There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, or the joy of your Master .

Matthew 25:1-30 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. ³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴ but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. ⁵ Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. ⁶ But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. ¹¹ Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ ¹² But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ ¹³ Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

¹⁴ “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. ¹⁶ Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. ¹⁷ In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸ But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

²² “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

²⁴ “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. ²⁵ And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

²⁶ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. ²⁷ Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. ²⁸ Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

²⁹ “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. ³⁰ Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

In Matthew 16:26 Jesus says:  What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  It is difficult, for we who are subject to finite time, to fully comprehend much less prioritize eternity. Yet, because even a full life lived here on earth, perhaps 100 years, is but a twinkling in the scheme of eternity, we should. In today’s text it says:  “… while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”   None of us know the day or hour when our finite time on earth will expire. Once it has, it will be too late to affect eternity.  What will we have gained if we have had all that the world has to offer, but forfeited our soul?

Some would say that this is all there is; that there is nothing beyond this existence; when our time is over it is over. In the text it says:   “…Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  There are eternal consequences for our decisions, our choices and how we live in the years we are allotted. We can either, enter into the joy of our master, or be thrown out, like the worthless slave, into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.    

For those who believe there is neither heaven or hell, eternity, not time will tell. But no one should be deceived believing that there is heaven and no hell.  The Bible is clear that both are real. People often question how or why a loving God would send anyone to hell or eternal punishment. It’s not God though who chooses for anyone. In this life we are not all given an equal chance to “gain the whole world.”  Some are born into wealth, while others live in poverty. Some have genius abilities while most have less. Some have tremendous abilities, while some are given seemingly little. The parable of talents teaches that it is not what we have been given that matters, but what we do with what we have been given. Each one from the one who has been given the most to the least, has the opportunity to succeed in God’s eyes and to secure the joy of their Master. John 3:16 says: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”    Every person has the same opportunity for eternal life, the ones who has been given little and the ones who have been given much, all have the same opportunity to enter into the joy of the Master. In John 14:6 Jesus says:  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”  Life may not always seem fair. We are all faced with many decisions each day that may have an effect on our future, but there is only one decision we can make that affects our eternity.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime; the opportunity to choose my eternal destiny. I believe in Christ. I choose to follow His way and truth. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I choose to use what You have given me for Your honor and glory. My greatest desire is that at the end of these finite days, I would hear the words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’  Amen.