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 Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 1:15 am
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 5:09 pm
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michalsocool what does the five wise and five foolish virgin mean. and what does the wending of the garment mean. Jesus said they didn't have garment so they were cast out. and what does the parable mean when Jesus was talking about talents it will be taking away and giving to a neither
I'll share some insights in the process of answering this, but more important than that I want to help you, for future reference, understand how to receive this revelation from God directly—so that you don't have to depend on a person for explanations, but instead receive explanations directly from God.
By step #3, I'll start shedding insight on the parables you asked about, but before that:
Step #1: pray beforehand. Ask our Heavenly Father for wisdom to understand the passage and he will give it to you.
James 1:5 (NIV)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Step #2: meditate on his words directly (not via a workbook, nor commentary, but the full text of the bible itself), especially meditate on his Law.
Psalm 119:99 (NIV)
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
You'll have to sit and meditate on his words, in prayer / in conversation with him, for a while in order to receive a fuller meaning. The more familiar you are with every book in the bible, and thus, the more familiar you are with digging through the bible to find relevant verses and are acquainted with the passages as a whole [e.g. David's life story in your head from the bible, not a children's bible version], the easier it'll be to be guided by him.
And if you're not very familiar with the bible, he'll use “events”/”occurrences”/”conversations” happening around you to bring understanding on something you encountered in his word (using people, even people who are unaware or not knowledgeable of God, to indirectly help you realize the truth) or he'll bring people to you who do have the insight already figured out, in a truthful way. Sometimes a combination of all three (revelation during reading, random events, people who've figured it out coming to you).
The revelation you get sometimes will be hard to articulate into words, but you'll understand it instantly in the Spirit. That's why it's so much better to receive directly from God than to receive an explanation from someone else. The cumbersome middleman is avoided. Plus, if the middleman is puffed up with the leaven of the Pharisees (interpretations based on tradition, instead of the truth of what is written, thus not how God defines a word) then you'll receive a contaminated/distorted reply instead of the truth.
Step #3 Figure out biblical definitions of words.
The more you stay in line with the biblical meaning of a word (meanings which are given in the bible across multiple books), the more insight you'll discover.
If you're not very familiar with the bible at all, and you want to figure out a quick, biblical meaning, I recommend you do this: make a list of all the people, objects, key phrases, and actions present in the parable.
For example,
Virgin
Lamp
Oil
Sleep
Bridegroom
Wise
Foolish
"day or the hour"
Etc...
Then do word searches on them on [biblegateway], to see how the bible uses them / defines them elsewhere. Biblegateway will give you all the verses where that word shows up (in the particular translation/version of the bible you have selected). And depending on how the word is used in various verses, you'll get inklings of deeper concepts.
(This is the quick method; the slow method would be actually reading through whole books—chapter after chapter, day after day—and noticing how the same concept gets expressed but in different words, elsewhere. And you'll arrive at understanding that you wouldn't necessarily get in a keyword search).
So, for example...
Virgin
An example of the quick method: typing in “virgin” into biblegateway, and of the verses that come up, what does it say about virgins? How does it relate to the parable? And what other words or concepts, present in those verses, can we later do another word search on to give us more understanding?
Deuteronomy 22:20-21 (NIV)
20 If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, 21 she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.
Leviticus 21:10-15 (NIV)
10 “‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt[a] or tear his clothes. 11 He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even for his father or mother, 12 nor leave the sanctuary of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil of his God. I am the Lord.
13 “‘The woman he marries must be a virgin. 14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, 15 so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.’”
Footnotes:
a. Leviticus 21:10 Or not uncover his head
2 Corinthians 11:2 (NIV)
2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
James 4:4 (NIV)
4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Footnotes:
a. James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.
James 1:27 (NIV)
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Hosea 2:13 (NIV)
13 I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot,” declares the Lord.
John 14:2-3 (NIV)
2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
So, a virgin, quite literally, is someone who stays pure / doesn't sleep around and has never been married nor has had sexual relations (if she has had sexual relations, she is no longer virgin) as she waits to be married to her betrothed (if she has a betrothed). In the bible, the High priest could only marry a virgin from his own people (that's who Leviticus 21:13-15 is addressing, which you notice upon opening up the chapter, not just reading the single verse that pops up in the keyword search). Spiritually, we have to remain virgins to Christ (who is our high priest), not sleeping around with other gods, other beliefs. Staying loyal to him alone (not going after baals and other idols). Nor going after other “Christs” who negate what the biblical Christ teaches, but staying faithful to his words. Staying pure to his attitudes, way of being, the proper way of interacting with God's creation (our own bodies included). When he comes back, he expects us to have stayed loyal to him. He's not marrying the disloyal ones, only the loyal/faithful ones. Obviously, even if we were a witch or an idolater in our past, when we're born-again, we become a new person; so, stay in that virgin state until he returns, staying loyal to your betrothed/husband like the commands say to; if you're contaminated/sexually impure, the High priest will not marry you because you will contaminate your offspring [on a spiritual level, contaminate your children/family with false doctrine / false beliefs / thoughts that are lies]).
This is a time-consuming process: you may start out by looking up “virgin”, but then get on the topic of sexual immorality, then what purity is in contrast to becoming defiled by the world's ways [impure attitudes and beliefs] and a reference to covenant unfaithfulness, in the the epistle of James, which linked me back to the Book of Hosea, a time when Israel was not a faithful wife. From the Law, to the epistles, to prophets, to the gospels, they all help us understand this concept of “virgin” more fully and apply it to the parable.
Now that I looked that up, because I've read other books in the bible, on my own time, other verses come to mind: if the high priest only marries a virgin from his own people (his own people being Israel, particularly of the tribe of Levi, and perhaps only of the priestly family?), then obviously Christ is only marrying someone of his own people and of the priestly family/tribe; the bride of Christ is Israel (of whom Gentiles are being grafted into, according to Romans 11:25, thus born-again Gentiles are considered “Israel” too). And in case someone was thinking otherwise, I think the scriptures do insinuate that the Gentiles are a part of the spiritual priesthood too, not just a part of Israel, even though the New Testament epistle that identifies people as “a royal priesthood” is addressed to the scattered exiles. And the reason I say this is because upon converting, or choosing to live amongst Israel, Gentiles were held to a higher standard [YHWH's standard] in the Old and New Testament alike. For example: there's difference between Gentiles in the Old Testament being allowed to eat things found dead, and a prohibition we find on the Newly Converting Gentiles in the New Testament which suggests to me they're just as holy [as set-part] to God as the Israelites. Some foreigners were allowed to eat things found dead in the past, but others weren't. And in the New Testament, the converting Gentiles are also not allowed to.
Deuteronomy 14:21 (NIV)
21 Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to the foreigner residing in any of your towns, and they may eat it, or you may sell it to any other foreigner. But you are a people holy to the Lord your God.
Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
Leviticus 17:15-16 (NIV)
15 “‘Anyone, whether native-born or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be ceremonially unclean till evening; then they will be clean. 16 But if they do not wash their clothes and bathe themselves, they will be held responsible.’”
Acts 21:25 (NIV)
25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”
And though Peter wrote his first epistle to the scattered exiles of Israel, I would think the same applies to Gentiles grafted into Israel; Peter identifies them as a royal priesthood:
1 Peter 2:5 (NIV)
5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Footnotes:
a. 1 Peter 2:5 Or into a temple of the Spirit
1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
What I'm left wondering: is there a difference between being a wedding guest and the bride? And which one applies to the parable of the ten virgins (who seem to be guests, unless the bridegroom is marrying them all?). I'm still unclear about that. I'm tempted to say the ten virgins are guests because:
Revelation 19:7-9 (NIV)
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
The bride has made herself ready, but is the bride considered an invited guest? she is the one getting married to Christ. So, who are the guests? Perhaps this has to do with the two resurrections, the ones who proved true, and thus provided the evidence of their virginity (blood) are the bride.
Revelation 20:4-6 (NIV)
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Footnotes:
a. Revelation 20:4 Or God; I also saw those who
Or is “bride” and “wedding guest” an interchangeable term referring to the same group of people? Like Christ is our sacrifice but also our high priest (thus is the sacrifice himself, but also the one who kills / prepares and offers the sacrifice, carrying the blood behind the curtain to make atonement for us)? You can meditate like this for hours on end. But I will spare you and move on to another term because I have not reached a solid conclusion on this (granted, it's been a while since I meditated on this concept—until now). The common people in Israel could marry someone who wasn't a virgin, could marry a widow, and prostitute and divorcee, but the High Priest couldn't. And that distinction is not there in the law for no reason. It must mean something. But I don't know what.
Lamp
Another term, to show you further example of how to arrive at biblical insights and share some of my own in the process:
What other mentions of lamps are there in the bible?
Exodus 27:20 (NIV)
20 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning.
Leviticus 24:1-4 (NIV)
24 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. 3 Outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the Lord from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 4 The lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the Lord must be tended continually.
Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
נ Nun
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
Psalm 119:130 (NIV)
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
Lamps are the source of light, a source of guidance. The priesthood was to always have a source of guidance lit (lamps continually burning), thus be a continual source of guidance. And thus the Word of God being compared to a lamp in other verses because God's instructions are the source of the guidance. “Understanding” is being compared to the “light” coming from the lamp. You can have the lamp (the Word of God) physically there with you, but you do not benefit of its light (get guided by it, have understanding), unless you have olive oil to fuel it. So what is olive oil?
In the context of the parable, olive oil was a limited resource amongst the virgins, that each one must have with them, or get it themselves directly, not something you share or else you jeopardize your own readiness and waste time / miss the time for his arrival in the midst of your preparing to get more oil.
I think it helps to meditate on how olive oil is made.
Leviticus 24:2 (NIV)
2 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually.
Exodus 27:20 (NIV)
20 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning.
Olive oil is made from pressed olives. Olives must be crushed and then pressed, multiple times (traditionally, using the donkey apparatus with the wheels, but nowadays they use metal, automated machines) to get the oil out.
You can watch this video to see how Virgin Olive Oil is made (http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/how-its-made/videos/how-its-made-virgin-olive-oil/)
Olives are fruit. So the fruit, provided by God, but brought by the Israelites in a ready and refined form for lamp lighting purposes, keeps the lamps burning.
God promises to make us bear much fruit when we obey.
Deuteronomy 7:12-13 (NIV)
12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors. 13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.
So: no obedience, no fruit; no fruit, no olives to make oil with; no olives to make oil with, no light. The Word of God (lamp) is useless without obedience to it (fruit); ultimately, in order to receive understanding (light) you must obey the Word / instructions first. You have to bear fruit and have it pressed into oil, otherwise you'll have to go out and buy it; you'll waste time trying to get fueled understanding from someone else. And, in the time you go to consult with someone else to get discernment lit, he could've come and locked himself in with those who were already prepared and lit (in a state of understanding when the moment happened). It'll be too late if you didn't have the understanding at that moment. The more of God's Word that you obey, and put into practice, the more you understand. The more of God's word you obey, the more supply of continual understanding you have for yourself, that means you don't have to rely on someone else, nor waste time getting their help, thus you're prepared at all times for his return.
---
This message is getting long and I've barely addressed one parable LOL.
Moving to the next parable, for the parable of the wedding guest, you probably cannot find the answer in a quick keyword search, but by using the slow method. You have to become familiar with how the concept is expressed in different ways to find all the relevant passages (and the Holy Spirit bringing those passages to remembrance).
Wedding Garments / Clothes
The clothes that we're expected to put on for the wedding is Jesus' righteous nature—taking off our own clothes, our own earthly nature, and put on his instead.
Revelation 19:7-8 (NIV)
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV)
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Romans 8:13 (NIV)
13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
Colossians 3:5-10 (NIV)
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[a] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Footnotes:
a. Colossians 3:6 Some early manuscripts coming on those who are disobedient
Romans 8:29 (NIV)
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Galatians 5:19-24 (NIV)
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Colossians 2:11 (NIV)
11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh[a] was put off when you were circumcised by[b] Christ,
Footnotes:
a. Colossians 2:11 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 13.
b. Colossians 2:11 Or put off in the circumcision of
So, putting on his clothes (the clothes given to you by him), means put on the nature of His Spirit, and do not come dressed in your own nature.
Talents
Talents represent resources (time, money, skill, abilities) you have been blessed with / given by God to put to use and multiply his kingdom. Depending on your use of it, you'll be given more responsibility or have it taken away and your status as a servant revoked. So when the parable makes a reference to this:
Matthew 25:21 (NIV)
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
Matthew 25:26-30 (NIV)
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
If you can take care of a small portion of God's assets, in his creation, faithfully, then he'll give you more responsibility. But if you can't, if you do nothing with what he gave you, then he'll take away what he gave you and give it to someone else who will put it to use, and thus manage it better than you. And if you're not serving him, then you get thrown out. How can you stay a servant of God if you don't serve him? That's nonsensical.
Jesus did in fact leave us with things to do (and if we believe in what he said, then our life will demonstrate faithfulness to that task; if you don't carry out the task, then you're not his servant in truth, and he will dispose of your fruitless self):
John 15:5-6 (NIV)
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
John 15:8 (NIV)
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Matthew 24:45-51 (NIV)
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
cristobela: note the contrast, there is a servant that feeds the household and does what Jesus says, VS. the drunken servant partying it up and hanging out with people who have no discernment, not to give them discernment, but enjoy their drunkenness together
John 21:17 (NIV)
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
Matthew 4:4 (NIV)
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[a]”
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 4:4 Deut. 8:3
Are you feeding his sheep bread and the bread of life? Are you caring for people the way Jesus expects of you, out of a sincere desire to do so? Are you taking care of his believers in the way God said? Are you protecting them from the wolves that break in, with their ravenous predatory lies, which they speak just to benefit off the sheep's wool (money, sustenance, clothes)? Are you protecting them from the serpents who sow disunity with our head (Christ/God) by introducing man's prideful opinions, “seems right to me”-philosophy, instead of submitting to God's pure biblical truth (the only thing that protects is the Father's instructions)? Are you protecting the sheep from the ways and attitudes of this world? Helping them stay clean from contaminated food/thoughts? Are you submitting their thoughts to Christ? What kind of priest are you (we are a part of the priesthood after all)? Are you negligent, drunk, no discernment in you? Or are you faithfully teaching the truth that Jesus spoke, doing what Christ left for you to do? You should model yourself after Christ and take care of his assets, as his good and faithful servant, according to his commands.
The Old Testament is great source of wisdom when it comes to identifying what a faithful or unfaithful shepherd/shepherdess looks like (and of course the New Testament which I'll include, but the Old Testament contains some not-so-commonly-talked-about gems of truth).
Faithful Servants
Genesis 29:9 (NIV)
9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd.
Malachi 2:7 (NIV)
7 “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.
1 Peter 5:2-4 (NIV)
2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
Unfaithful Servants
Jeremiah 5:31 (NIV)
31 The prophets prophesy lies,
the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end?
Isaiah 28:7-9 (NIV)
7 And these also stagger from wine
and reel from beer:
Priests and prophets stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit
and there is not a spot without filth.
9 “Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
Ezekiel 22:26 (NIV)
26 Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
Ezekiel 34:1-6 (NIV)
34 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.
Hosea 4:6 (NIV)
6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children.
Matthew 23:1-3 (NIV)
23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
So, if you want to be a good servant, a good shepherd, then copy the good examples of the Word of God, and obviously Jesus (the Word of God made flesh): caring for the needs of the sheep, having compassion on them and teaching them many things, leading them to the truth of the Father, away from man's spiritual and philosophical opinions that disagree with the commands of God. Priests, prophets and “spiritual” shepherds are suppose to be spiritual guides that are aligned with the commands of the Father and do not deviate from it. They use the talents God gave them to carry out this task. That is the good and faithful servant: he/she adheres to the truth [the words of God, the commands of God] and puts it into practice.
I hope this answers your questions sufficiently and equips you in your relationship with God.
Peace be with you, in Jesus' name. heart |
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 5:31 pm
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cristobela michalsocool what does the five wise and five foolish virgin mean. and what does the wending of the garment mean. Jesus said they didn't have garment so they were cast out. and what does the parable mean when Jesus was talking about talents it will be taking away and giving to a neither
By step #3, I'll start shedding insight on the parables you asked about, but before that:Step #1: pray beforehand. Ask our Heavenly Father for wisdom to understand the passage and he will give it to you.
James 1:5 (NIV)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Step #2: meditate on his words directly (not via a workbook, nor commentary, but the full text of the bible itself), especially meditate on his Law.
Psalm 119:99 (NIV)
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
You'll have to sit and meditate on his words, in prayer / in conversation with him, for a while in order to receive a fuller meaning. The more familiar you are with every book in the bible, and thus, the more familiar you are with digging through the bible to find relevant verses and are acquainted with the passages as a whole [e.g. David's life story in your head from the bible, not a children's bible version], the easier it'll be to be guided by him.
And if you're not very familiar with the bible, he'll use “events”/”occurrences”/”conversations” happening around you to bring understanding on something you encountered in his word (using people, even people who are unaware or not knowledgeable of God, to indirectly help you realize the truth) or he'll bring people to you who do have the insight already figured out, in a truthful way. Sometimes a combination of all three (revelation during reading, random events, people who've figured it out coming to you).
The revelation you get sometimes will be hard to articulate into words, but you'll understand it instantly in the Spirit. That's why it's so much better to receive directly from God than to receive an explanation from someone else. The cumbersome middleman is avoided. Plus, if the middleman is puffed up with the leaven of the Pharisees (interpretations based on tradition, instead of the truth of what is written, thus not how God defines a word) then you'll receive a contaminated/distorted reply instead of the truth.Step #3 Figure out biblical definitions of words.
The more you stay in line with the biblical meaning of a word (meanings which are given in the bible across multiple books), the more insight you'll discover.
If you're not very familiar with the bible at all, and you want to figure out a quick, biblical meaning, I recommend you do this: make a list of all the people, objects, key phrases, and actions present in the parable.
For example,
Virgin
Lamp
Oil
Sleep
Bridegroom
Wise
Foolish
"day or the hour"
Etc...
Then do word searches on them on [biblegateway], to see how the bible uses them / defines them elsewhere. Biblegateway will give you all the verses where that word shows up (in the particular translation/version of the bible you have selected). And depending on how the word is used in various verses, you'll get inklings of deeper concepts.
(This is the quick method; the slow method would be actually reading through whole books—chapter after chapter, day after day—and noticing how the same concept gets expressed but in different words, elsewhere. And you'll arrive at understanding that you wouldn't necessarily get in a keyword search).
So, for example...VirginAn example of the quick method: typing in “virgin” into biblegateway, and of the verses that come up, what does it say about virgins? How does it relate to the parable? And what other words or concepts, present in those verses, can we later do another word search on to give us more understanding?
Deuteronomy 22:20-21 (NIV)
20 If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, 21 she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.
Leviticus 21:10-15 (NIV)
10 “‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt[a] or tear his clothes. 11 He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even for his father or mother, 12 nor leave the sanctuary of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil of his God. I am the Lord.
13 “‘The woman he marries must be a virgin. 14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, 15 so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.’”
Footnotes:
a. Leviticus 21:10 Or not uncover his head
2 Corinthians 11:2 (NIV)
2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
James 4:4 (NIV)
4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Footnotes:
a. James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.
James 1:27 (NIV)
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Hosea 2:13 (NIV)
13 I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot,” declares the Lord.
John 14:2-3 (NIV)
2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
So, a virgin, quite literally, is someone who stays pure / doesn't sleep around and has never been married nor has had sexual relations (if she has had sexual relations, she is no longer virgin) as she waits to be married to her betrothed (if she has a betrothed). In the bible, the High priest could only marry a virgin from his own people (that's who Leviticus 21:13-15 is addressing, which you notice upon opening up the chapter, not just reading the single verse that pops up in the keyword search). Spiritually, we have to remain virgins to Christ (who is our high priest), not sleeping around with other gods, other beliefs. Staying loyal to him alone (not going after baals and other idols). Nor going after other “Christs” who negate what the biblical Christ teaches, but staying faithful to his words. Staying pure to his attitudes, way of being, the proper way of interacting with God's creation (our own bodies included). When he comes back, he expects us to have stayed loyal to him. He's not marrying the disloyal ones, only the loyal/faithful ones. Obviously, even if we were a witch or an idolater in our past, when we're born-again, we become a new person; so, stay in that virgin state until he returns, staying loyal to your betrothed/husband like the commands say to; if you're contaminated/sexually impure, the High priest will not marry you because you will contaminate your offspring [on a spiritual level, contaminate your children/family with false doctrine / false beliefs / thoughts that are lies]).
This is a time-consuming process: you may start out by looking up “virgin”, but then get on the topic of sexual immorality, then what purity is in contrast to becoming defiled by the world's ways [impure attitudes and beliefs] and a reference to covenant unfaithfulness, in the the epistle of James, which linked me back to the Book of Hosea, a time when Israel was not a faithful wife. From the Law, to the epistles, to prophets, to the gospels, they all help us understand this concept of “virgin” more fully and apply it to the parable.
Now that I looked that up, because I've read other books in the bible, on my own time, other verses come to mind: if the high priest only marries a virgin from his own people (his own people being Israel, particularly of the tribe of Levi, and perhaps only of the priestly family?), then obviously Christ is only marrying someone of his own people and of the priestly family/tribe; the bride of Christ is Israel (of whom Gentiles are being grafted into, according to Romans 11:25, thus born-again Gentiles are considered “Israel” too). And in case someone was thinking otherwise, I think the scriptures do insinuate that the Gentiles are a part of the spiritual priesthood too, not just a part of Israel, even though the New Testament epistle that identifies people as “a royal priesthood” is addressed to the scattered exiles. And the reason I say this is because upon converting, or choosing to live amongst Israel, Gentiles were held to a higher standard [YHWH's standard] in the Old and New Testament alike. For example: there's difference between Gentiles in the Old Testament being allowed to eat things found dead, and a prohibition we find on the Newly Converting Gentiles in the New Testament which suggests to me they're just as holy [as set-part] to God as the Israelites. Some foreigners were allowed to eat things found dead in the past, but others weren't. And in the New Testament, the converting Gentiles are also not allowed to.
Deuteronomy 14:21 (NIV)
21 Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to the foreigner residing in any of your towns, and they may eat it, or you may sell it to any other foreigner. But you are a people holy to the Lord your God.
Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
Leviticus 17:15-16 (NIV)
15 “‘Anyone, whether native-born or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be ceremonially unclean till evening; then they will be clean. 16 But if they do not wash their clothes and bathe themselves, they will be held responsible.’”
Acts 21:25 (NIV)
25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”
And though Peter wrote his first epistle to the scattered exiles of Israel, I would think the same applies to Gentiles grafted into Israel; Peter identifies them as a royal priesthood:
1 Peter 2:5 (NIV)
5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Footnotes:
a. 1 Peter 2:5 Or into a temple of the Spirit
1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
What I'm left wondering: is there a difference between being a wedding guest and the bride? And which one applies to the parable of the ten virgins (who seem to be guests, unless the bridegroom is marrying them all?). I'm still unclear about that. I'm tempted to say the ten virgins are guests because:
Revelation 19:7-9 (NIV)
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
The bride has made herself ready, but is the bride considered an invited guest? she is the one getting married to Christ. So, who are the guests? Perhaps this has to do with the two resurrections, the ones who proved true, and thus provided the evidence of their virginity (blood) are the bride.
Revelation 20:4-6 (NIV)
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Footnotes:
a. Revelation 20:4 Or God; I also saw those who
Or is “bride” and “wedding guest” an interchangeable term referring to the same group of people? Like Christ is our sacrifice but also our high priest (thus is the sacrifice himself, but also the one who kills / prepares and offers the sacrifice, carrying the blood behind the curtain to make atonement for us)? You can meditate like this for hours on end. But I will spare you and move on to another term because I have not reached a solid conclusion on this (granted, it's been a while since I meditated on this concept—until now). The common people in Israel could marry someone who wasn't a virgin, could marry a widow, and prostitute and divorcee, but the High Priest couldn't. And that distinction is not there in the law for no reason. It must mean something. But I don't know what.LampAnother term, to show you further example of how to arrive at biblical insights and share some of my own in the process:
What other mentions of lamps are there in the bible?
Exodus 27:20 (NIV)
20 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning.
Leviticus 24:1-4 (NIV)
24 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. 3 Outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the Lord from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 4 The lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the Lord must be tended continually.
Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
נ Nun
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
Psalm 119:130 (NIV)
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
Lamps are the source of light, a source of guidance. The priesthood was to always have a source of guidance lit (lamps continually burning), thus be a continual source of guidance. And thus the Word of God being compared to a lamp in other verses because God's instructions are the source of the guidance. “Understanding” is being compared to the “light” coming from the lamp. You can have the lamp (the Word of God) physically there with you, but you do not benefit of its light (get guided by it, have understanding), unless you have olive oil to fuel it. So what is olive oil?
In the context of the parable, olive oil was a limited resource amongst the virgins, that each one must have with them, or get it themselves directly, not something you share or else you jeopardize your own readiness and waste time / miss the time for his arrival in the midst of your preparing to get more oil.
I think it helps to meditate on how olive oil is made.
Leviticus 24:2 (NIV)
2 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually.
Exodus 27:20 (NIV)
20 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning.
Olive oil is made from pressed olives. Olives must be crushed and then pressed, multiple times (traditionally, using the donkey apparatus with the wheels, but nowadays they use metal, automated machines) to get the oil out.
You can watch this video to see how Virgin Olive Oil is made (http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/how-its-made/videos/how-its-made-virgin-olive-oil/)
Olives are fruit. So the fruit, provided by God, but brought by the Israelites in a ready and refined form for lamp lighting purposes, keeps the lamps burning.
God promises to make us bear much fruit when we obey.
Deuteronomy 7:12-13 (NIV)
12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors. 13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.
So: no obedience, no fruit; no fruit, no olives to make oil with; no olives to make oil with, no light. The Word of God (lamp) is useless without obedience to it (fruit); ultimately, in order to receive understanding (light) you must obey the Word / instructions first. You have to bear fruit and have it pressed into oil, otherwise you'll have to go out and buy it; you'll waste time trying to get fueled understanding from someone else. And, in the time you go to consult with someone else to get discernment lit, he could've come and locked himself in with those who were already prepared and lit (in a state of understanding when the moment happened). It'll be too late if you didn't have the understanding at that moment. The more of God's Word that you obey, and put into practice, the more you understand. The more of God's word you obey, the more supply of continual understanding you have for yourself, that means you don't have to rely on someone else, nor waste time getting their help, thus you're prepared at all times for his return.
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This message is getting long and I've barely addressed one parable LOL.
Moving to the next parable, for the parable of the wedding guest, you probably cannot find the answer in a quick keyword search, but by using the slow method. You have to become familiar with how the concept is expressed in different ways to find all the relevant passages (and the Holy Spirit bringing those passages to remembrance).Wedding Garments / ClothesThe clothes that we're expected to put on for the wedding is Jesus' righteous nature—taking off our own clothes, our own earthly nature, and put on his instead.
Revelation 19:7-8 (NIV)
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV)
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Romans 8:13 (NIV)
13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
Colossians 3:5-10 (NIV)
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[a] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Footnotes:
a. Colossians 3:6 Some early manuscripts coming on those who are disobedient
Romans 8:29 (NIV)
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Galatians 5:19-24 (NIV)
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Colossians 2:11 (NIV)
11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh[a] was put off when you were circumcised by[b] Christ,
Footnotes:
a. Colossians 2:11 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 13.
b. Colossians 2:11 Or put off in the circumcision of
So, putting on his clothes (the clothes given to you by him), means put on the nature of His Spirit, and do not come dressed in your own nature.TalentsTalents represent resources (time, money, skill, abilities) you have been blessed with / given by God to put to use and multiply his kingdom. Depending on your use of it, you'll be given more responsibility or have it taken away and your status as a servant revoked. So when the parable makes a reference to this:
Matthew 25:21 (NIV)
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
Matthew 25:26-30 (NIV)
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
If you can take care of a small portion of God's assets, in his creation, faithfully, then he'll give you more responsibility. But if you can't, if you do nothing with what he gave you, then he'll take away what he gave you and give it to someone else who will put it to use, and thus manage it better than you. And if you're not serving him, then you get thrown out. How can you stay a servant of God if you don't serve him? That's nonsensical.
Jesus did in fact leave us with things to do (and if we believe in what he said, then our life will demonstrate faithfulness to that task; if you don't carry out the task, then you're not his servant in truth, and he will dispose of your fruitless self):
John 15:5-6 (NIV)
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
John 15:8 (NIV)
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Matthew 24:45-51 (NIV)
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
cristobela: note the contrast, there is a servant that feeds the household and does what Jesus says, VS. the drunken servant partying it up and hanging out with people who have no discernment, not to give them discernment, but enjoy their drunkenness together
John 21:17 (NIV)
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
Matthew 4:4 (NIV)
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[a]”
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 4:4 Deut. 8:3
Are you feeding his sheep bread and the bread of life? Are you caring for people the way Jesus expects of you, out of a sincere desire to do so? Are you taking care of his believers in the way God said? Are you protecting them from the wolves that break in, with their ravenous predatory lies, which they speak just to benefit off the sheep's wool (money, sustenance, clothes)? Are you protecting them from the serpents who sow disunity with our head (Christ/God) by introducing man's prideful opinions, “seems right to me”-philosophy, instead of submitting to God's pure biblical truth (the only thing that protects is the Father's instructions)? Are you protecting the sheep from the ways and attitudes of this world? Helping them stay clean from contaminated food/thoughts? Are you submitting their thoughts to Christ? What kind of priest are you (we are a part of the priesthood after all)? Are you negligent, drunk, no discernment in you? Or are you faithfully teaching the truth that Jesus spoke, doing what Christ left for you to do? You should model yourself after Christ and take care of his assets, as his good and faithful servant, according to his commands.
The Old Testament is great source of wisdom when it comes to identifying what a faithful or unfaithful shepherd/shepherdess looks like (and of course the New Testament which I'll include, but the Old Testament contains some not-so-commonly-talked-about gems of truth).
Faithful Servants
Genesis 29:9 (NIV)
9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd.
Malachi 2:7 (NIV)
7 “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.
1 Peter 5:2-4 (NIV)
2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
Unfaithful Servants
Jeremiah 5:31 (NIV)
31 The prophets prophesy lies,
the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end?
Isaiah 28:7-9 (NIV)
7 And these also stagger from wine
and reel from beer:
Priests and prophets stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit
and there is not a spot without filth.
9 “Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
Ezekiel 22:26 (NIV)
26 Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
Ezekiel 34:1-6 (NIV)
34 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.
Hosea 4:6 (NIV)
6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children.
Matthew 23:1-3 (NIV)
23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
So, if you want to be a good servant, a good shepherd, then copy the good examples of the Word of God, and obviously Jesus (the Word of God made flesh): caring for the needs of the sheep, having compassion on them and teaching them many things, leading them to the truth of the Father, away from man's spiritual and philosophical opinions that disagree with the commands of God. Priests, prophets and “spiritual” shepherds are suppose to be spiritual guides that are aligned with the commands of the Father and do no deviate from it. They use the talents God gave them to carry out this task. That is the good and faithful servant: he/she adheres to the truth [the words of God, the commands of God] and puts it into practice.
I hope this answers your questions sufficiently and equips you in your relationship with God.
Peace be with you, in Jesus' name. heart |
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