Day 5

The Master’s Return

from the The Parables of Jesus reading plan


Matthew 25:1-13, Mark 13:32-37, Luke 12:35-48

BY She Reads Truth

In this study of the Parables of Jesus, we are reading many of the stories Jesus used to teach hearers about how to live as His followers. Each day we’ll read parables in their immediate context, focusing on a different category of parables each week. Then we will work through a series of questions to understand the meaning of the text and take to heart the “secrets of the kingdom.”

Editor’s Note: In this Parables study, Jesus Himself is telling us stories—stories He wants us to reflect on and process. Rather than asking our writers to write their own stories about Jesus’ stories, we thought it would serve you and the text better to provide questions to help you dig into the meaning of each day’s parable. If you find a parable or passage particularly confusing, stop and pray. Ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you in His Word, and thank Him that we can know Him without knowing all the answers to our questions.

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Week 1: Parables about God’s Kingdom

Parables are stories with a point. They are designed to make us think about what is being said, why, where, to whom, and in what context. To get to the heart of Jesus’ parables, we need to pull them apart and take a careful look at the details He gives us. One detail that runs through this week’s selection of parables is that Jesus says they all describe the kingdom of God in some way. As you read through these passages, use the following questions to unpack the stories Jesus tells.

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Day 5 Reading: Matthew 25:1-13, Mark 13:32-37, Luke 12:35-48

Questions:

1. In Luke’s parable about the master’s return, who are the characters in the story and who do they represent?

2. What issue does this particular parable address, and what is the outcome of the story?

3. What is the central point of this parable?

4. What, if anything, do you find particularly difficult to understand about this parable? What about it seems clear? What is your response to it?

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Post Comments (68)

68 thoughts on "The Master’s Return"

  1. Julie Reifsteck says:

    I find myself in your same shoes. God is unveiling more information to me but as I reflect inwards and truly apply it to my constant daily action.

  2. Queen Blossoming says:

    God’s Word

  3. Sandy Barnes says:

    We must always be ready because we do not know when Christ will return or when He will call us home!

  4. Megan Sears says:

    I was hoping I could ask you ladies to pray for me! I haven’t been as strong in my faith or living my life as I feel like I should for a while now (mostly due to life events), and it gives me so much anxiety to think about God’s return. Does anyone else get this anxiety? Like, you’re excited for Heaven but you also would like to live a life on Earth as well? Am I off base with thinking this? I know God is a forgiving and loving God, and he doesn’t want to see us in Hell, but I also know we have to do our parts as well as His followers. I’ve had anxiety all my life and my faith has been a big target for Satan to use that anxiety against me. I guess I’m just looking for some guidance and reassurance.

    1. Jaclyn Ruth says:

      Prayers sent up Megan! And you are not alone and those are totally normal feelings. Keeping our lamps/internal fires for the Lord is at times hard work, but so worth it!

    2. Heather says:

      I totally get what you are talking about, Megan. I think a good balance is to make sure that you don’t get so caught up in this world that you forget about Jesus’ return. Even when we like the way our lives are going, we have to remember that He is soooo much better than this world has to offer. So, yeah, we get to live as lights to the world while we are here, but in order to do so, we must love Him more than we love the world. He wants us to be mindful of His return when the world tells us to live for ourselves. I think that’s the big picture: remembering that HE is the main character

    3. Sara-Cate Pedigo says:

      I’m in same boat as you!! I’ve gotten better but i still worry about the end times!! A couple years ago i would have major anxiety over the end times. Especially when people would try to predict the end of time. Praying for you!!

    4. Esther Powers says:

      Megan— I’ve totally had that same fear growing up. What I’ve realized is that if you know and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord and you receive his forgiveness, he forgives you without condition and you can be sure that you’re saved according to what he says in the word (Romans 10:9-13). So if you’ve sincerely put your faith in Him, you are secure in him. I remember realizing that the fact hat I was so concerned with salvation must show that I’m actually saved or else I wouldn’t be worrying about it! ;) But if you feel you’ve strayed away and aren’t following God, I would encourage you to return to him- it’s SO WORTH IT! And besides going to heaven, I’ve just enjoyed just getting to know him as my Father at a personal level. He just wants a relationship with you, girl! :) Being in line with God will bring you the peace, assurance, and SATISFACTION you are looking for. Praying for you!! (I’m here to talk whenever!!)

    5. Alonah Gill says:

      Praying for you, Megan. I pray God wraps his arms around you and makes you feel comfort. His hands are healing hands and his love is everlasting. Pain/confusion does not last always but remember what comes after it, JOY. Rejoice in knowing that you are a child of God who loves you and will do and has done amazing things in your life. I pray you receive calmness in your time of anxiety. I pray you continue to seek him in all areas of your life. I pray for strength and I pray for your continued growth in Christ our lord. Amen.

  5. Brianna says:

    Gosh! I love all of these answers and thoughts and insights. I’m in college and I struggle with spending time on a daily basis. I often find myself in the car praying and jamming to my Christian rap and music. But being so busy I often forget why Im even doing what I’m doing. When Jesus says “be alert,” mark 13:37 I think it is so important we never lose sight of what’s coming. It may not be in our lifetime but if we can touch the lives of others to help them be alert then I feel like we are accomplishing our task here on earth. Jesus said to love others just like he has loved us. And I find that so important that each day I try to love someone and impact their life. No matter how busy we are I think it’s important to stay connect and I love this app and reading your ladies feedback. It’s wonderful thank you!

    1. Charlie Mcfarlane says:

      I love what you have written!

  6. Kezia Goodman says:

    These parables aren’t new to me, but I am seeing them in a new light, fresh revelation and appreciation for the word of God. It has forced me to do a lot of internalizing, and self examination. I’m asking these questions after reading this parable: Am I ready? Have I fulfilled my purpose? Am I presenting to God without spot and blemish?

  7. Bridget says:

    All of Luke 12, and especially verse 48, resonates with the fact that following Christ comes with responsibility that Jesus takes very seriously. There are good consequences to following/being ready for Him, and there are bad consequences to not following/being ready for Him.

  8. Stephanie says:

    I’ll be honest… I’m that person that really struggles with a black and white brain. Either something is or it isn’t, you know? Growing up, my Bible teachers taught with the understanding that every verse, every piece of scripture is absolute Truth and that if you can find something to be untrue in God’s Word, the credibility of everything else is jeopardized. (In other words, if you can disprove one thing, you might as well disprove it all.) And while I understand now more so than I did back then that we can always find things to disprove in our human understanding and capacity because we are not God and are not made to understand all things yet, sometimes, as you can imagine, I have a hard time processing scriptures that don’t jive in my mind right off the bat –verses that appear and read one way, but really mean another, or when a passage seems to contradict a different area of scripture, etc.

    That being said, with the passage in Mark where it talks about no one knowing the day or the hour of Christ’s return in the rapture, I am having a hard time processing chapter 13 verse 32 where it states “nor the Son, but the Father alone.” As I read it, my mind immediately jumps to, “…wait. Isn’t Jesus all God as well as all man? How can He not know this if He and the Father are One in the same?” My black and white brain panics a little. “Either Jesus is fully divine or He isn’t…right?”

    I find comfort in knowing that there is context to be understood in so much of what we read in scripture — the culture, the specific people being spoken to, etc. I know that as a man, Jesus spoke with God as His Father, even as they were One in the same. When I looked up this verse in the Amplified Bible, it says, “But of that [exact] day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone.” “In His humanity…” Does it mean that as a human, Jesus is separated from the full knowledge of God? It’s so hard to wrap my mind around these things, but I guess that’s where the blessing of trusting in a big God whose thoughts are not my thoughts and whose ways are higher than my ways comes into play. I have to choose to trust that if God wants me to understand these things fully, He will reveal them to me as I ask for His wisdom or I will understand them when I meet Him face to face. Either way, it’s a choice I have to make on whether or not I will trust in my own understanding or His. And I choose His.

    Any thoughts on this verse, ladies?? I would appreciate any input from those who have more understanding than I do!

    1. Allison Joy says:

      I have nothing to actually back this up, but I think it goes back to Jesus willingly leaving heaven to come to earth and being fully human and fully God at the same time. (I know. I don’t quite grasp that part either.) Jesus chose to limit His divine power a number of times, and I think this is one area He chose to limit His divine power. He did not take Himself off the cross, when he could have. He did not keep Himself from being hungry when He was tempted by the devil. He could have. He did not keep Peter from falling when he got scared after walking on the water. He didn’t. There are a number of areas where Jesus could have chosen to assert His Divine power and chose not to, but rather to embrace being “fully man.” And I think there’s also a reason we can’t grasp the fully man/fully God concept. It’s an area where God wants us to trust Him, even though we don’t quite get it, kind of like you already said. Those are just my thoughts on it.

      1. Stephanie says:

        Pretty neat way to look at it… Thanks, Allison!

      2. Rosalie says:

        Wow amazing response! I was struggling with this too and your response showed me there’s one good answer that exists, even if it’s not the correct answer that just proves there’s explanations that I just don’t think of on my own!

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