Matthew 24-25 parables all emphasize a long delay before the master returns

Parable 1 (Matt 24:45-51) — faithful/wicked servant: the wicked servant says 'my master is delayed.' Parable 2 (Matt 25:1-13) — ten virgins: 'as the bridegroom was delayed, they all slept.' Parable 3 (Matt 25:14-30) — talents: 'after a long time the master came and settled accounts' (v.19). Parable 4 (Matt 25:31-46) — sheep and goats: people who ministered without ever meeting Jesus physically — implying they lived and died without seeing his return. Three out of four explicitly use the word 'delayed' or 'long time'; the fourth implies it. The cumulative weight of four sequential parables all signaling delay is theologically significant.