Matthew 25:1-13 Over the course of our lives there
are many important days: the day we
graduate--the day that we begin our professional career --the day we get
married-- and the day that we retire.
As important as these
special days are, all of the days of preparation that leads up to that day are
also important. In fact, the way that
those important days turn out for us is totally dependent on how well we
prepared day by day up to that moment.
Of all the
important days in our lives, none is as important as the day of our Lord’s
return when we will stand before him and be judged-when heaven or hell are the
only two choices for eternity. But as
important as that day is, every day that we can prepare for that day, is also
vitally important. The parable of the
wise and foolish virgins vividly illustrates how important it is to be prepared—day
by day-- for our Lord’s return.
To understand the
point of this parable it is enough to recognize that the virgins are the
members of the church, their lamps are their individual faith, the oil is the
Spirit that enlightens that faith, the bridegroom is the Lord, the wedding
banquet is the great eternal feast in heaven that begins on the Last Day for
all who have trusted in Christ.
But all these
details exist to make only one vital point—one thing that Jesus wants us to
know today: that it is absolutely
necessary to be prepared for the Lord’s return—no matter how long it takes. Jesus says:
"The kingdom of
heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were
wise. For when the foolish took their
lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their
lamps.”
The picture that
we have before us is that of the believing church—each of the virgins
representative of the child of God who is pure in God’s sight through faith in
Jesus—each of them with the light of faith burning bright through the powerful oil
of the Spirit—each of them waiting for the Lord’s return.
Bible scholars
tell us that the word used for lamp in this passage describes a kind of torch
used at night with enough oil to keep it burning for only about 15 minutes and
the only difference between those virgins who are called “wise” and those who
are called “foolish" is that the wise ones were prepared to wait with
extra oil to keep their lamps burning bright--and the foolish ones were
not. Not only did the wise virgins have
enough oil to keep their lamps burning at that moment-- but they were prepared
to keep their lamps lit for a long, long time.
At various times
in the Gospels Jesus reminds us that we are to expect his return at any
moment—but here he reminds us that we also ought to be prepared to wait—that
the believer who is truly prepared for his return has a supply of the oil of
the Spirit to keep his faith burning bright as he waits for the Lord’s return.
For 2000 years the church has had to wait for that
day and the simple fact of the matter is that we don’t know if the Lord will
return today or if it will be another two thousand years. As Jesus says about his return in our lesson
today: "keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” and so we have to make sure that we keep our
faith strong until that day whether it comes tomorrow or in 2000 years.
Our confidence on that day depends on the measure of
God-given wisdom that we exercise on this
day and then tomorrow and the next day and throughout our lives—wisdom that
causes us to prepare for his return because not only do we need to have a true
and living faith right now if he comes in this moment—but we must persevere in that
faith throughout our lives and then die in that faith--if we are to enjoy an eternity
with God.
Our faith in Jesus
Christ is not a one-time thing but must be renewed and replenished again and
again with the Holy Spirit to keep it burning bright throughout our lives. So how is faith kept alive in us?
A big part of that
preparation is what we are doing right now.
Worshiping God—hearing his word—receiving the body and blood of Christ. These are some of the most important ways
that the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts and strengthens faith in our
hearts and sustains faith in our hearts.
It is the height
of spiritual foolishness to neglect the means of grace through which the Spirit
works to keep our faith strong because we simply do not know how long we will
have to wait for that day. Spiritual sloth
is deadly to our life of faith just like the sleepy virgins in the parable.
Jesus says that: As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
It is so easy to
grow complacent in our spiritual life—so easy to lay our head back down on the
pillow on Sunday mornings and tell ourselves it won’t matter that much just
this once if we miss church. It is so
easy to grow complacent because, let’s face it, it has been a long time since
our Lord’s promise that he will come again to judge.
It’s also easy to
get caught up in the pressures of the daily grind—of the pressing need around
us—of the” right now” of tomorrow’s deadlines-- that it’s difficult to keep in
mind the big picture and take the long view when it comes to our Lord’s return.
This is especially
true in a culture where we are never disciplined to wait for anything—where the
idea of saving for a purchase is ludicrous if there’s a credit card in
hand.
We’re not used to
waiting and all of us, like the 10 virgins in our text today, fall victim to
spiritual drowsiness at times. But today
is the day to remember that, no matter how long it takes, the Lord will return and
then it will be too late to prepare. Who
and what and whose we are in that moment-- will be true for us forever. Jesus says that:
"At midnight
there was a cry, `Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' "Then all those virgins rose 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, ‘Since there
will not be enough for us and you, go rather to the dealers and buy for
yourselves.'
The sobering
reminder from the Lord to us today is the light of faith can go out. If our faith in Jesus Christ is not regularly
replenished by the oil of the Spirit as he works through Word and Sacrament, it
might not be there when we need it the most.
The Bible does not
teach that, having “once upon a time” been baptized or confirmed or come to
faith in Christ that you are spiritually “good to go” throughout your
life. When we die and depart this
world—when we face the judgment of God—we must be found steadfast in faith in that
moment.
The other sobering
reminder in these words of our Lord is that we cannot prepare for another
Christian. My parents’ faith or my
spouse’s faith or my friends’ faith will not save me--each of us, individually,
for ourselves, must believe in Jesus and be prepared and ready to face his judgment. Jesus says that:
"While they
were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with
him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. Afterward, the other virgins came also,
saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he
answered, `Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you
know neither the day not hour.
Make no mistake
about it, the Lord will come again—whether we are prepared or not—and we will
either be welcomed into the eternal feast prepared for those who love Jesus--or
we will be left on the outside.
The bible knows
absolutely nothing of an in-between place between heaven and hell. You are either part of the wedding feast of
the Lamb or you are not. The bible knows
nothing of a time of preparation or second chances after our Lord’s return. You are either with the Lord on the day that
the door of grace closes—or you are not.
The great tragedy
is that some of those who had every chance to be a part of the great feast of
the victorious Lamb—some of those who, for a time, had lamps of faith that were
burning bright—will hear from Jesus the most terrible words that can ever be
spoken: “I don’t know you.” And they will be cast into hell for eternity.
There will come a
day when the door of salvation will be shut forever and then there is no more
time for preparation—nothing that you can do-- to change the verdict that is
spoken about you.
Dear friends in
Christ, we have this God-given moment, this day of salvation, to re-commit
ourselves to Jesus Christ—to thank him for his life, death, and resurrection
that provides the way for us into that wedding feast of the Lamb in his kingdom
that has no end.
We have this day
to resolve that, by the help of the Holy Spirit, we will stay close to the Lord
throughout our lives, that we will gladly hear his Word and receive him as he
comes to us in the sacrament and so stay strong in our faith.
We have this day
and every day until the Lord comes to remain steadfast in our faith so that we
are prepared to partake of the feast that has no end. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment