When the Son of Man comes,” said Jesus, “it’ll be like ten girls who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but didn’t take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
“Then all the girls woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The girls who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
“Therefore keep watch, because you don’t know the day or the hour.
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who’d received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who’d received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I’ve gained five more.’
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You’ve been faithful with a few things; I’ll put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
“The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I’ve gained two more.’
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You’ve been faithful with a few things; I’ll put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
“Then the man who’d received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you’re a hard man, harvesting where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here’s what belongs to you.’
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered seed? 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.
“‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and he’ll have an abundance. Whoever doesn’t have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there’ll be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Matthew
Love Never Dies 