Three Secret Commands in Matthew 25 - A bible Idea on Prayer

[jennifer_bloom]

In Matthew 25 - three stories are discussed: the wise and foolish virgins // the talents of gold // the sheep and the goats. ALL OF THESE REFER TO PRAYER

In the parable of the wise and foolish virgins when the five wise virgins brought oil but the five foolish virgins did not - it refers to prayer - prayer for the self that one may live a godly life and grow in insight and maintain their spiritual closeness with God. The five wise virgins refer to the first 5 of the ten commandments which cannot be kept without prayers to God. The next 5 foolish virgins refer to the remaining 5 commandments which do not require prayers to God to maintain and keep. So the 5 wise virgins acknowledged the God part of their lives by praying to him about it so they could maintain their relationship with God.

In the story of the bags of gold. A king goes on a long journey and gives his top servant 5 bags of gold and his medium servant 2 bags of gold and his weakest servant one bag of gold. The servant with 5 bags trades and earns 5 more. The servant with 2 bags trades and earns 2 more while the servant with only one bag hid his bag in the ground and did nothing with it. To me the bags of gold refer to the people of God since gold is a commodity of high value and nothing is more valuable to God than His people. The one who multiples the faithful receives God's blessing. The one who ignores the faithful receives God's curse and loses the ones he is entrusted with.

In the story of the sheep and the goats. I believe there is a spiritual symbolism behind it and not just the observable reality. Some are hungry for God, thirsty for understanding, sick in their emotions, imprisoned by their own fears, naked in their need for acceptance or strangers in their alienation to God's love. How you pray for those who are clearly hell bound and ignorant will determine how God treats you when you are hell bound and ignorant. So this last one is a call to pray for the lost.

In summary the oil is a command to pray for the self. The gold is a command to pray for the people who serve God that the faithful may grow in number. The sheep and the goats is a command to pray for the lost that they may find salvation and the kingdom of God.

[Titanic1912]

I love those stories that Jesus told that taught us very important lessons.

[Jjpayne]

Great focuses and summaries :)

[Jjpayne]

Thank you for the mho! :)

[ecfresh]

I was just discussing the parable of the talents a few days ago with a friend of mine and have a slightly different view. Talents in that time was another word for currency so I can see how you translate that to bags of gold. But talents has a duel meaning because God gives us all unique talents as gifts to live our lives. I see the purpose of that parable is to encourage people to use their talents to help others and improve their lives. But as you said the person who is lazy and doesn’t use their talents disappoints God. I see the reason Jesus shared this parable is to instruct people to work hard and take risks in life using their talents and help others. God doesn’t want His children to sit back and be lazy because they rely on God to provide for them.

[standardguy]

Well interesting. I see the ten virgins as the Christians at the moment before Jesus returns to earth as the husband to carry home his wife, the church. And the foolish virgins are those who did not improve their character to the example of Jesus by the Holy spirit until the return of Jesus.

[American_Centurion]

Great mytake

[mrgspoter]

Go away and learn the language it was written in, then talk about what actually was written not what they SELL to you please. then look at who written this and when. Or do u want to put your faith in people who made up good story's nothing like the original text, it's like why u use a cross when it's a X shape he would have been on. Do u know the true symbolic meaning of what u are worshipping? You know your upside down right.

[codyccc]

You do realize you're reading a traslation of a translation of a translation of a book that was written 125 after the events happened from a oral tradition

[OpenNudist]

To be perfectly honest I couldn't tell you. I've long since forgotten Bible School. LOL

[sensible27]

Your god is sometimes very evil. To some...

[not329446]

The sheep and goats are what, protesters 😅