Matthew 24:51

“And shall cut him apart, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.”

Jesus does not draw back from the idea of the severest penalty. He will be ‘cut in two' (compare 1 Samuel 15:33; Hebrews 11:37). All that he is and has will be destroyed. And he will join the hypocrites. In context this has in mind the Scribes and Pharisees constantly described as hypocrites in chapter 23. But it does, of course, include all hypocrites, that is all who do not live up to their profession. And we know that their destiny is the eternal fire. Again there will be ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth', the awful anguish of those who realise too late all that they have lost.

The lesson of the parables is clear. They stress the need to watch, and to faithfully carry out the responsibilities that the Lord places on us. We are not called on to apply every detail. But the Scribes and Pharisees saw themselves as servants appointed to feed the household of Israel. And they had failed. They therefore stand as a warning to all who see themselves as having that responsibility (and even those who do not see it but are nevertheless responsible, for in the end we are all responsible. None are exempted). We cannot avoid the final conclusion. The faithful will be blessed. The unfaithful will have demonstrated that they are not truly His, and will therefore be condemned. And that will include all who have spent their time trying to prove that they were saved, whether faithful or not. For by their fruits they will be known.