Matthew 25:14-30 Greek Studies -- Pr. Fourman

Matthew 25:14-30

The parable of the talents

v14 οσπερ γαρ "Again it will be like" - as for. This phrase is probably used to parallel the introduction of the preceding parable, indicating that we are dealing with a kingdom parable and not a teaching parable. 

αποδημων (αποδημεω) pres. part. "going on a journey" - adjectival, attributive, limiting "man". The word is used of moving away from one's own district.

δουλους (ος) "servants" – here "slaves" is inappropriate, so think "associate".

παρεδωκεν (παραδιδωμι) aor. "give, deliver to”. may be stretched to mean "entrusted" although this is reading into the parable.

τα υπαρχοντα (υπαρχω) pres. part. "property" – idiom, "what belongs to someone" i.e . "property, possessions."

v15 ω  μεν ..... δε .... δε ....."[to one] ... [to another] .... [and to another]" - on the one hand ..... but on the other .... and then on the other hand, a comparative construction.

ταλαντα (ον) "talents (bags of gold)" - a unit of exchange which varied in value; the word can be used of money or silver or a weight of between 26 and 36 kilos of copper, silver or gold. We think of a talent as skills or mental powers a meaning which from this parable. 

εκαστω dat. adj. "each" – a dative of indirect object/interest, he gave gold to each.

kατα + acc. "according to [his]"

δυναμιν (ις εως) "ability" (literally power).

v16 ο λαβων pres. part. "the man who had received" πορευθεις (πορευομαι) aor. part. "went [at once]" - attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "worked". Possibly temporal and linked to ευθεως, "immediately", so 15 & 1`6 translate: “Then, the servant who had received the five talents, immediately went and put the money to work which had been entrusted to him."

ηργασατο (εργαζομαι) aor. "put his money to work".

v17 ωσαυτως adv. "so also" – likewise ο "the one αλλα pro. "[two] more" - [two] others.

v18 δε "but" ο λαβων (λαμβανω) aor. part. "the man who had received" το εν "the one

απελθων (απερχομαι) aor. part. "went off" 

αργυριον "money" – lit. silver, but can mean money in general. The normal way to hide money from thieves was to bury it, and silver could be buried without damage.

απελθων (απερχομαι) aor. part. "went off" and dug a hole.

του κυριου (ος) gen. "[his] master's [money]"

v19 μετα + acc. "After [much time]" – a temporal use of the preposition, the settling of accounts follows a long interim. The ‘between times” is once again at the heart of this story….like last week’s story about the in between times of his announced coming and his actual coming, the question is asked once again, “what will you do with your time as you wait?”  This being a kingdom parable no weight is given to the delay nor any indication of what a "long time" might actually be.

μετ (μετα) + gen. "[settled accounts] with" - association; "with them" - a technical use meaning "to make a reckoning."

v20 ο .... λαβων (λαμβανω) aor. part. "the man who had received [the five talents]" - προσελθων (προσερχομαι) aor. part. "having approached”. The participle expresses action accompanying the verb "brought".

λεγων (λεγω) pres. part. "he said" μοι dat. pro. "[you entrusted] me" indirect object.

αλλα adj. "[five] others [more].

v21 αυτω dat. pro. "[His master replied]" - indirect object.

ευ adv. "well done".

Epi + acc. "with [few things]" 

καταστησω (καθιστημι) fut. "I will put [you] in charge" – the reward is greater responsibilities within the household. 

πολλων adj. "many things" Note that the “greater responsibilities” awarded to the two faithful servants are not necessarily the same.

του κυριου (ος) gen. "[your] master's" χαραν (α) "happiness" - joy. The second of the two rewards is the pleasure/delight of the master, cf. Jn.15:11. Possibly "joy" here means "feast", so "the happiness of the heavenly banquet", of course, the word also means “grace” and “gift”.

v22-23 The second servant deals with two talents the reward is the same.

v24 προσελθων (προσερχομαι) aor. part. "then ...... came" - having come. temporal.

ο ειληφως (λαμβανω) perf. part. "the man who had received". Note the tense change from aorist to perfect, expressing the fact that he is the man who has received a talent of which he has made no use.

σκληρος adj. "hard, severe” - saying the master harvests where he has not sown, the servant is possibly saying the master is an exploiter. 

θεριζων (θεριζω) pres. part. "reaping. as with "gathering", is adjectival, attributive, limiting the phrase "you are a hard man." The imagery is of a farm-owner who sows a crop without actually scattering the seed and harvests it without actually winnowing the chaff from the grain - a man with an eye to business who picks up profits in all sorts of places.

οπου ..... οθεν adv. "where [you have not sown and gathering] where"

v25 φοβηθεις (φοβεομαι) aor. pas. part. "I was afraid"  The servant was debilitated by fear and therefore did not act as required.

απελθων (απερχομαι) aor. part. "and went out" i.e. "I went away and hid."

ιδε "behold". ο σον adj. "that which belongs to you".

v26 αποκριθεις (αποκρινομαι) aor. pas. part. "he replied" – a Semitic construction.

οκνηρε adj. "lazy" 

v27 εδει "[you] should [have]" - βαλειν (βαλλω) aor. inf. "have put" deposited.

τα αργυρια (ον) "money" - The plural indicates that money is in mind, i.e. "silver coins".

τοις τραπεζιταις (ης ου) dat. "with the bankers" - 

ελθων (ερχομαι) aor. part. "when I returned" ( a theme here – the return of the delayed master is sudden, and proper preparation is advised. 

τον εμον "it" - that which was mine. συν + dat. "with [interest]".

v28 τω εξοντι (εξω) pres. part. "to the one who has [ten bags]" 

v29 γαρ "for" - serving here as a connective, this application was likely not part of the original parable.  

τω ... εχοντι (εχω) dat. pres. part. "[everyone] who has" - a substantive, dative of indirect advantage, with the present tense being durative and so expressing an ongoing action.

περισσευθησεται (περισσευω) fut. pas. "he will have an abundance" - the reward is undefined; so "more than enough".

του μη εχοντος (εχω) gen. pres. part. "whoever does not have" - serves as a substantive standing in apposition to the genitive αυτου, "him".

v30 τον αχρειον adj. "useless [servant]" 

εξωτερον adj. "outside, [into the darkness]" - the outer [the darkness]. The point is that at the coming of the kingdom there will be a consequential accounting.

των οδοντων (ους οδος) gen. "[weeping and gnashing/grinding] of teeth" The genitive is usually taken as verbal, objective. Here describing a situation of doom; pain, and anger. The phrase is used a number of times in Matthew ( 8:12, 13:42, 50, 22:13, 24:51) and may reflect a popular proverb of the day expressing extreme grief. It is used by Jesus to express the grief that follows rejection by God. 

Will there be Hope? - Pr. Kruse

This parable is a favorite with American capitalists (interested in profit) and fundamentalist guidance counselors (focusing on the unintended and textually unsupported meaning of the word talent).  — John Pilch

What are we to make of this parable? John Pilch, whom I quote above, makes note that Eusebius of first century fame knew a different version of this parable. There, the first slave was thrown in prison, the second one beaten and reprimanded, and the third one was welcomed into his master’s joy. Why? Because for a first century peasant, the parable as written is somewhat troublesome. Anyone who makes large sums of money is suspect. It is assumed that it is gained dishonestly. One did not make money with money in any manner that was not tainted. Charging interest of an Israelite was forbidden after all. (Deut 23:19) What was the best solution for having been given a sum of money to tend? Burry it in the ground! That was rabbinic advice in the 1st and 2nd centuries but only to freedmen. Slaves got to do as their master does, but the master were subject to the same advice.

Slaves are another problem as well. They could not be trusted. Being somewhat in a desperate position anyhow, they might well do unscrupulous things when doing business. (Lk 16) But, at home, they were judged by a simple rule: Did you do as the master would have? When the master in Jesus’ parable commends the first two slaves, he commends them because they did as he would have done, even though many around would have thought that he was dishonorable for making money with money. The third did the honorable thing for a peasant society of the 1st century. He is scolded and punished while the one who did as the master would have the best is rewarded. To make the insult complete, the master even states that the third slave ought to have gone to bankers who pay interest by charging it of others. Not only that, the master even confirms that the slave has him pegged right: I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter. Is that saying: Yes I am dishonest and you knew it, so don’t be surprised if I give my son a stone when he asks for bread or a snake when he asks for a fish. (Matt 7:9-11)

I wonder if this is really and anti-hero parable. This parable might well have shaken Jesus’ hearers. But buried inside is a bit of Matthew’s spiritual foundations. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt 5:48) The context of that saying is concerning the treatment of others: do not love just your own but also the stranger and even your enemies. I would add Matthew 10:24-25 here as well: “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!”

To be children of the heavenly Father, one must be willing to live in the Father’s house and that very naturally leads to being one that imitates the ways of the house and of the Father who presides over it. To put it another way, a servant cannot tell the master what to do. A servant will and must imitate the master until, like a good British butler, the ways of the master are so well know to the servant that the master does not ever have to actually ask for things. The butler will simply know what to have ready. Butlers to the younger generation of a house, however, have more latitude. They can and will enforce the master’s will unto a sometimes unwilling offspring of the house. They do so firm, gently, and very carefully, knowing that there is peril in overstepping the master’s wishes. To the outside world the servant is to be clearly a mirror of the master.

Maybe this is the point? We have been given a place and time to be the servants of the Lord most high. Are we acting like we aspire to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect? Are we imitators of the Lord? Is it recognized that we are the possession of God almighty? A gracious possession no doubt, but God’s possession and in all ways reflecting the ways and manners of the God of Abraham and the of the Lord Jesus Christ?

To make it more difficult, Origin observes that the servant’s words to the master are absolutely true: God will reap where the righteous disciples have sown. As a servant, the 3rd slave should never have spoken the sentence. Of course the master gets to reap the reward of the servant’s work. Duh! It is the master’s talent the man had been given after all. So, he was to sow and, yes, the master will benefit. Servants, slaves, only have what the master deems they should have. 

Whatever we do, we do for the glory of God. We shall have none of it. Whatever profit of praise be ours here on earth, it is to be laid at the feet of the Master immediately. If you do not work here on earth, you will not bring Glory to God. If you refuse to bring Glory to your Lord, can you really claim that you belong to the Lord and that the God of Abraham is your God? 

A parable will follow this one. It is about the sheep and the goats. Those who are owned by the vision of the household of God will go out and, like a good butler, serve in the manner of the house by seeking out the lowly and forgotten and ministering to them. Those who do not belong will omit it. It will come natural to both of them to do as they do. These parables belong together and to the one before, the one about the foolish and wise teenagers with the lamps and the oil. Being prepared by having faith sufficient is a first step.

Being rich in hope might be the point of this parable. I am. I have faculties and abilities. I am the Lord’s. etc.But, I am not Bowerick Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged, one of the many aliens of Douglas Adam’s “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.” Unlike Wowbagger I have not had an unfortunate encounter with a rubber band, a martini, and a particle accelerator that left me somehow immortal. That did not work out well for Wowbagger either. He got bored being immortal, especially on Sunday afternoon when he realized once again that no matter how long he stared at the pages he would again not read the Sunday Paper in its entirety for yet another week. He hatched the hopeless plan to use his immortality as the seed of the project to insult everyone in the universe in alphabetical order, a project financed by cashing in on long term investments. Those of us who lack rubber bands and martinis really are in the position that we must hope that what we do means something in the economy of God. If my life and all its actions and labors does not matter to the King of heaven then it is a waste. If so, I might just as well try to read the entire Sunday paper and hatch angry plans to shake my fist at the universe. 

If the King of Heaven, Earth and eternity does however harvest what I in Faith have sown, then maybe it all somehow matters and it is not just a tale of utter lunacy as Hamlet would fret. But it is one of these: A profit and Glory to the Holy Trinity or a lunatic’s endeavor. Only Hope says it might just be the former and not the latter. 

Faith is needed to traverse unknown, confusing, unclear, and painful circumstances. (last weeks Gospel text) Hope is needed to sort of “see” beyond horizons that we right now think we will never reach. (this week’s Gospel text) Love (Charity) is needed to see and reach out to our fellow travelers for the true blessed work of life always involves others. (The sheep and Goats text for next Sunday) I paraphrase Reinhold Niebuhr in that summary of the cardinal virtues. When the King comes in his Glory, will we have had hope?

The Text for November 9th, 2014 The 22nd Sunday after Pentecost

First Reading: Amos 5:18–24

¹⁸Alas for you who desire the day of the LORD!

Why do you want the day of the LORD?

It is darkness, not light;

  ¹⁹as if someone fled from a lion,

and was met by a bear;

or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall,

and was bitten by a snake.

  ²⁰Is not the day of the LORD darkness, not light,

and gloom with no brightness in it?

  ²¹I hate, I despise your festivals,

and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

  ²²Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,

I will not accept them;

and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals

I will not look upon.

  ²³Take away from me the noise of your songs;

I will not listen to the melody of your harps.

  ²⁴But let justice roll down like waters,

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

¹³But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  ¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.  ¹⁵For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died.  ¹⁶For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  ¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.  ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Gospel: Matthew 25:1–13

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.  ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  ³When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;  ⁴but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.  ⁵As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.  ⁶But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'  ⁷Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.  ⁸The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  ⁹But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.'  ¹⁰And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.  ¹¹Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.'  ¹²But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.'  ¹³Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Matthew 25: 1-11 Greek Study - Pr. Fourman

Matthew 25:1-13

v 1 τοτε adv. "At that time" - temporal adverb. Matthew uses this word a number of times in chapters 24 and 25 to express the general idea of something happening around the time of the end of the age. 

των ουρανων (ος) gen. "[the kingdom] of heaven" - attributive genitive limiting "kingdom". Of course "the kingdom" is dominion as well as a domain, and "heaven" is a deferential reference to "God", so "kingdom of God" = "the dynamic reign God".

ομοιωθησεται (ομοιοω) fut. pas. "will be like" - compared to, an unusual future tense is used instead of the aorist.

παρθενοις (ος) "virgin" - here a bridesmaid without necessarily being a virgin.

λαβουσαι (λαμβανω) aor. part. "took" - expressing action accompanying the verb "went out."

τας λαμπαδας (ας αδος) "[their] lamps" - possibly the common pottery ship-shaped bowl with a hole at one end for a wick, although a "torch" for outside use is more likely. εις + acc. "to [meet]" - expressing purpose, "in order to …" although with υπαντησις, the sense is usually "coming out to meet"; here of joining with the procession to the groom's house.

του νυμφιου (ος)  gen. “the bridegroom" - complement of εις υπαντησιν, usually takes a dative. (There is a variant where και νυμφης, "and the bride" is interpreted by some scholars as the “bridegroom" as messiah and the "bride" as Israel.)

v2 μωραι adj. "foolish" – regardless of its use, this is not a complimentary word.  The English idiomatic equivalent is “stupid, dull or sluggish). They were stupid because in spite of all evidence, experience and cultural expectations to the contrary, they were unprepared.  And note it is not that they acted stupid, they are stupid.  It’s a given. This observation sometimes colors the interpretation of this parable but as I said, their stupidity is a given so is not the point Matthew is saying stupid or not, they didn't have any extra oil or as some commentators noted any oil at all! They took their lamps without oil as if their preparation were the bridegroom’s or the other guest’s problem – think taking a flashlight without batteries! So his problem is their sense of entitlement.

φρονιμοι adj. "wise" – i.e. "practically wise" an idiom, “wise in the ways of the world”.

v3 λαβουσαι (λαμβανω) aor. part. "took [their lamps]" The participle is adverbial, (possibly concessive) "for although the stupid took their lamps, they took no oil with them".

ελειον (ον) "oil" – i.e. olive oil or any oil was used for lighting, especially rancid oil no longer fit for cooking.

v4 αι φρονιμοι adj. "the wise" - "sensible ones” who took oil with their lamps.

τοις αγγειοις (on) "jars" (of extra oil?). 

v5 χρονιζοντος (χρονιζω) pres. part. "[the bridegroom] was a delayed " - literally taking his time - the genitive participle is usually translated as a temporal clause; "when the bridegroom was delayed". Possibly causal; because the bridegroom was delayed. Though some commentators make much of the delay, it is probably of small importance. The delay of the bridegroom is not the issue, his coming is imminent regardless, the issue is that is they were not ready, as if he were NEVER coming, and if you aren’t ready you don’t get entry into the wedding banquet! Kingdom parables are meant to be literal.

πασαι adj. "they all" – i.e. the bridesmaids εκαθευδον (εκαθευδω) imperf. "fell asleep" i.e.  nodded off. The fact clashes slightly with Matthew's inclusion of the saying "stay awake" in v13 but this is only a problem if you take the parable as an allegory.

v6 μεσης δε νυκτος "midnight" – literally the middle of night is used rather μεσονυκτιον, literally means "midnight" and is not used here. γενονεν (γινομαι) perf. "a shout, loud cry originated, the aoristic perfect tense expressing a stated action, so "in the middle of the night someone shouted"  εξερχεσθε (εξερχομαι) pres. imp. "come out!" - "Here is the bridegroom, come out and meet him!".

v7 ηγερθησαν (εγειρω) aor. pas. "they arose” i.e., woke up

εκοσμησαν (κοσμεω) aor. "trimmed [the lamps]" - whatever was necessary to get the lamps ready to burn, including lighting them. 

v8 ταις φρονιμοις dat. adj. "to the wise" – a dative of indirect object.

ημιν dat. pro. "[give] us" - [give] to us. Dative of indirect object.

οτι that. expressing cause/reason; explaining why they need some oil, "give us some of your oil because our lamps are σβεννυνται (σβεννυμι) pres. pas. " going out" – (stupid is as stupid does, they ALL left them burn while they were sleeping and so they ran out of oil early). The present tense expresses the thought that the lamps were spluttering from lack of oil, a dramatic detail underlining a sense of urgency.

v9 μηποτε "no" –an emphatic negation so “hell no”, the dramatic narrative agues for the stronger interpretation so this is a subjunctive of emphatic negation,  "certainly there is not enough [for both sets of lamps]." 

αι φρονιμοι adj. the wise ones λεγουσαι (λεγω) pres. part. "replied" a Semiticism.

ου μη + subj. "[there may] not [be enough]" – a subjunctive of emphatic negation.

υμιν "for us" – a dative of interest, advantage.

τους πωλουντας (πωλεω) pres. part. go to "those who sell oil".

εαυταις dat. ref. pro. " yourselves" - Dative of interest, advantage.  Idiom: this is a problem of your own making, solve it yourself.

v10 απερχομενων (απερχομαι) gen. pres. part. "while [they] were on their way" αγορασαι (αγοραζω) aor. inf. "to buy" - adverbial, expressing purpose.

αι ετοιμοι adj. "the virgins who were ready"  τους γαμους "the wedding banquet" 

v11 υστερον adv. "later" αι λοιπαι adj. "the others" κυριε κυριε "Sir! Sir!" a double vocative to underline the urgency of their plea. λεγουσαι (λεγω) pres. part. "they said" ημιν dat. pro. "[open the door] for us".

v12 δε "but" -  adversative - the girls ask to come in but the groom refuses to let them in.

αποκριθεις (αποκρινομαι) aor. pas. part. "he replied", again a Semitic construction.

αμην λεγω υμιν "I tell you the truth" - truly I say to you – a phrase which serves to underline the statement, ουκ οιδα υμας "I don't know you" - an Aramaic turn of phrase which takes the sense "I will have nothing to do with you".

v13  

γρηγορειτε ουν, "therefore be on guard." The Noah illustration serves to define the intended sense of this imperative. Idiomatically this means "be prepared." The verb is also used at 24:42 -43 (the watchman is vigilant, not caught out, so we too must “keep watch”). But note all the girls went to sleep, so keeping watch (i.e. staying awake) is not the point. The point is την ημεραν ουδε την ωραν "[you do not know] the day or the hour" – it is the "not yet" of Kingdom Coming, only God knows the moment of it’s fulfilment. So we must be prepared day or night to be alert to its coming, which for us should be no surprise!  Delay is about God’s kairos not His chronos.  It is not our response, but our preparation at issue.  

Preparation and urgency can inform a variety of our practices, from prayer, to worship, to faith formation, to social outreach – in fact the entire life of the church. The virgins know the wedding is going to happen, just not why the bridegroom is delayed.  When the wedding is a certainty, why bank on the delay? Focus rather on the inevitable wedding and be prepared for it!

Inhale! Pr. Kruse

First, a bit of cultural archeology. Who are these “bridesmaids?” They are family members of the groom. They are the young, unmarried women attached to the family, in other words the grooms sisters and female cousins who live in or close to the patriarch’s house, as the does groom as well who has his house, usually, in close vicinity to the patriarch as well. Call it a family compound, if you like.

Why are they there with lamps and what is the purpose of their waiting? The marriage that is anticipated has been arranged by the father of the groom and the father of the bride, who were probably cousins or even brothers, and who did so after the mothers had come to an agreement that the marriage was a good idea. The family elder was the final one to have to give consent to the whole thing and the matter could go ahead and interestingly, it was the patriarch who set the festivities in motion. Only he knew the day, not even the groom who would tell the bride that he was “going to prepare a place” but would answer that “only my father knows,” to the question of when his return would be. Both of those sentences are on Jesus’ lips, one John 14, one in Matthew 24:36. 

As the young woman came of age the marriage day was set and at some time, the groom and his family went to the bride’s father’s house to move her over to his own father’s compound and house, often not too far away. That act began the marriage festivities. The young women are the welcome committee when the groom, his entourage, and his new bride arrived at the house. The ladies in waiting and the groom’s men would wait outside the bridal chamber for the couple to consummate the marriage. It was their secret duty to be witnesses to the woman’s purity. 

The sequence seem to be a bit different from ours. It seems to have been: agreement between the families, contract for marriage, celebration at the groom’s house and at the brides house but separate, wedding night — the stage that were this story takes place — and an extended celebration if all goes well that everyone goes to in procession. (Deut 22:13-21)

If all goes well? In a strange way, the crow outside the wedding chamber are witnesses that he groom is satisfied with the bride’s purity and is therefore not sending her back as having been found damaged goods.

Second, a bit of context. Jesus has gotten done condemning the pharissrees and the temple authorities and then after leaving the temple, he has spoken of the temple’s destruction and about the end times. The son of man will come in the clouds. (Matt 24:30-31) The elect will be gathered from all corners of the earth and even all corners of heaven. When will this be? It will be at an appointed time that no one is privileged to know and it will come suddenly but when it comes it will be as obvious as the coming of spring. (Matt 24:32)  Weddings, it is said, begin when the patriarch decides it is time, not the groom, so, “Only the Father knows,”  indeed. 

Disciples know that it will come suddenly and are therefore always ready. (Matt 24:42) In their readiness, they do not fail to take how they treat others into consideration. That ethical stance is repeated in 25:31-46, the sheep and the goats parable. 

The Ten young women, under consideration here, is followed by a parable that speaks of actively seeking to do good on behalf of the master in the story of the three servants each entrusted with treasure to care for while the master was absent. 

If one is allowed to make a overview and summary here it might be this

1. The end will come — nothing is forever. 
2. Do not spent overmuch effort trying to find out when it will be, it will be sudden but you will be able to perceive that it is in progress.  
3. Just because the end is taking its sweet time coming does not mean that it will not come, keep watch on how you treat others therefore. 
4. Be wise in your preparations. 
5. Work the work of faith. 
6. Assume that the Lord thought absent is not absent at all but is found in unexpected places under unexpected guise, usually under the guise of poverty and rejection. There you can and need to serve him. 

A distinct flavor of judgment is present in all of these. 

But, we are discussing number 4 for now. Be wise. Be wise or you will be excluded from the celebration and from doing your part. You must be present to do that part. If you are “away” you will not and cannot do it. As a matter of fact, you will be so absent as to be treated as a stranger when you finally get there because the door is closed when the last person of the wedding party gets there. 

There is a time when it is just too late and no one can help you any longer. 

The Gospel of our Lord; Praise to you . . .  oh, Yuck!

Yes, sometimes it seems that the “gospel” readings have nothing but law in them. That is especially true at the end of Pentecost. They are End-times and Judgement readings. As we read Reformation and All Saints texts for a few weeks, we do not get the full brunt and scope of the matter and never really get to develop the theme: there will be judgement. Not that many of us want to. But it is real. “He will come again to judge the quick and the dead.” 

The time and the text leave me with questions: What does the Master mean by: “They fell asleep?” Or, what does it mean that they: “Were away to buy oil?” Why the cold sentence: "No! there will not be enough for you and for us?” What is the “oil” and what “merchant” can supply it? And why do they leave when they know the groom is even at hand;  Would it not have been better that they had stayed and been present without light rather than be absent in frantic search for oil? 

The night only lasts so long. I will be daylight soon enough, prepare yourself for morning and the coming of the light. (Paul)  If oil is endurance in suffering or faith, maybe there is a promise there. You will only need so much, the night will not last forever. But, you will need it. It is wise to to have faith in abundance for the living of these latter days. If you have not enough, you will be absent naturally enough. The weight of worldly things and worries about the day, as well as the heat of hardship will take it from you and you will walk away. Are not these the warnings of the parable of the sower and the sermon on the mount? (Matt 13:1-23; 6:25-34)

Maybe that is the “absent.” We can be overcome. Human faith, as we well know, has limits. No one can have it for you in the end, hence: “There will not be enough.” Wisdom counsels that one pray with the disciples: “Increase our faith.” (Lk 17:5) But you must aspire to faith. No one else can do that for you. They can merely pray that you turn and come to your senses and Jesus for that matter. 

Epiphinias the Latin wrote that the foolishness of the unwise was that they had only enough oil for the present, but not for the future. The somewhat unpredictable nature of weddings in olden days indeed meant that one not live for the moment in preparation but that one lived for a possible long haul. What is the Oil according to Epiphinias? Compassion. The parable of the faithful and unfaithful servant in 24:45-51 might well have suggested this to him. Augustine thought that surely it was charity since it was the highest of virtues. (1 Cor 13) These two fathers of the church might indeed mean the same thing in the end. 

If you think about it, as in previous weeks, the cardinal virtues raise their heads again for certainly those who wait, prepared for the long haul, wait in hope as well, since no one hopes for what is not wanted. 

We work out our salvation in fear and trembling, says St. Paul. As Christians,waiting for the Lord is and always will be, an exercise in tending the cardinal virtues: Faith, Hope, and Love. These are great things indeed. But no one can do them for you any more than be able to breathe for you. Inhale. 

The Readings for All Saints Sunday, November 2nd, 2014

First Reading: Revelation 7:9–17

⁹After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.  ¹⁰They cried out in a loud voice, saying,

"Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

  ¹¹And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,  ¹²singing,

"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom

and thanksgiving and honor

and power and might

be to our God forever and ever! Amen."

  ¹³Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?"  ¹⁴I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal ;they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵For this reason they are before the throne of God,

and worship him day and night within his temple,

and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

  ¹⁶They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;

the sun will not strike them,

nor any scorching heat;

  ¹⁷for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, 

and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1–3

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  ²Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.  ³And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Gospel: Matthew 5:1–12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.  ²Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

³"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

⁵"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

⁷"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

⁹"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

¹⁰"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account  ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:1-11; the Greek Text -- Pr. Fourman

Matthew 5:1-10

v1 ιδων (ειδον) "when he saw [the crowds]" - adverbial, probably temporal, forming a causal clause; "Jesus went up the mountain because he saw the crowds.

το ορος "a mountainside" - the definite article may indicate a particular hill, but most likely prompting us to think of Mount Sinai.

καθισαντος (καθιζω) aor. part. "sat down" participle is adverbial, temporal; "when he sat down his disciples came to him." A teacher sits down to teach.

οι μαθηται "the disciples" - Given the context, the beatitudes are for the disciples, but are the disciples the "poor in spirit", etc.? Some scholars take the view that the beatitudes are statements of grace directed to the disciples, "blessed are you, the poor in spirit ...." but the Greek is not that specific (although v11-12 does move to "you", meaning "you disciples.") 

v2 ανοιξας το στομα aor. part. “opening [the mouth] attendant circumstance participle expressing action "he opened his mouth...

εδιδασκεν (διδασκω) imperf. "to teach" the imperfect may be used here to make the point that the sermon on the mount is a summary of Jesus' teachings, so "this is what he used to teach".

v3 μακαριοι adj. "blessed" - not the best translation, "fortunate" or "well off", possibly "happy are you". Jesus is telling his disciples that they are fortunate to be this way, fortunate to possess these qualities of life, because in possessing them they inherit God's promised kingdom. The beatitudes are not imperatives so not earned but gifts. 

οι πτωχοι adj. "the poor ones" - those in total poverty, possessing nothing and with no means to earn a living other than by receiving alms.

τω πνευματι (α ατος) dat. "in spirit" - dative is local, serves to define the poverty. To be poor in spirit is to be totally destitute spiritually and so recognize the need for a total dependence on God. As Matthew uses this phrase it has nothing to do with actual poverty.

οτι "for" - introducing a causal clause explaining why the poor in spirit are blessed. Note repeated use of this conjunction throughout the beatitudes.

αυτων εστιν "theirs is" – in the sense of consequence (not reward).

των ουρανων (ος) gen. "[the kingdom] of heaven" - the eschatological reign of God.

v4 οι πενθουντες (πενθεω) part. "the mourning ones - participle serves as a substantive. It is likely that the mourning is over sin; "fortunate are those who are broken before God."

παρακληθησονται (παρακαλεω) fut. pas. "will be comforted" - a divine passive; "God will comfort them".

v5 οι πραεις (πραυς) adj. "the gentle ones”. a substantive. "Gentle" in the sense of not demanding of God, so "submissive to the will of God" and therefore willing to look to him for vindication.

κληρονομησουσιν την γην "[for they] will inherit the earth" - lit. receive by lot, therefore "possess" - identifying the consequence of covenant inclusion through submission to the divine will (cf. Psalm 37:11, inheriting the promised land. "They will receive what God has promised").

v6 οι πεινωντες (πειναω) pres. part. "the hungering ones" - a substantive.

την δικαιοσυνην (η) "righteousness" - righteousness, justice. Jesus is not speaking of for social justice, nor even those who desire social justice, but a desire for personal vindication, of being set-right before God, of being "judged in the right" - the same sense of justification expounded by Paul. 

χορτασθησονται (χορταζω) fut. pas. "will be satisfied ".

v7 οι ελεημονες (ων ονος) "the merciful ones" – the reciprocal nature of mercy and forgiveness is stressed in the New and Old Testaments. The Lord's Prayer gives the classic example, "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." This beatitude is not saying that those who show mercy will have mercy shown to them, ie. a salvation by works idea. Rather that they who show mercy will know mercy.  

v8 τη καρδια (α) dat. "[the pure] in heart" - dative of locality, the purity of heart referred to here may be the righteousness of God or the regenerate nature – it is certainly not moral or sexual purity. Those who possess righteousness will "be like him" and …

οψονται (οραω) fut. "will see [God]" – i.e.  find themselves in God's presence.

v9 οι ειρηνοποιοι (ος) "the ones who make peace" – a hapax legomenon. Clearly, Jesus is not thinking of conflict-resolution managers. In the end Jesus maybe referring to those who are no longer at war with God.

θεου (ος) gen. "[sons] of God" - genitive is relational; so “members of God's family”, i.e. the baptized.

v10 οι δεδιωγμενοι (διωκω) perf. pas. part. "the persecuted ones" - the perfect tense indicates persecution that began in time past, the consequences of which continue into the present, although with participles, duration is also intended those who endure persecution. The meaning of the word is usually in the NT, "to put to flight" or "drive away", but also carries a positive sense, "to follow with intensity and purpose and effort, in order to catch up with, for friendly or hostile purpose - to run after, to chase after, to pursue. to hasten, to run, to press forward, to press on, to follow without hostile intent". This meaning certainly fits with the other beatitudes; "blessed are you who pursue the living God." The trouble is v10 and 11 indicate the sense is "blessed are you when people persecute you because of your standing with God." So perhaps Jesus is warning his disciples that a servant is not greater than his master; if they persecute the master they will persecute the servant.

ενεκεν + gen. "because of" - causal.

η βασιλεια των ουρανων "the kingdom of heaven" - Matthew ends with a typical inclusio, rounding of the beatitudes as a package by ending where he started.

v11 εστε "are you" - The change from the third person to the second person is important, as noted above. This application of the final beatitude guides us in the application of the other beatitudes.

οταν + subj. "when" –an indefinite temporal clause expressing general time.

ονειδισωσιν (ονειδιζω) aor. subj. "people insult (reproach, upbraid)

ψευδομενοι (ψευδομαι) part. "falsely" - the act of being publically attacked alone does not carry any implied lessing, it iw shen in telling the truth you are maligned falsely, when the 8^th commandment is ignored, that God blesses the truth teller.  

ενεκεν + gen. "because of [me]" – causal – probably because of their testimony of Christ, but even more likely etter, because of their identification with Christ. This is a foreshadowing of the Passion events, of denial and abandonment by the disciples.  They will not be ‘happy’ about the results of those actions.

v12 αγαλλιασθε (αγαλλιαω) imp. "be glad" -  exceeding glad.

οτι "because" - a causal clause explaining why the disciples should rejoice and be glad.

ο μισθος "reward" - the reward is divine approval. "payment/wage" is another possible translation but seems crass, this serves to highlight the transitory nature of suffering.

γαρ "for" - Luke uses γαρ for οτι above giving both an equal causal standing. Here the choice of γαρ is causal, “..indeed in just the same way they made the prophets before you suffer persecution...".

ουτως adv. "in the same way" – an idiom, the persecuted believer stands in good company.