Midterm

Scriptural Analysis of Matthew 25

When studying the scriptures, there are many ways to understand and apply the gospel doctrines. It is important to know and apply these methods when studying, because with them, the reader may better apply the teachings to themselves and know why these teachings are sacred and should be applied to his or her life. Heavenly Father provided us with the bible, Book of Mormon, and Pearl of Great Price for a reason, and if we know how to relate the principles and teachings therein, we will be able to live them, and be more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. These ways include, but are not limited to, asking questions, picking out and learning the principles, cross referencing with conference talks, articles, and commentaries, using the footnotes and lexicons, identifying patterns and themes, and putting the verses into context. This essay will focus on applying all of these study skills to the book of Matthew 25 in the New Testament.

The first study skill that this essay will cover will be the study skill called “asking questions” which is where the reader of the scriptures asks questions to clarify, expound, clear up, and understand what is in the text. In Matthew 25, there are many parables that are told by Jesus Christ, and at first glance, the text just seems to be a story book with stories that are totally unrelated, and frankly, strange. But when the reader starts to ask questions, the meanings of the parable begin to come alive. The first parable in the chapter is the parable of the ten virgins. In this parable, ten young girls are waiting for the bridegroom to come so that they may go to the marriage. Five of them are wise because they brought extra oil for their lamps and five of them are foolish because they did not bring extra oil. When the time came to go to the wedding, the foolish virgins were out of oil and the wise virgins were not. The five foolish virgins asked the five wise virgins for oil, but they said no and went to the wedding. The foolish virgins were not able to enter. Knowing this, one might begin to ask questions. Some of the questions that a reader might have could be: why did the foolish virgins not buy oil? Why would they need lamps to go to a wedding? Why were the five wise virgins so selfish with their oil? What is this story supposed to represent? Some of the questions listed above are questions that cannot be answered right away, but all of them can be answered. To ask questions is extremely important because without the answers, there are no lessons to be learned, and even questions that can’t be answered are important too, because it means that the reader is thinking about the lessons to be learned.

The second study skill that is important to understand and apply is being to read between the lines in the verses and pick out principles. This study skill is extremely important because without it, the scriptures are just nice stories. We can find this skill in Matthew 25 in the parable of the talents. In this story, there is a master that has three servants. He gave a certain amount of money (talents) to each servant and then went his way.  In Matthew 25:15 it reads: “And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.” The master represents God and the servants represent all of His children, or, in other words, us. A principle that we can learn from this verse is that the Lord gives blesses all of His children differently. We cannot compare our lives to those of other people because life is not fair; it never has been and it never will be. In this way, principles can be gleaned from every verse in the chapters of the scriptures and then applied to better the life of the reader. These small verses have a lot to teach if one is willing to read between the lines.

Another study skill that be used to enrich the experience of reading the scriptures is that of looking up general conference talks, articles, and commentaries about the chapters, verses, stories, and parables. This can be applied to the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25. The parable of the sheep and goats can be summarized in this way; when the judgment happens, we will be separated into the “goats” and the “sheep.” The sheep will be on the right hand of God (His good side, so to speak) and the goats will be on His left. What will determine where we end up will be how well we follow the commandments, more specifically, the commandment to be charitable and serve our fellow man. The famous quote, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”, is found in this parable. To apply the study skill, the reader only needs to google parts of the parable that they want to have insight on and read through the articles that come up. For example, in Huge E. Martinez’s October 2014 general conference talk, he said, “We have the special opportunity to be instruments in His hands. We can be so in our marriages, in our families, with our friends, and with our fellow man. That is our personal ministry as true disciples of Jesus Christ.” He then quoted Matthew 25. From this we can learn that as followers of Christ, we have the ability to help be Jesus’ hands here on the earth.

Being able to use the footnotes and Greek lexicons are another tool that we have available to clarify the scriptures. In the parable of the 10 virgins, which was previously explained in this essay, the five foolish virgins were not able to enter the wedding because the door was shut, and the bridegroom says that he knows them not. (Matthew 25:12) When one looks at the footnote “a” for Matthew 25:12, it says that in the Joseph Smith translation of the verse reads, “Verily I say unto you, Ye know me not.” This changes the whole meaning of the verse from it being the bridegroom’s fault to it being the virgins’ fault. When we apply this to our own lives, we see that we are the only ones that can gain entry into heaven. The debt has already been paid; we just have to use repent and do our part. Greek lexicons work in a similar way. When the reader wants to clarify the meaning of a word, or is curious to see how something could have been translated, the use of a Greek lexicon is extremely enlightening. For example, the use of the word Lord in Matthew 25:11, is translated from the Greek word “kurios” which means “a person exercising absolute ownership rights.” (BibleHub) This is interesting because we can see why Jesus is called Lord at times; he, along with God, has absolute ownership rights over us.

The fifth study skill that this paper will cover will be patterns and themes. A pattern or a theme is something that is very useful in the linking of stories and events. In Matthew 25, we see the pattern of the Savior teaching in parables. This an extremely important concept to understand because if the reader didn’t recognize that the Savior taught in parables, they would be extremely confused as to why He was such a story teller. The importance of finding and understanding patterns and themes is to be able to comprehend exactly what is being taught and to be able to find links to other scriptures that clarify and/or add on. In a talk by Elder Bednar entitled A Reservoir of Living Water, he says, “In my judgment, diligently searching to discover connections, patterns, and themes is in part what it means to “feast” upon the words of Christ. This approach can open the floodgates of the spiritual reservoir, enlighten our understanding through His Spirit, and produce a depth of gratitude for the Holy Scriptures and a degree of spiritual commitment that can be received in no other way. Such searching enables us to build upon the rock of our Redeemer and to withstand the winds of wickedness in these latter days.”

The last study skill that this paper will cover is the study skill of context. This means being able to place events, paces, and happenings in order and in the right place. Without this study skill, the reader will become lost and not know what is happening in the chapters of the scriptures. In order to be able to know the context of a verse, chapter, story, etc. in the scriptures, the reader has to look at chapter headings, chapters before and after the one they are reading, the institute manual, and might also look to talks or commentaries. In Matthew 25, the reader knows that Jesus is teaching, but maybe not when or where. The answer to this question is found in the student manual of the New Testament. In it, it reads, “Matthew 25 is a continuation of the Savior’s teachings on the Mount of Olives.” This tells the reader where he was and what he was doing; and that is extremely vital to understanding the parables.
In conclusion, in order to be able to fully understand the scriptures, all of the study skills need to be understood and applied. Matthew 25 is an amazing chapter that encompasses the teaching methods of Jesus Christ, and when principles are found, conference talks, articles, and commentaries are used, footnotes and lexicons are taken note of, patterns and themes are identified, and context is provided, the beautiful teachings of the Savior are able to be learned and applied.
 

Works Cited

Martinez, Elder Hugo E. "Our Personal Ministries." By Elder Hugo E. Martinez. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.
"Matthew 25." Matthew 25. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.
"New Testament Student Manual Chapter 8: Matthew 24–25; Joseph Smith-Matthew." New Testament Student Manual. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.
Speeches, BYU. "The Scriptures: A Reservoir of Living Water." BYU Speeches. BYU Speeches, 04 Feb. 2007. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.
"Strong's Greek: 2962. κύριος (kurios) -- Lord, Master." Strong's Greek: 2962. κύριος (kurios) -- Lord, Master. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.