In this post we will look at three parables that illustrate three areas of accountability in the Kingdom of Heaven. While God extends His grace to us freely, being citizens of His kingdom comes with obligations, just as any other citizenship.
Accountability of Readiness in the Kingdom of Heaven
The first area of accountability we will look at is illustrated in the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 NLV. It reads:
“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’
“All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’
“But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’
“But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’
“But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’
“So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.”
The illustration for this parable is taken from the first-century Jewish marriage traditions. When a Jewish man was betrothed to a woman, they would legally be married, but the bridegroom would live separately during the betrothal period. The bridegroom would be working to prepare a place for them to live. Once everything was ready and the wedding day arrived, the bridegroom would travel to the bride’s home. Her bridesmaids would go out to greet the bridegroom and usher him to the wedding celebration.
Lamps were required because weddings typically took place at sundown. The bridesmaids would lead the groom’s procession to the bride’s home, which was usually where the wedding occurred.
The importance of keeping oil for the lamps was crucial since the procession would not reach the wedding location until after sundown. As we think about this in terms of the Kingdom of Heaven, we can easily identify keeping enough oil for the lamps as a symbol of being full of the Holy Spirit. He is the power within us that keeps us watching.
We do not know when Jesus, the Bridegroom, will return. We do know He is returning, but the day or the hour is unknown to us. So we must keep watch, being full of the Holy Spirit as we wait.
The Bridegroom will come, and if we are not ready when He arrives, we will miss the celebration. So we must keep watch and be ready, maintaining a relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. When He comes, let us be those who are ready to usher him to the wedding feast.
Accountability of Stewardship in the Kingdom of Heaven
When we think about accountability in the Kingdom we think mostly about the Parable of the Talents. Many people relate this parable purely to material goods, but the intent is much more than how we use our material assets.
“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last, dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.
“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
“After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’
“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
“The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’
“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
“Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’
“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ NLT.
This parable has been used extensively in teachings about financial stewardship. While that idea is not wrong, it is very narrowly focused. In Romans 12:6-8, Paul wrote about each person in the body of Christ having unique gifts from the Father. The parable of the talents is focused as much or more on how we use the gifts and talents we were given than how we utilize our material resources. Why is this important? It is important because when any individual in the Kingdom of Heaven is falling short in living their best life for Christ, the whole body suffers.
Have you ever stubbed your toe on a piece of furniture in the middle of the night? Is it just your toe that is impacted? Depending on how hard we hit that toe, it can impact a lot of the body. We might reach down and grab that toe with the hand and must hop on one foot to where we can sit down. When we have a stomachache, it impacts our functioning in many ways. The point is that when one part of the body of Christ is hurting and not using their gifts to their best, the whole body suffers.
Using our gifts and talents begins with knowing ourselves. We need to take the time to assess how God has gifted us spiritually. There are assessments available that can help us understand our spiritual giftings. Personality and talent assessments have been used in career planning for decades. It is just as important for followers of Christ to understand their spiritual makeup as well. We are accountable for how we use our skills, talents, aptitudes, and spiritual giftings. These are all God’s gifts that He gives to us to live our life in His kingdom. At the final judgment when our works in Christ are evaluated and rewards handed out, how we used all our talents, aptitudes and gifts will be judged.
Accountability of Forgiveness in the Kingdom of Heaven
The final area of accountability revealed in these parables is how we extend the forgiveness we have received from Christ. The parable in Matthew 18:23-35 (NLV) shows us that how we treat others who are indebted to us reflects how we value the forgiveness we have received.
“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold, along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned, to pay the debt.
“But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
“His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters[m] from your heart.” NLT
The context of this parable is a question by Peter from verse 21 about how often we should forgive our brother an offense. So this parable illustrates that when we receive God’s forgiveness but hold on to our judgement of others for their sins against us, we fail to understand what forgiveness means. The forgiveness we receive from God is meant to be the beginning of a change of heart in us. It is the beginning of healing and freedom for us. So much of the workings of the flesh in us is in our attitudes towards others. Pride, anger, deceit, covetousness, and seeking pleasure are all motivating forces in our lives. Holding grudges and unforgiveness are like poisons in our souls from which God wants us to be free. Not only is this parable about the injustice of us doing wrong to a brother, but it is also highlighting how we miss God’s best for our lives by holding on to grudges, greed, and selfishness.
These three parables highlight the need for us as followers of Christ to be devoted to preparedness, using our gifts and talents for God’s glory, and the need to forgive others as we reflect the Father’s heart and the forgiveness that He has lavished on us.
Check out Brad’s book, The Stranger’s Conflict: Understanding the War Within To Live Victoriously for Christ. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DSFZNSN6/