When He Comes...

 

Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

In the last chapter we saw Jesus announcing the suddenness of His return.  In this chapter he uses two parables and a third story to illustrate what will happens when He comes.  The big word is "surprise." Some of the virgins were surprised by when the bridegroom came; one of the servants was surprised that his poor choice was not acceptable; some were pleasantly surprised to see that they had actually done what the Master had intended: show the same kind of mercy that had been shown to them. There is a sense in which there will be a surprise when Christ comes again, but His warning is to avoid the unpleasant ones.