Matthew 25 starts with the parable of the 10 virgins who awaited a bridegroom at an evening wedding. The 5 foolish virgins took no spare oil for their lamps but the wise ones did. At midnight the bridegroom arrived but the foolish virgins' lamps were running out of oil so they went to buy some more and missed the bridegroom's arrival, the wise went in and the door was shut. "Therefore keep watch", concluded Jesus, "because you do not know the day or the hour". Next came the parable of the talents where a man went on a journey and left 8 talents invested through 3 servants, with one receiving 5 talents, the second receiving 2 talents and the third receiving 1. When he returned the first 2 had doubled their talents, but the one with only 1 talent just buried his talent and earned nothing. He was punished and thrown "into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth", but the other two were rewarded and shared their master's happiness. Moral of the story: don't bury your talent but use it and invest it in the kingdom of God! Finally Jesus envisages himself judging people by how they lived classifying some as sheep and the others as goats. He blessed the sheep because they had fed the hungry, watered the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the needy, and visited the sick and those in prison. Jesus then said that such action was in keeping with his kingdom and so it was as if they had done it for him! The goats failed however in all the points of service and compassion and so they received eternal punishment, whereas the sheep received eternal life.
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