Today we are going to continue this series on
Gleaning from the Kingdom Parables before the Harvest (Part 2)
As we enter the summer months, we mark how God gave mankind this time for crops to mature before the harvest, so too did He give us comparisons in His festival season to our personal growth.  We look to scripture for clues on how that growth should manifest itself and one area that is ripe with understanding are the Kingdom Parables.  Scripture specifically given to His called out ones to prepare them for the Kingdom of God and whose meaning was deliberately hidden from the rest of the world.  We are looking at each of these to glean what understanding which may have been missed in our previous examinations of these passages.  With so important a topic as preparing the saints for the Kingdom of God there is most certainly fruit left on the vine for us to glean from during this time of accelerated growth.
Last time we looked at the first four parables in Mathew 13.  In the Parable of the Sower we reminded ourselves that we cannot judge everyone we witnessed leave the faith as we do not know which seeds were sown on the wayside or on rocky ground.  But we also reminded ourselves for us to be here for so long means that we were sown in good soil and we are expected to grow and not allow ourselves to be choked out by the weeds representing the cares of this world.

In the Parable of the Tares we looked at the fact that we have all known of bad examples in the faith.  Some in leadership positions, some in congregations we might have attended.  The Parable states they will be with us until the return of Christ and until that time we cannot let any tear, distract us from the prize.  No tear will cause us to quit, no bad apple will cause us to lose faith, and no one, will stand between us and God.

We also looked at the parables of the Mustard seed and of Leaven to give us perspective and scope of the kingdom of God.  That the kingdom starts very small, hardly noticed by anyone and will someday grow to fill the entire creation.  We are at the ground floor of the mighty work and we need to appreciate that God has called us now and that He has great faith in our participation of the kingdom at this early phase.

We continue on now with the fifth parable starting in Matthew 13 and verse 44.  Now when we left off at number 4 we saw that Jesus had sent the crowds home.  And that this next section was given inside the house just to disciples.   While this may, in fact, be true, we also have the possibility that just as we read last time that Mathew interjected the explanation of the parable of the sower during the time He was giving the other parables, so too could he have given all 7 and then dismissed the crowd.  Expositors makes note of this possibility but puts its weight behind the idea that these last 3 were given after the crowd was dismissed.

While I don’t know for sure It seems to me that these last three work to build on the idea of how the disciples should appreciate the kingdom which would capstone the lessons he gave earlier.   Add to that the final question he asks in verse 51 about their comprehension and then sums up these by comparing them to hidden treasure seems to confirm that these were given just to the disciples later.

So as we start in verse 44 of Matt. 13 we see that the 5th and 6th are linked by a common thread just as the 3rd and 4th were linked (remember mustard seed and Leaven).  Let’s read them together and then we will see what they have to teach us.

5. The Parable of the hidden Treasure Hidden
Matthew 13:44  " Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 

6. Parable of the Pearl of Great Price
Matthew 13:45-46   45 " Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,  46 "who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

So these two are linked in that they both give the reader an understanding of not only the value of the Kingdom but discuss what our attitude should be about obtaining the Kingdom.  Treasures and gems are objects that we can relate to in this life.  Add to that that we have been called to a life of sacrifice and you can draw a number of conclusions from these two short parables. 

We give up a lot to follow Jesus Christ.  But we know that that this sacrifice is small in comparison to what we are to receive at His return.  What is a treasure or Gem really worth?  Have you ever dreamed of finding buried treasure?  Most have and the reality is that if you took a million people and told them to go dig for treasure you might and I would stress might have one that actually stumbles across anything valuable.  But we have been called and given a treasure map of the Kingdom of God.  A book that lists the paths and conditions were we can find our way to the kingdom.  Even though the book is out there in plain sight, The kingdom remains a mystery until the return of Christ.  But to us is given the knowledge of this mystery hidden from everyone else.  We simply need to have the attitude that these parables teach.  That we would want it so much that all else in this life pale in comparison and we dedicate our lives now to achieving it.

I have known many people that have given up looking for this kingdom because the wealth that can be found in fame or personal fulfillment in either job or spouse have proven greater to them. 

It’s like the old adage; a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.  But what God is promising is not simply double what we can achieve in this world, but a treasure so great it cannot be counted in a lifetime.  The only problem is we have to want the treasure that we have to wait and grow towards more than anything in this life.  The two parables talk of selling everything we own. 

One final thought was that some have looked at these two and compared Jesus’s approach to the kingdom and His value in it where He did give up everything, including His very life to purchase us by His blood to be a part of that kingdom.  Remember that God’s kingdom is there whether or not we are a part of it but God’s love for us was great in that he suffered so much that we could be a part of it.
7. Parable of the Fishing Net
 
Matthew 13:47-50   47 " Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,  48 "which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  49 "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just,  50 "and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."    51 Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  52 Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."
 
As we close this section of 7 parables we again go back to this idea that not everyone who is called will be chosen.  There will be tares, there will be those that let the riches of this life cloud their vision from seeing the riches of the Kingdom of God.  The warning here is that we might not be able to tell one from the other.  Is someone really turning their life over to God and letting Jesus Christ live in them?  Although we might not know and have not been called to condemn others in this life, we need to be sober and stay close to God.  The Angles will have no trouble distinguishing good from bad when the time comes.  
Mathew 7 reminds us that there will be those that will try and distract us and turn us to their glory and not Gods.  And like the parable of the tares and fishing net, they will be dealt with.  Our instruction is to not be turned away by them. 
 
Matthew 7:15-23   15 " Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  16 "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  17 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  18 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  20 "Therefore by their fruits you will know them.  21 " Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

It is really important to learn to distinguish good fruit from bad.  If you believe someone to be telling you a truth but in the process of following that person so many have their faith destroyed you have to look at that fruit and realize that that is not God’s way.  Every time there has been a split the two groups added together do not add up to the whole before the split.  It's one thing when someone tried to tell you things that you have proven by God’s Holy Spirit are not true like when some in the church tried to say the Sabbath and Holy Days could be replaced by any kind of worship.  This did not fly in Ancient Israel and it won’t fly now.

But many times I see a church split is not over issues such as these,  It is over authority, leadership, or some truth that was discovered by one side but not understood by the other. 
Acts 20:28-30   28 "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.  29 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  30 "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.

So this ends this section of Parables.  The themes we covered in these seven parables are these;
1. Our need to grow toward God’s Kingdom
2. Our need for appreciation for seeing the Kingdom at the beginning
3. Our need to stay the course and not be distracted with a sobering reminder if we give up.

As we move forward I want to continue to build on the foundation of these parables and delve into deeper and more complex topics.  We have been called to a magnificent and important role in the kingdom and we often give lip service to the notion that we are preparing to be kings and priests in that Kingdom.

A Resume
If you had to prepare a resume to give to God and actually apply for the position of sons or daughters of the Kingdom how would you go about it?  Unlike a regular resume where you tell them how qualified you are for the job and give all your experiences that earns your placement within the organization; we cannot earn the kingdom as it is a gift of God.  But if we are to be preparing to rule with Christ, what are we doing in this life to prepare us for that future?  What would we be able to put down in a resume that would state the education, life experience, service and work we have done to prepare us for the duties ahead? 

I have had this discussion with people before and it is interesting to me how many have said that we will get our training later.  David was a shepherd and that was a huge teacher in being King.  He learned how to lead people by leading sheep.  We too are here to learn from the trials of this world and use that experience to ready us for the future.

We can take our many life experiences and apply them to these parables and see if we are on the right track or if we are missing the mark.  As we go forward we will look at some that we can directly relate to.  Others will take some explaining to see how it relates to us.  We are going to continue in where we left off last time.   Last time we read primarily from Matthew.  Today we are going to start in Luke.

In Luke 13 we find the parallel passage of the section we read in Matthew 13.  At the end of the chapter we see that some Pharisees warn Jesus of Herod’s plan to kill Him and so Jesus departs from there.  In chapter 14 we pick up the story with some other Pharisees that were keeping an eye on the fact that He healed someone on the Sabbath and although they remained silent you can only guess what was going on their heads.

After stumping them on what they should do Jesus launches into a couple of Parables that on the surface do not have the same formula as the previous ones we have covered.  They do not start with “The kingdom is like” as he is trying to teach them a lesson in humility but the subject matter being a wedding feast gives one definite appearance to be referring to the Kingdom and so we will pick up the story here.
Parable of the Wedding Feast
 
Luke 14:5-35   5 Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"  6 And they could not answer Him regarding these things.  7 So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:  8 "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him;  9 "and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.  10 "But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.  11 "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

So here is a lesson that on the surface is aimed straight at the Pharisee’s there.  Now we don’t know that these are evil men and from the way they reacted when he schooled them about the Sabbath, it appears that they were keeping an open mind.  But that doesn’t mean that they didn’t have class issues where they paraded themselves above others.  We see a lesson in humility here that goes beyond simply wanting the correct these men.  This is apparent as you keep reading.
 
 12 Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  13 "But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  14 "And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  15 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"
 
So we see this is more than just a lesson in being polite.  Here Christ is making a direct comparison with their current practice with that of what should be in the Kingdom of God.  At the end we see someone maybe a disciple or maybe one of the Pharisees catching the reference to the Kingdom of the God.  As Christ continues with another parable comparing those in this world that have been called but have turned their backs.  This could be a condemnation of Israel from the Old Testament, the Jewish leaders of Christ’s time or it could be both of them but either way we will see how this parable can apply to us as well as we again can compare this parable with parallels to the wedding supper yet to come.
Continuing on to verse 16.
 
16 Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,  17 "and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'  18 "But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.'  19 "And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.'  20 "Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' 
 
Think back to the Parable of the Sower.  In that we saw that the thorns represented the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches.  But here we see things from the perspective of those that were choked out.  These are the feeling of those that decided that this world held more for them in this life than the promise of the life to come.  Here we can hear some the excuses that we have heard even from our own lips about why we don’t do this or that.  Why we don’t live up to the promise of our calling. 

Its one thing to know that some will be choked out but the thorns of this life, its quite another to begin to relate to some aspect of those people.  If we find that we have some of these tendencies we should have a proper fear of what this could lead to if we are not on our guard.
 
21 "So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  22 "And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  23 "Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  24 'For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.' "

It is frightening in deed to think about someone who would turn his back on this great calling.  This next section sums up what these parables are getting to.  It starts with a very familiar passage that we have quoted hundreds of times before.  But notice that this passage is told to a great multitude that were following Jesus to hear all of these parables.
 
 25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them,  26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  27 "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 

Now you have heard this passage quoted many times and we know that it is talking about loving God more than anyone in this lifetime.  It is not dealing with hate at all but in where our heart really is.  We really begin to see what Jesus is getting at when we go into this next parable which is the Parable of counting the cost.

No one should realize more than us what we have been called to.  We often focus on the life to come but then forget that this life will not be a bed of roses.  It was through adversity that Jesus brought the Gospel to this world and we have been called to overcome this world.
Parable of counting the cost

28 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it --   29 "lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,  30 "saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'  31 "Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  32 "Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  33 "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.  34 " Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  35 "It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

When you were called you went through a process of learning that God and His plan for you and this world was not how you either imagined or were taught.  The truth about what God is doing through Jesus Christ is amazing.  It should take our breath away.  We begin the process of transforming our lives but at what point did you sit down and count the costs?
The reason we want to council before baptism is because the commitment we are making is the most important commitment of our entire lives.  It reminds me of those war movies where the officer asks for volunteers for a dangerous mission.  Those that accept need to count the cost before they agree. 

Now that we have been in the church for a number of decades is it still important to count the costs?

In this life we go through periods of strength and weakness; faithful and unfaithful.  We have watched others fail at the sight of adversity.  Counting the costs allows us to strengthen our resolve where we do not lose hope or faith with hard times come.  A story that is as well-known as some of these passages we are reading is the story of Job.   Job is one of those figures in the bible that people think negatively about.  Look at the problems of Job.  It’s like Thomas who doubted.  We think about what someone did wrong before we consider what they have done right.

Job is one of those people we think badly of before we even start reading.  But Job was like no other man of his day and I would say just about any day.  Let’s read a few verses that talk about how he dealt with adversity.  We know that eventually it got to him but ask yourself how you would have reacted if this had happened to you.

We will pick up the story in Job 1 and we will start in verse 13.  Remember what God said about Job in verse 8
Job 1:8   8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"
 
Job 1:13-22   13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house;  14 and a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,  15 "when the Sabeans raided them and took them away -- indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"  16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"  17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"  18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,  19 "and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"  20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.  21 And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."  22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. 

Job went through more at that moment than most can imagine.  He lost just about everything and yet he still worshiped.  And unless we forget that the shock maybe hadn’t set in yet.  Consider that he took the time to tear his close.  He took the time to shave his head.  This he did to humble himself and to reflect on what has happened.  He then worshiped God and did not blame Him.  We know that Job was not perfect but can you ever imagine that Job would ever be someone who was choked by the thorns of this world?  No, he would not have come up with some excuse why he did not want to attend the banquet.

There is another point that needs to be made about this long section about wedding feast and dinner parties.  And that point is how we think of the poor in this world.  Let’s read Luke 14: 21-23 again.  Remember that the master invited guests who instead of coming to this wonderful dinner, made excuses about why they couldn’t come.

Luke 14:21-23 21 "So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  22 "And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  23 "Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  

Look at the emphasis that God put on the poor, weak and damaged of this world.  Remember when Jesus told the Pharisees that they should not invite people to their parties that can invite them back but to invite the poor.

This is a common theme of many of Jesus’ Parables.  God is very concerned about the poor in this world and I am not just talking about those with few means but those that are poor of spirit.  This world takes advantage of people every day.  The word poor in recorded hundreds of times in our bibles.  God is very concerned about those that are poor and weak in this world.  Some people have great intelligence, some have incredible drive and perseverance.   But not everyone is has the same traits and if some seem to have more than anyone else going for them out of the gate, then you have to know that some people have less. 

God does reward hard work and we will be talking about the parable of the talents and others that make that point, but we need to look around us and notice those that need encouragement and support.  When you  look at Matthew 5 about the Beatitudes you will notice that only two specifically mention the Kingdom of Heaven.  It doesn’t mean that these are the only two in that all of these are wonderful, but these two are extra special.  They are found in verse 3 and 10 of Matthew 5.  
Matthew 5:3   3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10  10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

It is difficult to have the proper perspective on the poor.  We often have very few means ourselves.  Many of God’s people are not well off at all so how do we look after the poor in this world.

If you really want to know, ask God and see what He tells you.  But I warn you, these are the kinds of prayers He usually answers quickly.  If you want to see answered prayer.  Ask God what you need to change in this life and then brace yourself for the answer.
Next time we will continue on in Matthew starting in chapter 18 if you would like to read ahead.

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Matthew 18:23-35   23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  24 "And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  25 "But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  26 "The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  27 "Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  28 "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  29 "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  30 "And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  31 "So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  32 "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  33 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  34 "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

Workers for the Vinyard
Matthew 20:1-16  NKJ  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  2 "Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  3 "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,  4 "and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went.  5 "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  6 "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  7 "They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  8 "So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  9 "And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  10 "But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  11 "And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner,  12 "saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  13 "But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  14 'Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  15 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  16 "So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen."

Parable of the Great Banquet
Matthew 22:2-15   2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,  3 "and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  4 "Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding." '  5 "But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  6 "And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  7 "But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  8 "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  9 'Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  10 "So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  12 "So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless.  13 "Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  14 "For many are called, but few are chosen." 

Wise and Foolish Virgins
Matthew 25:1-13  NKJ Matthew 25:1 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  2 "Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  3 "Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,  4 "but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  5 "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  6 "And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  7 "Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  8 "And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  9 "But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  10 "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  11 "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  12 "But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  13 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Parable of the Talents
Matthew 25:14-46   14 " For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  15 "And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  16 "Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  17 "And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  18 "But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  19 "After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  20 "So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  21 "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'  22 "He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  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 into the joy of your lord.'  24 "Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  25 'And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.'  26 "But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  27 'So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  28 'Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  29 'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  30 'And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  31 " When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  33 "And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  34 "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  35 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  36 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  38 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  39 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  42 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;  43 'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  44 "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  45 "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  46 "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
1. Are you holding back forgiveness?

Our next Parable is the one of the unforgiving servant.  We can find it in Matthew 18:23-34.  The lesson we want to take here is not in fact hidden but quite obvious.  The reason for its inclusion is the simplicity of the lesson focusing wholly on forgiveness.  If we are to hope to accept salvation only made possible by the forgiveness of sin, how could we hold any forgiveness back and harbor hurt or anger? 

The story of the servant being forgiven a large debt that could never be paid back in a lifetime of work and then turning around and not forgiving someone of a relatively small debt seems pretty straight forward.  But what is overlooked by many is what if the offense you have endured is not a petty one.  What if you were severely wronged in your life?

This is where it get really hard to walk the walk.
Matthew 18:32-35   32 "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  33 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  34 "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."  
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Matthew 13:1-30  NKJ On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  4 "And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  5 "Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  6 "But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  7 "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  8 "But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  9 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  12 "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  13 "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  14 "And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive;  15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.'  16 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;  17 "for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.  18 " Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.  20 "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;  21 "yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  22 "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  23 "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."  24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;  25 "but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  26 "But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  27 "So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'  28 "He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  29 "But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  30 'Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' "

Matthew 13:31-53   31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,  32 "which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."  33 Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them,  35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world."  36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  37 He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  38 "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  39 "The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  40 "Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  41 "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,  42 "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!  44 " Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  45 " Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,  46 "who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.  47 " Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,  48 "which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  49 "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just,  50 "and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  51 Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  52 Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."  53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.