Pastor Steve

The first clear lesson from the three parables in Matthew 25 is that there will be a future day of reckoning for all people. That is obvious. Yet it must be stressed, if only because people usually think the opposite. Jesus spoke of judgment being obvious. It was not even open to debate. But the…

The difference between the wise women and foolish women (Matthew 25) was revealed by the coming of the bridegroom. That is, it was revealed in the crisis moment. During the days before the wedding or the night leading up to the start of the feast, few would have noticed that five women had adequately prepared…

“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, ‘Tell us,’ they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ …Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you… then the end will come’ ” (Matthew…

The parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 is a masterpiece. It is realistic in its details and poignant in application, and the deeper a person explores it, the more profound its lessons become. Jesus tells about ten young women who are invited to a marriage feast. Five are wise and five are foolish.…

Keep watch and be ready! Perhaps you think we overdid that point in recent articles? But I cannot have overdone it since in Matthew 25 (the next chapter) Jesus continues His teaching on the Mount of Olives by adding three more parables that also warn us to watch and be ready. The first is the…

The pictures in Matthew 24 stress the sudden nature and unpredictability of Christ’s return. The picture of the flood reminds us that many persons will be lost. The picture of the two men working in the fields and the two women grinding at the mill points to a radical separation and reminds us that we…