Categories
Writings on Christianity

The Wisdom & Goodness of Following Jesus

A reflection on Matthew 25:1-30

Matt 25:1-30 Reflection: The Wisdom and Goodness of Living for Jesus Christ

In Matthew 25:1-30 Jesus gives two parables which help his disciples pursue faithful obedience while they wait for his return. Jesus really is coming back one day, and this will be a glorious day where the kingdom of God is fully and finally brought to earth. To some it will be a horror, to others it will be a delight. To some it will be a relief and others it will be a shock. Jesus knows his followers need wisdom on how they are to live in the meantime while they wait for him to return. In Matthew 25:1-30 this is what he gives.

Jesus wants his followers to see that faithful obedience to him, while they await his return, is the path of wisdom (Matt 25:1-13). It is WISE to live for Christ, because he really is going to come back one day and that has massive significance for how we live today. Knowing he’ll come back again reorients us to live for Christ and shows that it wise to follow him daily: it is wise to choose God over the world; it is wise to live for Christ rather than career; it is wise to train our children in the ways of the Lord and share the gospel with out non-Christian friends. It is truly wise because Jesus really is the Lord who will come back in glory, and the heavenly feast is only for those who have him as their Lord and Savior—to those who have repented of their sins and trusted him by faith (Rom 10:9-10).

Jesus wants his followers to see that faithful obedience in the present age is also the path of goodness (Matt 25:14-30). God is our master and has given us our life, our time, our talents, and our treasure. He gave them to us that we might use them for his glory and out of worship for Him. To use these for ourselves is a dereliction of duty and is a treasonous disobedience to God the King. It is wicked to forsake faithful obedience (Matt 25:26), no matter how much rationalizing we do (Matt 25:24-25). Remembering that it is GOOD to live for Christ today while we wait for his return gives joy to our moment-by-moment obedience. It is good to live for Christ even when the world mocks us. It is good to live for Christ even when it is not convenient or looks like my life is more difficult. It is good to live for Christ because this is what I ought to do.

In the end, we remember that only Jesus is the truly wise and faithful one. We do not put our hope in our greater wisdom or obedience, but remember that Jesus is our savior who saved us from our foolishness and disobedience and sin (Titus 3:3-7). We look to his grace for walking the path of wisdom and obedience, and draw near to him in our hearts. We remember there is a feast that is coming and a joy that endures beyond the grave.


By Tom Schmidt

Christian, husband of Rach, Church Planter,musician,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *