Last Sunday of the Church Year, 2009
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming;[a] go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Matthew 25:1-13
Jewish weddings were night affairs. The bride would wait with her friends at home for the arrival of the groom, who would come to her home with his friends. Then the entire wedding party would weave its way through village streets or country byways to the feasting hall.
It was not unheard of then for the bridegroom to be delayed. Modern brides are usually late for their weddings and they have watches and clocks – even limousines with drivers – to keep them on time. In the days when there were no watches, and everyone traveled on foot, schedules were much more flexible. The bride and her friends had to be ready at any moment for the bridegroom’s arrival and the procession to follow. The groom got there when he got there.
Most people do not let the delay of a bride at a modern wedding get them too upset. The same would be true of the bridegroom’s delay in Jesus’ day – up to a point. Then everyone begins to wonder.
Jesus’ parable has a bridegroom who is more than a little late. He is AWOL. Where is he? No one knows. But people are drawing conclusions about his absence. The foolish virgins don’t have oil because they don’t think he is coming. Why be ready for the wedding parade to the feasting hall if the bride has been jilted?
That’s the first point of this parable. There are people who do not think that the Bridegroom is on the way. The Bridegroom is Jesus, the Bride and the virgins are the church. We know that the people who are not Christians don’t expect Jesus to return in glory. But is it really possible that some of us in the church don’t believe He’s coming?
Yes, Jesus says. There are fools in the church. The evidence of their foolishness is that they lack oil. They aren’t ready to light their lamps for the feast of eternity, the procession that leads out of darkness into marvelous light.
To be a fool in the language of Scripture means to be without faith – to have no confidence in God, to place no trust in God’s Scriptures. Foolish virgins don’t think Jesus is coming back. These are Christians who don’t trust Him.
So the reason that these five young ladies lack oil is because they lack faith. Why bother to be prepared for Jesus’ arrival if you don’t believe He’s coming?
This is a warning to us who are struggling to believe in Christ. If you think this doesn’t speak to you, ask yourself this:
As the world crumbles, do you look for His return? When your world crumbles, what do you do? Too many of us forget that we are living in the last days. The troubles and disasters that we face…Jesus told us they were coming. Do they make you curse because of them? Do you hate everyone around you because of them? Do you seriously daydream about running away – or, the ultimate escape from your troubles: suicide?
If you have, watch out. You may be growing foolish. You do not want to be a fool. Fools will not be ready for Christ’s return. They will be surprised when it is too late. It is possible to grow so weak in the faith that you lose all expectation of a better life from Christ. And when He returns, the door to the feast will be shut.
Readiness is described as having oil. When the wise virgins won’t give oil to the foolish Christians, it isn’t out of cruelty. It’s because they can’t. You cannot be ready for someone else. And someone else cannot be ready for you. If you want others to be ready, then tell them about the return of Christ. Better yet, tell them about the need for salvation, the hope of the resurrection and the importance of the Sacraments. Pray with them, take them by the hand to Bible study and church. Evangelism is about turning the foolish into the wise, not about the survival of our church. The Lord will see to the survival of His faithful. After all, the Bridegroom is on the way, remember?
Now let’s turn to the wise Christians, described as virgins, who had their lamps ready to go. The Bridegroom’s delay didn’t bother them. The troubles of this life were the same for them as for the others, but they didn’t take this as evidence that God had forgotten them. They expected his arrival at any time.
The reason that there was oil in their lamps was because they were wise. Wise means faithful, confident, trusting in Jesus’ arrival at any time. To be wise means to be looking forward to the heavenly feast. Wisdom is banking on the promises of the resurrection and the uninhibited joy of Christ’s great wedding feast. Foreclosures, sick children, hospital stays, cancers, job losses, unfair managers, and whatever else may trouble you – these are not reasons to give up hope. Jesus is coming. You don’t have to give in to the temptation to be disillusioned with Christ and His church. Some do. They have turned to other things in which to place their trust. For them, there is no time for Jesus any more. They don’t reckon seriously with Him any longer. They are busy getting the most out of other things before they die. It’s the pressure of pleasure being shoved into the short space of mortality. Not you. Your future is with the Bridegroom.
As we wait, we may get drowsy and sleep. This could mean that we will die and fall asleep in Jesus before His glorious return. So this text includes the promise of the resurrection of all flesh. But it also means that things will go on pretty much as always until Jesus’ arrival in glory. That will require discipline on our part as we wait.
Christianity isn’t always about exciting, new things. Going to church each week, praying each day, hearing and learning, eating and drinking, all can seem rather ho-hum to some people. But the life of faith is a work-a-day Christian life. It seems drowsy, even boring at times, to wait. This is lost on too many Christians who are always running after the next best thing or a more interesting congregation. Wisdom is to stick to the things that bring faith, not entertainment. Then all is ready for Christ’s return.
Brothers and Sisters, we have come to the end of another year of waiting together for Jesus. That day is now closer than ever before. How wonderful is the future set before us in the wedding hall with Christ and his people! How bright is our future! The bridegroom is only delayed. He is not detained. When the time is right, we will see him, whether we are asleep or awake. Christ our Bridegroom shall open the doorway to eternal life and invite us to dine with Him there. It will have been worth the wait.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
The Reverend Sean M. Smallwood
cruxprobatomnia -- the cross tests everything
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