The Foolish and Wise Virgins:
Be Prepared!

November 13, 2011

Matthew 25:1-13
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: `Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ “`No,’ they replied, `there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. `Sir! Sir!’ they said. Òpen the door for us!’ “But he replied, Ì tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

Today's Gospel reading is a famous passage. The message that Jesus is teaching in the parable is very easy, as a conclusion he tells us the point of the story. Jesus says, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." But as we read the parable, it is hard to understand all the details.

The Bridegroom of course is Jesus Christ. The Bridegroom comes at the end of the world, on Judgment Day. The door being opened or closed is the Final Judgment. The Wedding Feast is Salvation in Heaven. The Bride is the Church. The Bridegroom being late in coming is the fact that Christ did not return in Glory immediately after his Resurrection and Ascension, but has been waiting, for nearly 2000 years now. The Ten Virgins are members in the Church; but not all the members on the church membership list will go into heaven. The door being open is salvation to eternal life, being closed is the final judgment. The lamp would be the Christian life that reveals Christ who is the "Light of the World." There is a problem however of understanding what the oil is. For example, faith, love, the soul, the Holy Spirit, etc. Since Jesus did not make the meaning exactly clear, I think that we preachers are free to interpret as we want to, as long as we are preaching God's Law and Gospel for the glory of Christ. I would like to say today that the oil is "hope," and as long as we have "hope in the coming of Christ" our lamps will shine. If our hope gives out we will not be ready when Christ comes.

In the parable the bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. Both the wise and foolish maidens fell asleep, so it was not bad that they fell asleep. I think that the sleeping means that they were living as normal people who need sleep. Which would mean that we live our normal lives while waiting for Christ to come again. Or, another meaning is that sleeping could be death. Christ has not yet appeared and meanwhile many Christians have fallen asleep waiting. And so, the time to buy oil is before we die. At the Day of Resurrection, it will be too late to become a believer in Christ.

We may not be sure of all the meanings of the details in the parable since wedding customs are very different today, but the meaning of the parable is clear since Jesus says, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." Actually, this is the theme of about 5 parables in Matthew Chapters 24 and 25. The parable of the thief (24:23), the parable of the good and wicked servants (24:25), the parable of the Ten Virgins, the parable of the talents (25:14), and the parable of the sheep and the goats (25:32).

The fact is that no one knows when Jesus will return. He may return before I finish this sentence, he may return in our lifetimes, he may return many centuries from now. Compared to the length of eternity, our human lifespans are short, so we do not want to waste time. In this modern age of electronic communication, we want immediate results. There is the expression "Okinawan time." It is supposed to mean being relaxed but is used today only as an apology for being late, because the modern world hates "Okinawan time." In our spiritual life it is the same. We don't like "God's time" either: 1 day = 1000 years, 1000 years = 1 day. We want immediate results from our prayers: healing now, success now, growth now, peace now. Patience is one of the so-called "fruit of the Spirit" of Galatians 5:22, and real patience is a real gift, a miracle of the Holy Spirit. It is hard to wait. Sometimes we give up waiting. If traffic is too heavy we look for a different route, or turn around and go home. If God does not answer our prayers soon enough, we look for a different way to solve our problems. Whether we are waiting for Christ to come at the end of the world or waiting for Christ to come into our lives now, we need to keep our lamps burning.

What will keep our Spiritual lamps burning? What is the oil? Maybe it is hope, but what gives us hope? There are a number of things: faith, trust, Bible study, memorized Bible passages, Christian fellowship, worship, prayer, Holy Communion, Baptism, confession and forgiveness, and others. And like the extra oil in the jars that the Wise Virgins took with them, the Word of God and worship and prayer will fill up our lamps with hope as we wait for Jesus.

But you cannot refill your lamps with just anything. If you refill your oil lamp with gasoline it will explode, if you fill it with some chemicals the fumes will poison you, and if you fill it with Coca Cola, it just plain won't burn. If you try to fill your spiritual lamp with humanitarianism or a false religion or self pride or drugs or yoga or the popular egotistic folk religion of America, your hope will not be sustained, your lamp will go out. Only the Promise Word of God will keep the flame burning.

And what is the flame? In the context of the parables in Matthew 24 and 25, the flame is the Christian Life that gives witness to Christ. That is shown in the parable of the good servant who takes good care of the master's household. It is the Virgins going to their friend's wedding party. It is the servants who invest the master's talents wisely. And in the parable of the sheep and the goats, it is feeding the hungry, giving something to drink to the thirsty, giving hospitality to the stranger, clothing the naked, looking after the sick, and visiting those in prison. In other words, the flame is our life as Christians, living our normal lives, and so not worrying about when Jesus will come back. As Martin Luther is said to have said, that even if he knew that tomorrow was the end of the world, he would still plant an apple tree today, because that is our work in the world.

We have come to church today to fill up our lamps, to make sure there is spare oil in our spare jars, and to trim our wicks so that the lamp shines bright without smoking too much. Jesus said, "I am the Light of the World" (John 8:12). On the cross, his light of love and forgiveness shown out even though the world was darkened. On the third day, the brightness of the resurrection proclaimed the love and peace of God. And sometime in the future, this glorious light will return with the proclamation of the Angels, "Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!" Hosanna!

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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