“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’” (Matthew 25:21 NLT)

After Jesus described the events surrounding His Second Coming, He ended His Olivet Discourse by sharing four parables with His disciples. The parables continue the themes of punishment and preparing for the Master’s return. But each one adds a new perspective to the discussion.

The first parable, found in Matthew 24:45–51, deals with a faithful servant who manages his master’s household wisely while his master is away. The faithful servant cares for and feeds his fellow servants. When the master returns, he rewards the faithful servant by entrusting him with greater responsibilities. An evil servant, on the other hand, beats his fellow servants, parties, and gets drunk while his master is away. When the master returns, he punishes the evil servant.

The wise servant was faithful because he trusted that his master would return. That’s why he took his responsibilities so seriously. The evil servant acted wickedly because he had some doubts about his master returning. He chose to follow his own agenda instead of his master’s.

The second parable, found in Matthew 25:1–13, involves ten bridesmaids who go to meet the bridegroom at midnight. Five wise bridesmaids made sure to take enough olive oil for their lamps; five foolish bridesmaids didn’t. The five foolish bridesmaids leave to buy oil. While they’re gone, the bridegroom comes and escorts the five wise bridesmaids to the wedding feast. The five foolish bridesmaids are locked out. The bridegroom is Jesus. The five wise bridesmaids are followers who are prepared for His return. The five foolish bridesmaids are those who are unprepared for His coming.

The third parable, found in Matthew 25:14–30, deals with a master who entrusts three servants with money while he’s away. Two of the servants invest the money entrusted to them so that they have a return to show their master when he comes back. They are rewarded for wisely using what their master gave them. The third servant buried the money entrusted to him because he was afraid of losing it. He is punished for his foolish use of his resources. The first two servants knew and trusted their master. The third servant did not.

The fourth parable, found in Matthew 25:31–46, is set after Jesus returns to judge the world. He will separate the sheep, the people who accepted Him as Savior and Lord, from the goats, the people who rejected Him. The sheep, whose lives were changed by Jesus, cared for those closest to His heart—the poor, the needy, the outcasts. The goats, whose lives were unchanged, ignored those people.

Two thousand years after Jesus shared these parables with His followers, their truths still resonate. We don’t know when Jesus will return. But we have important responsibilities to fulfill in the meantime. Let’s make the most of our time by growing in our faith, encouraging and supporting our fellow believers, and sharing Jesus’ message with the people who need to hear it.

Reflection question: What do you take away from the last four parables Jesus shared with His followers?

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“Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, ‘Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?’” (Matthew 24:3 NLT)

The Jerusalem temple was a magnificent structure, one the Jewish people were exceedingly proud of. Jesus’ disciples were no exception. As they left the temple, they pointed out its beauty and grandeur to Jesus. His reply must have shocked them.

“Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!” (Matthew 24:2 NLT). Imagine how shocked the disciples would have been if they’d known His prophecy would be fulfilled in less than forty years.

On the way back to Bethany, they stopped on a slope of the Mount of Olives. The disciples’ curiosity got the better of them. “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” (verse 3 NLT). Jesus’ reply, which is known as the Olivet Discourse, takes up the better part of two chapters of the Gospel of Matthew.

Jesus revealed God’s future plans for Israel—plans that are also discussed in Daniel 9:24–27 and Revelation 6:1–19:21. He described the seven-year Tribulation period that will follow the Rapture, as well as His own Second Coming, which will end the Tribulation.

The images are disturbing—war, famine, earthquakes, and persecution. False messiahs and false prophets will lead people astray. Sin will run rampant. Love will run cold. Through it all, though, the Good News of Christ will be preached throughout the world.

Matthew 24:21 offers a sobering summary of the Tribulation, especially the second half: “For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again” (NLT).

When the suffering reaches its crescendo, “All the peoples of the earth . . . will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (verse 30 NLT). The King will not be riding a donkey when He returns. He will not be meek. And He will not come in peace. He will come to conquer evil once and for all. He will come to usher in His kingdom. He will come to pronounce judgment on this sinful world.

And to those who would try to predict the day of His Second Coming based on the signs and events He described, Jesus offered this reality check: “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows” (verse 36 NLT).

Jesus wants us to understand that His will is not for us to try to figure out the dates of these end-time events. His will is for us to be ready when they do occur—and to make sure that others are ready, too.

Reflection question: How can you help prepare others, especially unbelievers, for Jesus’ return?

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“When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.” (Mark 11:15–16 NLT)

On Palm Sunday, the people in Jerusalem mistakenly celebrated Jesus as the conquering Messiah, the King who would lead the Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire. On the following day, they got a glimpse of His true agenda.

After cursing the fig tree that produced no fruit, Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem. His focus was on the spiritual, not the political. Rather than worship or teach, however, He turned His attention to the money changers and merchants in the outer court. According to the passage above from Mark 11, He cleaned house.

The question is, why?

The merchants, the people who sold animals for sacrifice, served an important purpose. The temple in Jerusalem was the center of worship for all Jewish people. People traveled great distances to attend festivals and offer required sacrifices there. Those sacrifices often involved animals such as birds, sheep, goats, and bulls. Those who didn’t raise animals themselves had to buy them somewhere. And transporting them all the way to Jerusalem was a complication many wished to avoid. So the merchants who sold animals near the Jerusalem temple provided a necessary service. Of course, they made a profit. But they weren’t necessarily gouging their customers. At least, not all of them were.

The money changers were equally important. Many people offered money as sacrifices. However, the region of Judea, where Jerusalem was located, was under the rule of the Romans. The people who lived in Judea used Roman currency. That posed a problem because Roman coins were stamped with images of Roman rulers. And Roman people worshiped their rulers as gods. So Jewish people considered their images a form of idolatry—and inappropriate for sacrifices to God.

What’s more, the Lord said to Moses in Exodus 30:13, “Each person who is counted must give a small piece of silver as a sacred offering to the Lord. (This payment is half a shekel, based on the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs)” (NLT). The money changers at the temple exchanged Roman currency for Jewish half-shekel coins.

The problem was that the merchants and money changers were infringing on worship at the temple. Their booths were originally positioned outside the temple complex. Over time, however, they moved into the outer courtyard of the temple, the area where Gentiles worshiped. The merchants and money changers were misappropriating worship space for business. That’s why Jesus drove them out.

In Psalm 69:9, David wrote, “Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me” (NLT). Jesus showed His followers what passion for God’s house looks like.

Jesus prioritized worship. And He wants us to prioritize it as well. It stands to reason that He would react strongly to anyone or anything that makes it harder to worship God. We can embrace that same attitude by removing the obstacles that hinder our own personal worship.

Reflection question: How do you keep things from interfering with your worship of God?

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