SUBJECT:  Matthew 25:14-46  --  The parable of the talents  -- the sheep and the goats

QUESTIONS:  What is this parable telling us?  Who is it for?  What are the talents referring to?  Who are the sheep and the goats?  What happens to the sheep and what happens to the goats?

ANSWER:

All the parables in Matthew 25 are about who will be in the Kingdom of God. 

The analogy of the sheep and goats has to do with the parable of the talents:

Matthew 25:14-34
14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

 

Verse 14: "And the kingdom of heaven is..."  This states that we are about to talk about who will be in the Kingdom.

The analogy of the talents and what the convert (firstfruit church member with the Holy Spirit) does with them is talking about the Salvation Process.  At one's calling by God (John 6:44) to repentance, baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit, one becomes a firstfruit Christian and enters the Salvation Process.  This is a lifelong process and involves:

1) keeping the Law and commandments.
2) invoking the Principles of God which the Law points to (Galatians 5:22-23).
3) overcoming sin....making progress...stopping the sin process before it begins....controlling the mind…being repentant.
4) becoming more like Jesus Christ.
5) going on to perfection (Hebrews 6)
6) responding to your specific Godly Calling (God calls each member to a specific place and to specific duties and/or offices). This includes duties pertaining to the first commission of spreading the gospel and the second commission of feeding the flock.
7)  maintaining this process at the return of Jesus Christ.
8)   having absolute trust in God and Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:12-14; 1 Peter 1:21; John 14:1; 1 John 2:23-24)

One must remain in this process until they die or the return of Jesus Christ.  They may never fall away or they will never be in the Kingdom.

Luke 9:62
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

In the parable, the one who buried his talent is one who did nothing with the Salvation process.  He is deemed unprofitable.  Verse 30 clearly details that this person will not be in the Kingdom of God.

The sheep are those who succeed in the Salvation process and the goats are those who do not.  Remember that this Salvation Process will continue through the Second Resurrection process, as well as in the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.  Everyone gets one opportunity to enter the process.

Notice item 2 of the Salvation Process--Invoking the principles of God such as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, etc.  Now notice the parable picking up the text with verse 35...

Matthew 25:35-26:1
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Verse 35 and 36 are talking about the invoking of the power of the Holy Spirit in the form of these actions and principles of God.  Verse 41 shows clearly that the goats, or those who failed in the Salvation Process did none of these things.  They did not invoke the power of the Holy Spirit in the form of Godly principles.  Verse 41 also shows, without a doubt that we are talking about the Lake of Fire and the second death to those who fail in the Salvation Process.  Verse 46 says "everlasting punishment" or the second death.  The righteous--those who succeed in the Salvation Process go into "life eternal" as verse 46 states.

The interesting thing is that EVERYONE in the process can guarantee themselves to be in the Kingdom.  One need never worry about this.  The Salvation Process is a one-day-at-a-time process.  One merely has to choose to remain in the process and do those things described above to remain in the process.  The ONLY being who can remove one from the process is the human in the Salvation Process.

back to the top