Text: Matthew 25,1-13
This parable is another in a series of teachings by Jesus on the coming of the kingdom…or the end of time, or Judgment Day, or last things. The focus is not on knowing when that moment is going to happen, but on being ready whenever it comes. I sometimes have conversations with people about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and it’s common for people to look for signs indicating when that will be. They cite evidence like the floods and storms and droughts that seem to occur often in the world at present. They mention the evils of crime and violence and suffering, and make the assumption that the world is going to hell in a handbasket, as if that has never been the case before. We know that extreme weather patterns are directly related to global warming – which in itself could be part of God’s judgment on the world. We also know that violent crime at least in Canada is on the decline, probably due to better policing, good economic times, and a reasonably good social safety net. So it’s probably not justifiable to insist that Jesus is about to come back in the near future because the world is in such an evil state that it can’t survive much longer.
But that doesn’t mean we should ignore Jesus’ clear warning to his followers. What is he saying? He tells this story about a wedding. A wedding is a festive and happy occasion. A wedding involves intense emotions. A wedding is about relationships and about investment in the future…a social highlight which takes preparation and requires every effort to provide an occasion which brings credit to the individuals and families involved. The focus in this parable is particularly on those who attend the bride and groom – they are the chosen friends and closest associates. A high standard of behaviour is required of them because they support the bride and groom and because their performance is in the public eye. What I’m really saying is that a wedding is a highly significant occasion in the lives of the people getting married and in the community gathered around them. I always marvel at this: in a time when marriage seemingly is losing much of its meaning, at the time of a wedding, the people at the centre of a marriage service - the bride and groom - are sometimes almost overwhelmed by the depth and seriousness of the occasion.
So when Jesus uses the image of a wedding, everyone knows and identifies with the idea that it is an experience of high emotion and great meaning. Who is the “bridegroom” in this wedding-image Jesus presents? Jesus himself. He is the bridegroom. Who is the bride? Well, it’s not one of the ten virgins or bridesmaids; they are attendants on the bride. The “bride” is the church, the Christian community. And the whole scene – the marriage and the celebration of it – is the kingdom of God.
But since the time of arrival of the bridegroom, Jesus himself, is not exactly known, the chosen attendants wait at the appointed place. Some of them, however, are not ready for his coming. They have lamps to light their way, but they are in danger of running out of oil. It is night and they begin to fall asleep. At midnight, the coming of the bridegroom is announced and the attendants immediately jump up to light their lamps. Those who don’t have enough oil cannot light theirs and are forced to rush out to buy more oil. Meanwhile, the doors are closed and the wedding begins. When the unprepared attendants return, they are refused admission. It is too late for them to join the bridal feast.
Again, we can interpret the details of this story as Biblical images: the lamps represent the light of faith and the oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Remember the image in the Psalms of the oil running down Aaron’s hair and beard as he is anointed? (Psalm 133:2) That oil, just like the oil we use in anointing people at the time of baptism, is a sign of the Holy Spirit – the presence of God which dwells within a person of faith. If we used the same amount of oil as the prophet did to anoint Aaron, we’d have very slippery babies!
Jesus’ point in telling this parable seems to be encouragement to his followers to be ready at all times for his return. It could be today, or tomorrow, or a hundred years from now. None of us can know the time. But we can be prepared. It’s not our responsibility to figure out the time; our task is to be ready. So when someone gets all worried about the signs of the times and insists that the world is about to end, don’t get carried away by their anxiety. If the world is about to end, our concern and our job is to be faithful to Jesus Christ. If the world is not about to end, our concern and our job is still to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Don’t use up energy trying to second-guess what God is up to. God is quite able to decide the future of the universe without any fuss from us.
Instead of looking for signs of the end, it would be far more worthwhile to look for signs of faith in ourselves and in our communities. If there’s anything God wants to see, I believe it’s evidence of our faith in God’s goodness, Jesus’ salvation and the Spirit’s presence. So instead of looking for signs of doom, look for signs of grace. Grace is God’s fingerprint. Whatever God touches is imprinted with grace.
The loudest voices in the church are the ones which complain about sin – other people’s sin. You don’t hear those voices announcing their own shortcomings; nope, they are much more concerned with the shortcomings of others, perhaps in order to distract anyone from noticing their own. Compare that with the gracious attitude of those who know their own sins and shortcomings and cannot with honesty accuse anyone else. Compare those loud accusations with the attitude of Jesus, who was remarkably gentle and kind to those who came to him admitting their unworthiness, but desperate in their need for healing and forgiveness. So don’t assume that the loudest voice is necessarily the voice of God.
Someone said this past week that if John McCain had made his speech accepting defeat in the election some weeks earlier, he might have won the election….Why do they say that? Because his speech in defeat was gracious: he honoured his opponent; he admitted his own failure; he displayed dignity and strength of character in a time of great disappointment. Instead of crass attacks on Obama and gross bragging about the Republican Party, he was forced to admit his own limitations and his party’s poor record in government. And he was genuine: finally, he gave an honest assessment of the situation instead of inflated claims that nobody could believe. It’s ironic, but it happens often, that when we behave in such a domineering manner we are setting ourselves up for a come-down. Pride goes before a fall. Did you know that’s actually in the Bible? It is, in the book of Proverbs, chapter 16, verse 18. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” So watch out for pride and cultivate humility. And be aware of grace: how gracious God is toward us and how we may imitate that grace in our own attitudes and behaviour.
In a world where the weak are often trampled underfoot, or driven over at high speed, it’s not easy to be gracious. First, we need to know what grace is. Basically, it’s a thoughtful, kind response to negative behaviour. It’s important to be thoughtful because the automatic response will likely be negative – we need to be aware in order to catch our own bad reaction. It’s important to be kind because that will likely be more effective than nastiness in preventing the escalation of conflict. Do you know the term “de-escalation”? We used to use that word in the inner city ministry when we instructed our volunteers from the suburbs. “De-escalation” means you don’t react, because that will cause trouble, and trouble among street people can quickly become violent; instead, you think before you respond – perhaps you don’t respond at all for a few minutes – and then you use calmness and understanding. If you want to calm the waves, you pour oil on the water, not gasoline.
Second, you slow down. Slowing down helps you to pay attention, and paying attention means you are watching and listening. When I worked for L.A.M.P. in northern Canada back in the 80s and 90s, part of my job was to instruct the Vacation Bible School teams coming from the US and southern Canada about the aboriginal culture. Americans have a particularly hard time not rushing into a community loaded with enthusiasm and talking a blue streak. Native people are simply bowled over by that behaviour, and they back off and disappear. So I’d tell the visitors to watch and listen. I don’t think some of them got it, but it definitely worked better if they could keep their mouths shut and their ears open. And when they actually watched and listened, they could learn a great deal from these people whose ways are different. That’s where grace becomes evident – when we are receptive instead of aggressive.
Third, think small. I often have to speak with people who are suffering from serious illness or bereavement. Nothing I can say or do will take away the pain and fear and loneliness of their present experience. I am not God…I cannot remove the cause of their pain and make everything good again. But I do assure them that God will do something to help. My own experience of various kinds of pain suggests that there are always small things that happen to comfort and encourage us. These things usually come as small surprises – that’s why we need to be watching…otherwise we’ll miss them. It’s especially important to cultivate the gracious attitude: instead of being angry with God for letting us suffer, grace allows us to appreciate even the small gifts of relief, kindness and comfort.
And the fourth thing is to extend this grace to yourself. Sometimes we are hardest on ourselves – how often do you hear a good, kind, generous person run himself or herself down for not being good enough? Grace does wonders to change attitudes, even our attitudes to ourselves – so be kind to yourself and you’re more likely to be kind to others. Remember the patience and kindness of Jesus, and believe that he reflects the patience and kindness of God toward us. Grace is characteristic of God: expect that God will treat you graciously, and in turn treat others graciously. In the parable of the ten bridesmaids, think of the oil in their lamps as the grace of God, and be prepared to fuel the light in your life with the oil of the Spirit. You may not light up the whole world, but you’ll cast a gentle light on the world around you.
This parable is another in a series of teachings by Jesus on the coming of the kingdom…or the end of time, or Judgment Day, or last things. The focus is not on knowing when that moment is going to happen, but on being ready whenever it comes. I sometimes have conversations with people about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and it’s common for people to look for signs indicating when that will be. They cite evidence like the floods and storms and droughts that seem to occur often in the world at present. They mention the evils of crime and violence and suffering, and make the assumption that the world is going to hell in a handbasket, as if that has never been the case before. We know that extreme weather patterns are directly related to global warming – which in itself could be part of God’s judgment on the world. We also know that violent crime at least in Canada is on the decline, probably due to better policing, good economic times, and a reasonably good social safety net. So it’s probably not justifiable to insist that Jesus is about to come back in the near future because the world is in such an evil state that it can’t survive much longer.
But that doesn’t mean we should ignore Jesus’ clear warning to his followers. What is he saying? He tells this story about a wedding. A wedding is a festive and happy occasion. A wedding involves intense emotions. A wedding is about relationships and about investment in the future…a social highlight which takes preparation and requires every effort to provide an occasion which brings credit to the individuals and families involved. The focus in this parable is particularly on those who attend the bride and groom – they are the chosen friends and closest associates. A high standard of behaviour is required of them because they support the bride and groom and because their performance is in the public eye. What I’m really saying is that a wedding is a highly significant occasion in the lives of the people getting married and in the community gathered around them. I always marvel at this: in a time when marriage seemingly is losing much of its meaning, at the time of a wedding, the people at the centre of a marriage service - the bride and groom - are sometimes almost overwhelmed by the depth and seriousness of the occasion.
So when Jesus uses the image of a wedding, everyone knows and identifies with the idea that it is an experience of high emotion and great meaning. Who is the “bridegroom” in this wedding-image Jesus presents? Jesus himself. He is the bridegroom. Who is the bride? Well, it’s not one of the ten virgins or bridesmaids; they are attendants on the bride. The “bride” is the church, the Christian community. And the whole scene – the marriage and the celebration of it – is the kingdom of God.
But since the time of arrival of the bridegroom, Jesus himself, is not exactly known, the chosen attendants wait at the appointed place. Some of them, however, are not ready for his coming. They have lamps to light their way, but they are in danger of running out of oil. It is night and they begin to fall asleep. At midnight, the coming of the bridegroom is announced and the attendants immediately jump up to light their lamps. Those who don’t have enough oil cannot light theirs and are forced to rush out to buy more oil. Meanwhile, the doors are closed and the wedding begins. When the unprepared attendants return, they are refused admission. It is too late for them to join the bridal feast.
Again, we can interpret the details of this story as Biblical images: the lamps represent the light of faith and the oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Remember the image in the Psalms of the oil running down Aaron’s hair and beard as he is anointed? (Psalm 133:2) That oil, just like the oil we use in anointing people at the time of baptism, is a sign of the Holy Spirit – the presence of God which dwells within a person of faith. If we used the same amount of oil as the prophet did to anoint Aaron, we’d have very slippery babies!
Jesus’ point in telling this parable seems to be encouragement to his followers to be ready at all times for his return. It could be today, or tomorrow, or a hundred years from now. None of us can know the time. But we can be prepared. It’s not our responsibility to figure out the time; our task is to be ready. So when someone gets all worried about the signs of the times and insists that the world is about to end, don’t get carried away by their anxiety. If the world is about to end, our concern and our job is to be faithful to Jesus Christ. If the world is not about to end, our concern and our job is still to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Don’t use up energy trying to second-guess what God is up to. God is quite able to decide the future of the universe without any fuss from us.
Instead of looking for signs of the end, it would be far more worthwhile to look for signs of faith in ourselves and in our communities. If there’s anything God wants to see, I believe it’s evidence of our faith in God’s goodness, Jesus’ salvation and the Spirit’s presence. So instead of looking for signs of doom, look for signs of grace. Grace is God’s fingerprint. Whatever God touches is imprinted with grace.
The loudest voices in the church are the ones which complain about sin – other people’s sin. You don’t hear those voices announcing their own shortcomings; nope, they are much more concerned with the shortcomings of others, perhaps in order to distract anyone from noticing their own. Compare that with the gracious attitude of those who know their own sins and shortcomings and cannot with honesty accuse anyone else. Compare those loud accusations with the attitude of Jesus, who was remarkably gentle and kind to those who came to him admitting their unworthiness, but desperate in their need for healing and forgiveness. So don’t assume that the loudest voice is necessarily the voice of God.
Someone said this past week that if John McCain had made his speech accepting defeat in the election some weeks earlier, he might have won the election….Why do they say that? Because his speech in defeat was gracious: he honoured his opponent; he admitted his own failure; he displayed dignity and strength of character in a time of great disappointment. Instead of crass attacks on Obama and gross bragging about the Republican Party, he was forced to admit his own limitations and his party’s poor record in government. And he was genuine: finally, he gave an honest assessment of the situation instead of inflated claims that nobody could believe. It’s ironic, but it happens often, that when we behave in such a domineering manner we are setting ourselves up for a come-down. Pride goes before a fall. Did you know that’s actually in the Bible? It is, in the book of Proverbs, chapter 16, verse 18. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” So watch out for pride and cultivate humility. And be aware of grace: how gracious God is toward us and how we may imitate that grace in our own attitudes and behaviour.
In a world where the weak are often trampled underfoot, or driven over at high speed, it’s not easy to be gracious. First, we need to know what grace is. Basically, it’s a thoughtful, kind response to negative behaviour. It’s important to be thoughtful because the automatic response will likely be negative – we need to be aware in order to catch our own bad reaction. It’s important to be kind because that will likely be more effective than nastiness in preventing the escalation of conflict. Do you know the term “de-escalation”? We used to use that word in the inner city ministry when we instructed our volunteers from the suburbs. “De-escalation” means you don’t react, because that will cause trouble, and trouble among street people can quickly become violent; instead, you think before you respond – perhaps you don’t respond at all for a few minutes – and then you use calmness and understanding. If you want to calm the waves, you pour oil on the water, not gasoline.
Second, you slow down. Slowing down helps you to pay attention, and paying attention means you are watching and listening. When I worked for L.A.M.P. in northern Canada back in the 80s and 90s, part of my job was to instruct the Vacation Bible School teams coming from the US and southern Canada about the aboriginal culture. Americans have a particularly hard time not rushing into a community loaded with enthusiasm and talking a blue streak. Native people are simply bowled over by that behaviour, and they back off and disappear. So I’d tell the visitors to watch and listen. I don’t think some of them got it, but it definitely worked better if they could keep their mouths shut and their ears open. And when they actually watched and listened, they could learn a great deal from these people whose ways are different. That’s where grace becomes evident – when we are receptive instead of aggressive.
Third, think small. I often have to speak with people who are suffering from serious illness or bereavement. Nothing I can say or do will take away the pain and fear and loneliness of their present experience. I am not God…I cannot remove the cause of their pain and make everything good again. But I do assure them that God will do something to help. My own experience of various kinds of pain suggests that there are always small things that happen to comfort and encourage us. These things usually come as small surprises – that’s why we need to be watching…otherwise we’ll miss them. It’s especially important to cultivate the gracious attitude: instead of being angry with God for letting us suffer, grace allows us to appreciate even the small gifts of relief, kindness and comfort.
And the fourth thing is to extend this grace to yourself. Sometimes we are hardest on ourselves – how often do you hear a good, kind, generous person run himself or herself down for not being good enough? Grace does wonders to change attitudes, even our attitudes to ourselves – so be kind to yourself and you’re more likely to be kind to others. Remember the patience and kindness of Jesus, and believe that he reflects the patience and kindness of God toward us. Grace is characteristic of God: expect that God will treat you graciously, and in turn treat others graciously. In the parable of the ten bridesmaids, think of the oil in their lamps as the grace of God, and be prepared to fuel the light in your life with the oil of the Spirit. You may not light up the whole world, but you’ll cast a gentle light on the world around you.
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