The central lesson of Jesus' 5 parables about His coming again

5-21-11 passed & we're still here

“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” (Matt 24:42)

Every generation seems to have a misguided teacher who fails to heed the teachings of Jesus when asked about the end of the Age and fulfillment of His Kingdom. Beginning the Olivet Discourse, Jesus was clear through these five parables that life would continue as normal and believers are to live “responsibly, compassionately, courageously, and expectantly during the Lord's absence...” until “the end” (Howell, 301).

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1. Parable of the absent master and the entrusted servants: “Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come” (Mark 13:33-37).  Be diligent in waiting for the Lord's Return even at unexpected times, like watching for travelers in the ancient near east when nobody traveled at night for “the nighttime is the most difficult and improbable time to be on the watch, and the parousia will be equally unexpected” (France, 546). In the end, the reason for the delay is unimportant compared to the trust that the master will indeed return (Elwell, 793).
2. Parable of the homeowner and the thief: “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt 24:43-44). Be diligent at all times despite the unknown hour of the Lord's Return even though certain signs must precede the end. This parable is “addressed to all disciples, but especially church leaders” (Elwell, 753), many of whom consider themselves experts at reading the signs of the times. However, there is nothing stopping the Lord from enacting all the remaining signs in a moment, or enacting them in a way that humans misinterpret. 
3. Parable of the good and wicked servants:“Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes” (Matt 24:45-51). Diligent servants will be rewarded, but unfaithful servants will be punished when the master returns, that is when Christ returns and inaugurates His kingdom on earth. Once death or Christ enters our life the window of opportunity to be wise stewards ends. As with much of Jesus' other teachings, our faithfulness now proves as an indicator of our faithfulness later with the result that “fidelity in a lesser appointment leads to a more significant appointment” (Nolland, 998). Conversely, those who prove unreliable with little, will have even that removed from them.
4. Parable of the ten virgins:“And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut” (Matt 25:1-13). Be prepared to wait a long time before the Lord's Return for vigilance is the difference between a true and a false disciple. Jesus' 2nd coming, as depicted in these parables, will precipitate a crisis (Elwell, 753), and only those who prepared will be prepared. Jesus demands “habitual obedience...as distinct from a desperate attempt at the very end to make up for years of neglect and disobedience” (Elwell, 753). To borrow from the beatitudes, true disciples will be bearing fruit at the time of Christ's return for they bear fruit regardless of their masters presence, but false disciples will not be bearing fruit for no tree can produce fruit at the moment the farmer arrives.
5. Parable of the talents:“For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Matt 24:14-30).  Use Kingdom resources entrusted to you to glorify God until He returns regardless of the personal return. The third servant rightly reasons that he will be punished for loss of his masters money and chooses to do nothing with it, but fails to take into account that if he can't be trusted to manage even a small amount, then he's not worthy to be a steward of anything. Meanwhile the first two servants “illustrate exactly what Jesus seeks from disciples - unquestioning and fruitful obedience” (Elwell, 754), even though the master will reap the reward of their work with His money. Ultimately, the two servants who sought to work for the master (and risk potential loss) with no promise of reward received it, while the third servant who feared the masters wrath faced it.

• Howell Jr., Don N.. The Passion of the Servant. Eugene: Wipf & Stock - Resource Publications. 2009.    
  
• Elwell, Walter. A.. Evangelical Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House. 1989.  
  
• Nolland, John. New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. 2005.