Be Ready

Background

Glimpse into the Future:

Matthew 25:31–34 ““But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Matthew 25:41 ““Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;”

Jesus is walking toward the Cross

To be judged by a people who have highjacked what is Good

In the Garden - Creation in 6 days and it was Good / She saw that the fruit was good

Time of Judges - Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

Psamist - Psalm 14:1–3 “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.”

Prophet - Ezekiel 8:17–18 “He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they have committed here, that they have filled the land with violence and provoked Me repeatedly? For behold, they are putting the twig to their nose. “Therefore, I indeed will deal in wrath. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, yet I will not listen to them.””

Take the punishment of sin off of the backs of believers - Give them rest

He dies in our stead

Resurrection - Give us Hope

Show us that we too, will be resurrected in Glory

Promise: He goes before us, so that we can proceed with Him.

As Believers, we can rest assured knowing that there is culmination.

When Jesus comes back:

He separates the Righteous (in Him) from the Wicked

Righteous to their prepared place of glory and the Wicked to their prepared place of torment

Read Text

Slavery

Nature

Biblical: Often temporary, debt-based servitude; not race-based.

Chattel: Lifelong, hereditary; race-based (targeted Africans

Legal Protections

Biblical: Some rights (e.g., freedom after 6 years, injury-based manumission, Jubilee release).

Chattel: No rights; treated as property with no legal recourse.

Purpose

Biblical: Economic/social survival (e.g., debt repayment, war captives).

Chattel: Profit-driven, fueled by plantation economies and racial exploitation.

Treatment

Biblical: Regulated (e.g., Sabbath rest, penalties for abuse); some humane treatment.

Chattel: Brutal (e.g., whippings, family separations); systemic dehumanization.

Social Integration

Biblical: Slaves often integrated into households, religious life; paths to freedom.

Chattel: Excluded, dehumanized; no social mobility or integration.

Context

Biblical: Common in ancient Near East; regulated by Torah to limit abuse.

Chattel: Colonial/capitalist system; unprecedented scale and racial ideology.

Tale of Two Slaves

or, a slave with two options

Parable: A parable is a short, simple story used to illustrate a moral, spiritual, or ethical lesson.

To teach a lesson, provoke thought, or reveal truths about God, morality, or human behavior, often requiring reflection to grasp the full meaning.

Story: A Master of the house leaves his slave in charge of his household

Jesus literally gives this charge to Peter

After his Great Confession

Matthew 16:15–19 “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.””

Charge: not the keys to who can enter into the Kingdom

Keys: literally to the storehouse - Responsibility of feeding the house (caretaking)

Blessed: The one found faithful and sensible of the Master’s resources when He returns

The one who fed the sheep and did not tarry to obey the commands of the House

Why? b/c He trusted in the Command Giver

His ways are Good to His house

His commands are righteous amongst His people

He will be back to inspect the faithfulness

He will be given more responsibility

Woe: To the wicked / Evil Slave who says in his heart:

Not necessarily an audible relapse of judgment

He may even profess a faith in the Master; that

His ways are Good to His house

His commands are righteous amongst His people

He will be back to inspect the faithfulness

But his heart, lack of faith causes him to stumble

Irresponsible with the resources he was given to care for...

Because...

Chiasm

A biblical chiasm (or chiastic structure) is a literary device used in the Bible, particularly in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and occasionally in the New Testament, where ideas, themes, or phrases are arranged in a symmetrical, mirrored pattern. The structure typically follows an A-B-C-B-A format (or more complex variations), with the central element (C) often carrying the main point or emphasis.

Helps to reinforce the central theme with the surrounding evidence

Small X that this parable helps to support

A Matthew 24:36 ““But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”

B Matthew 24:42 ““Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”

C Matthew 24:43 ““But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.” If you did know, you would be ready

B Matthew 24:44 ““For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

A Matthew 24:50 “the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know,”

Promise

There is a place prepared for the ready and the one who tarried

Matthew 25:34 ““Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Matthew 25:41 ““Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;”

Matthew 24:51 “and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Two Questions

What do we do in the meantime?

Rest assured in this salvation

what is the rest?

Given more responsibility

How do we get ready?

Just believe?

What does that entail?

Faith leads to action

Not a sit and wait approach!