth.

The great thing about the Greek here is the idea of hypocrites begin punished by being "torn in two." Christ favorite criticism of religious leaders is that they are "actors," that is, hypocrites. They preach one thing and do another. They pretend. In Mat 6:24, Christ says that we cannot serve two masters. We put our trust either in God or our worldly life. The actors are those who try to pretend that they are one thing, when they are really another. Here, this servant is behaving the same way: pretending to be faithful only when he is being watched.

What we see as death, Christ sees as a return, a return of our Master or our return to Him. The question is what happens at that time: are we taken or let free, are we taken up or let down? I like the idea of actors, being torn in two, a fate matching their two faces. They are neither taken or left, but divided in two, torn apart.

On a more metaphysical level, I have mentioned before how certain statements by Christ seem to indicated that he taught reincarnation (one here). Another way to interpret being "taken or left" is the idea that some move on to a higher plane while others are reborn on earth. However, hypocrites have neither fate. Being torn in two, they are left out in the cold, in limbo, at least until the next age.

This again explains why God must remain hidden in our world if we are to be free and make our own decisions. If our Master was present and obviously watching, we would do what is right because he has power over us. Because we cannot see him, we are free to make our own choices, that is, to do good or ill, to serve others or take from them, to be productive or to be worthless, to improve our understanding of the world or to lose ourselves in empty distractions.

As I explain in a more detailed post, my sense is that Christ uses the phrase "weeping and gnashing of teeth" in same dramatic and almost humorous way that that we say in English "whining and complaining" or "bitching and moaning." The "gnashing of teeth" could indicate the chattering of teeth, conveying the sense that this person is tossed out "in the cold," except that Christ uses this same phrase in several places when people are "cast out," weeds cast into a fire, the unattired wedding guest out of the party.

"Come" is from hêkô, (heko), which means "to have come," "to be present," "to have reached a point," "to have come back," and "to return"

"When he looks" is from prosdokaô (prosdokao), which means "expect," "think," "look for," and "suppose."

"Aware of" is ginôskô (ginosko) which means "to know" and "to recognize." It has the sense of recognizing people and recognizing facts.

"Cut assunder" is from dichotomeô (dichotomeo), which "to cut in two," "to bisect," and "to divide in two."

"Appoint" is from tithêmi (tithemi), which means "to put," "to place," "to propose," "to suggest," and a metaphor for "to put in one's mind."

"His portion" is from meros (meros), which means "share," "portion," "lot," "destiny," "heritage," "one's turn," the part one takes," and "part" (as an opposite of whole).

"Weeping" is from klauthmos which means "a weeping."

"Gnashing" is from brugmos , which means "biting," "gobbling," and "chattering."

Mat 24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delays is coming;
Mat 24:49 And begins to smite [his] fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

Alternative: But if one, an evil servant, says in his heart, "My master is taking his time coming." And begins to beat fellow servants and to eat and drink among the stupified.

While Christ is predicting the end of the temple, the end of our lives, and perhaps in some sense the end of the world, the point is that we don't know when that time is coming. There will be false prophets who claim to know, but they don't know.

Like God Himself, the time of our deaths is hidden for a reason. God is hidden so that we can be free. His "taking his time coming" is one aspect of God being hidden. We cannot know when our death comes so that we have time to prepare ourselves beforehand.

As we discussed in the last post about the problem of evil, to be free, people must have a choice on how to act and their actions must have consequences. These consequences harm others and, in the pursuit of pleasure, people also harm themselves. Here that harm is illustrated by beating others and drinking until stupified.

Symbolically, Christ uses wine to symbolize the mental realm because it take knowledge to create wine from grapes. Here is one aspect of that symbolism: the fact that an excess of wine leads to stupidity.

"Evil" is from kakos, which "bad," "ugly," "mean," "craven," "base," "wrothless," and "evil." This is the Greek adjective meaning "evil," not poneros, meaning "worthless," whiich is the most common word translated as "evil" in the NT. In Matthew, Christ only uses it here and in Mat 21:41 describing those who took over the vineyard they were renting.

"Delay" is from chronizô (chronizo), which means "to spend time," "continues," "to take time," and "to linger."

"Begins" is from archomai, which is a form of archô, which means "to be first," "to begin," "to make a beginning," "to rule," "to govern," and "to command."

"Smite" is from tuptô (tupto), which means "to beat," "to strike," and "to smite."

"Drunken" is from methuô (methuo), which means "to be drunken with wine," "drunkeness," and "to be intoxicated." It is a metaphor used to mean "to be stunned" and "to be stupified."

Mat 24:46 Blessed [is] that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing
Mat 24:47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

Alternative: Fortunate is the servant whose arriving master shall discover him so prepared. Truly I tell you that he shall establish himself upon all his present advantages.

The message here is simple: we prove our worth by preparing for the worst and offering our support to others.

Recently, I was reading a ten part series on suffering from many different religious leaders. (One part is here, you can follow the links for the rest.) For all their long-winded philosophizing, most of these great minds seem to miss the point of human suffering entirely. Suffering has to exist for the world, for our lives, to have any meaning. For us to establish ourselves, as Christ says here, we must deal with the problem of suffering by offering our support to others (previous verse).

There are only two kinds of suffering: suffering caused by human misdeeds and suffering caused by nature.

Human caused suffering exists as a condition of human freedom. If human misdeeds did not cause suffering, none of our decisions would have any meaning. A "good" choice would be no different from a "bad" choice. In a sense, we would have not choices at all because every decision would have the same happy ending. Human caused suffering is necessary so our decisions have meaning. Eliminate human-caused suffering and our freedom is a sham. Our decisions would have no consequences.

This brings us to natural suffering: why does God allow death, disease, and disaster, the topics of this chapter? Because without natural suffering, we would 1) have no need for each other, and 2) have no need to learn about the universe, that is, the way God makes things work. We are born as children so we need our parents. We grow old so we need our children. We grow sick, suffer from starvation, and all the rest so we are forced to learn and grow. If we lived in Eden, where we had no needs, we would be stagnant. Natural suffering is our impetus to grow and develop and to think about God. If our every need was satisfied, our lives would have no purpose, i.e. telos, "end," the focus of this chapter.

Only because we are challenged by suffering do we have the potential of establishing ourself in the eyes of God. Only because of the potential of suffering, do we prepare ourselves with faith and confidence in the meaning of life. God gives us the desire for nirvana and then says, "Okay, now work for it! You won't ever get there, but you will do wonderful, wonderful things! You will sacrifice for one another and discover love and have make discoveries that will fill you with wonder! You will lose the ones you love, but in the process you will learn to feel. You will learn to care. Your choices will matter! Your life will have meaning. Reread the beatitudes with this in mind and you will see the connection between them and the idea expressed here.

"Blessed" is from makarios, which means "blessed," "happy," and "fortunate."

"Find" is from heuriskô (heurisko), which means "to find," "to find out," "to discover," "to devise," "to invent," "to get," and "to gain."

"Doing" is from poieô (poieo), which means "to make," "to produce," "to create," "to bring into existence," "to bring about," "to cause," "to render," "to consider," "to prepare," "to make ready," and "to do."

"Make him ruler" is from kathistêmi (kathistemi) which means "to set down," "to bring down," "to bring into a certain state," "to make," "to be established," "to be instituted," and "to stand against."

"Goods" is from huparchonta, which is the past partiple noun form of huparchô, which means "to take the intiative," "to begin." In this form, it means, "that which is in existence," and "the past record." In this form, it means "existing circumstances," "present advantages," "possessions," "resources," and "future resources."

Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has made ruler over his household to give them meat in due season?

Alternative: Who then is the faithful and prudent servant who his master has set over his other servants to give them support in critical times?

All the common translations sound a lot like the one from KJV, seemingly coming out of left-field. All these translation talk about feeding the household, but that really isn't what Christ is saying here if you look at the Greek. Instead, this verse is consistent with everything else he has been saying in this chapter.

This statement is a challenge to those who hear Christ's message about staying faithful during times of trouble. Not only do we need to hold to our purpose, but it is our job to help others by giving them support and sustenance in critical times.

Christ has used servants as a servant for people in this life many times. The master or lord is always God. Because God is "away," that is, hidden, we are the servants entrusted with keeping his property, which is all of the earth and all our fellow servants. Christ calls himself a servant and says that those who lead as he leads must serve others rather than rule them.

This verse echoes the entire purpose of our existence and the meaning of life, the essence of freedom and the value of our making our own decisions. If God lived among us, we would have no choice but to do what he wanted. The other "servants" wouldn't need us. God would make all the decisions. We wouldn't be free. We would truly be slaves (as the word here, doulos, really means).

However because God is the absent master who has left his servants in charge, we are free. We have to make decisions. We are responsible to our fellows when they need us. God didn't abandon us. He left us alone so that we can become more than slaves, so that we can make good decision, so we can help others. But it is our choice: it is never obvious and certain that we are being watched.

"Wise" is from phronimos, which means "in one's right mind," "showing presence of mind," "sensible," "prudent," and "possessing sagacity or discernment."

"Has made ruler" is from kathistêmi (kathistemi) which means "to set down," "to bring down," "to bring into a certain state," "to make," "to be established," "to be instituted," and "to stand against."

"Household" is from therapeia, which means "service," "attendance," "medical service," "care," and "a body of servants."

"Meat" is from trophê (trophe), which means "nourishment," "food," "that which provides sustenance," "provisions," "nurture," "rearing," and "education."

"Due season" is from kairos, which means "due measure," "proportion," "fitness," "exact time," "season," "opportunity," "time," "critical times," "advantage," and "profit."