_Then shall the kingdom of heaven_, &c. Our Lord, having fully informed his disciples of the circumstances and general season of his coming to destroy the Jewish place and nation, that lively, earnest, and strong figure of his future coming to judge the world; he passes, as we have seen, by a natura... [ Continue Reading ]
_And five of them were wise_ Prudent and provident; _and five foolish_ Inconsiderate and careless. _These latter took their lamps_ Took up a profession of the true religion; _but took no oil with them_ No more than kept them burning just for the present. None to supply their future want, to recruit... [ Continue Reading ]
_While the bridegroom tarried_ That is, before they were called to attend him; _they all slumbered and slept_ That is, all Christians, so called, good and bad, sincere and hypocrites, those who really love and wait for the bridegroom, and those who only profess to do so; lie down together in the sle... [ Continue Reading ]
_And at midnight_ In an hour quite unthought of, and the most alarming. Perhaps the tradition mentioned by Jerome, which asserted that Christ would come to judgment at midnight, might be borrowed from hence; though certainly it is a very absurd one, since that can be the case only under one meridian... [ Continue Reading ]
_But the wise answered, saying, Not so_ The words, _not so_, are not in the Greek, which is only, μηποτε ουκ αρκεση ημιν και υμιν, _lest it should not be sufficient for us and you._ They begin the sentence abruptly, showing thereby their surprise at the state of those poor wretches who had so long d... [ Continue Reading ]
_While they went to buy_ While they made some unsuccessful efforts to obtain oil, and light their lamps; _the bridegroom came, and they that were ready_ They who had put on the wedding- garment, who had an interest in Christ's obedience unto death, and were renewed by his Spirit, who had recovered t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Watch, therefore_, &c. See, therefore, that your mind be always awake and watchful, and that you maintain an habitual readiness for the coming of the bridegroom, not presuming on preparations to be made hereafter, lest you meet with a sad disappointment: _for ye know neither the day nor the hour wh... [ Continue Reading ]
_For_, &c. To show us more clearly the nature and duty of Christian watchfulness, to which he exhorts us in the preceding verse, our Saviour immediately subjoins another parable, wherein he represents to us the different characters of a faithful and slothful servant, and the difference of their futu... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then he that had received the five talents went and traded,_ &c. Thus the servants of Christ should consider the gifts or talents which they have received, whether by nature or by grace, as being intrusted with them for the sole end of their serving God and their generation with the use of them; _a... [ Continue Reading ]
_After a long time_ Namely, of trial and long-suffering, and at an hour when they thought not of it; _the lord of those servants cometh_ Returned and summoned them to give an account of their several trusts. Thus, though the heavens have received the Lord Jesus _till the time of the restitution of a... [ Continue Reading ]
_His lord said unto him, Well done_ “The original word, Ευ, _well done_, has a peculiar force and energy, far beyond what we can express in English. It was used by auditors or spectators in any public exercise, to express the highest applause, when any part had been excellently performed.” Doddridge... [ Continue Reading ]
_He also that had received the two talents said, Behold, I have gained two other talents_ Here we see that he who had received only two talents, gives up his account as cheerfully as he who had received five; for our comfort and reward in the day of reckoning will be according to our faithfulness, n... [ Continue Reading ]
_He which received the one talent came_ “This may intimate that we are accountable for the smallest advantages with which we are intrusted; but it cannot imply that they who have received much will ordinarily pass their account best; for it is too plain a fact, that most of those whose dignity, weal... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou wicked and slothful servant_ Wicked, because slothful. Observe well, reader, slothful servants are wicked servants, and will be reckoned with as such by their Master: for _he that is slothful in his work_, and neglects to do the good that God has commanded, _is brother to him that is a great w... [ Continue Reading ]
_Take therefore the talent from him_ Ye angels, the ministers of my will, take from him the blessing which he has thus abused, and _give it unto him which hath ten talents_ As a further token of my acceptance and favour. The master, who in disposing of the talents at first acted as an absolute owner... [ Continue Reading ]
_And cast ye the unprofitable servant_ Who has so wickedly abused my goodness; _into outer darkness_ The darkness which is without the heavenly city, even the horrible darkness of hell. _There_, instead of the light and joy possessed by those who are admitted to the marriage- supper of the Lamb, _sh... [ Continue Reading ]
_When_, &c. The same great truth, that there is no such thing as negative goodness, which was shown, 1st, in the parable of the virgins; 2d, in the still plainer parable of the servants who had received the talents; is here shown a third time, in a direct unparabolical declaration of the manner in w... [ Continue Reading ]
_Before him shall be gathered all nations_ That is, all the individuals of all nations and ages; not only all that are found alive at the time of his appearing, and are changed in a moment, and rendered immortal, that they may be capable of enjoying eternal happiness, or of suffering everlasting mis... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then shall the King say_, &c. In Mat 25:31 he had only called himself the _Son of man_, but he now changes the appellation, taking the title of _king_ with great propriety, when he is speaking of himself as exercising the highest act of kingly power, in passing the final sentence on all men as his... [ Continue Reading ]
_I was a hungered, and ye gave me meat_, &c. All the works of outward mercy here mentioned suppose faith and love, and must needs be accompanied with works of spiritual mercy, such as instructing the ignorant, alarming the careless, encouraging the disconsolate, comforting the distressed, strengthen... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then shall the righteous answer_, &c. The righteous, with great surprise, ask, with reverence and humility, when all this happened, since they never had seen him in want of their assistance, nor could remember that they had ever bestowed aught upon him. It cannot be supposed, however, that either t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then shall he say to them on the left hand_ In this account of our Lord's proceedings at this awful time, the absolution of the righteous is represented as taking place before the condemnation of the wicked, to show that God takes greater delight in rewarding than in punishing. _Depart from me_ In... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then shall they answer, Lord, when saw we thee a hungered_, &c. So their endeavour to justify themselves will remain with the wicked even to that day! Perhaps, however, it may not be intended here to signify that the wicked shall make this answer in words: it is probably, rather, to be considered a... [ Continue Reading ]