Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will be the one standing outside and knocking like they do.
In other words: you’re right, there are a lot of people who think they’re in, and they’re actually out, and that’s actually you.
“Sir, open the door for us”; but he will answer: “I don’t know you, or where you come from”.
But he will say: “but we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets”, but he will reply: “I do not know you, or where you came from. Away from me you evil-doers, and there will be weeping there and gnashing of teeth”.
When you see Abraham, and all the prophets in the kingdom; but you yourselves are turned out; people will come from the north, the east and the south and the west, and will take their place at the feast of the kingdom of god.
Indeed, there will be those who are first, and those who are last; and those who are first will be last.
He says, to this group of people: there are a lot of people who think they’re in, and everyone else is out. Actually, it’s you who are out; you who thought you were in - you are the ones that will be shut out; because at my wedding table, many will come from the north and south and west - and there’s no room for people who think they’re better than everybody else.
So Jesus tells the story, and at the center of the story, twice, what does he say? “I don’t know you”. The issue was not-knowing God.
The other application is: how you treat others matters. He ends that whole thing by saying: the people you think are out; are actually the ones in.
All those people who you think are out (because you’re in, and they’re out), they actually the ones in, and you’re the one shut out.
Jesus is slamming them: how you treat others matters; and the issue is: I don’t know you.
John 17:3 – “now this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God”.
So for Jesus, what was ‘eternal life’ defined by, in the simplest sentence? To know God.
How do you know you have eternal life? You know him. You know him – this is eternal life, that they may know you. H
Matthew 25:1-12. This is the introduction to Jesus sermon on sheep and goats. This is what he says to introduce this:
“at that time, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom, five of them were foolish, and five of them were wise. The foolish ones took their lamp but did not take any oil with them; the wise however took oil along with them in jars along with their lamps”.
I was listening to one Rabbi teach on this, and he said that in the Hebrew version of Matthew, when it says “they took the oil with them”, it says “they took no Tzedakah”, which is the Hebrew word for generous, generosity, or charity. They took no Tzedakah.
Tzedek is the word Righteous. Tzedakah is the word generous, generosity, charity. Try saying it: Tsadaq; Tzedakah.
So Righteousness and Generosity are the same word. You cannot separate righteousness and generosity. You cannot say you are righteous, and be greedy.
2106 verses of scripture connect righteousness with generosity. Greed and wickedness are also interconnected: Jesus said “the love of money is the root of all evil” - greed is the root of all evil.
Generosity was the key to righteousness; the suffix means ‘to reveal’. So ‘righteousness revealed’ was generosity.
The five foolish virgins, they don’t bring any generosity with them. This is going to play a huge point. The wise however, took oil along with their lamps, verse five.
The bridegroom is a long time in coming, and they all felt drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: here is the bridegroom, come out and meet him!
Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps; the foolish ones said to the wise: give us your oil, for our lamps are going out.
No, they replied, there may not be enough or both of us. Instead, go to those who sell oil, and buy some for yourself.