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 ones, 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. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don't know you.’
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."
So on Tuesday of this week, while we are busy making preparations for the coming Passover Feast, Jesus has pulled aside his disciples and taken them to the Mount of Olives to give them a warning about things to come. This is a private meeting. These teachings aren't for the crowds who are going about their business in the bustling city below. This is for those who follow him. He's talking to two groups of disciples.
First, he's talking to the group in front of him who are about to experience a time of true upheaval. Not just the events of the next seven days. Those will be bad enough. But he's pointing ahead to hard days for Jerusalem. See in another 30 years, when the Church is in its infancy, it's going to be tested like never before... In 70 AD a Jewish revolt will prompt a devastating and overwhelming response from the Romans. Ceasar will order his army to march into Jerusalem and retake it from the Jewish revolutionaries who have temporarily overthrown the local government. Their action will be swift and overwhelming. Shock and awe. Three days before Passover, the army will begin a seige around Jerusalem, letting no one in or out for 4 months until finally they attack the city, destroying Herod's palace and the temple. Those rebels that aren't killed are pursued into the desert where they hole up and commit mass suicide.
It is a dark and terrible time. And Jesus wants his disciples to be ready. He wants them to understand that this will all be a false alarm. They may experience these things and believe the end is imminent. There may be people who claim the Messiah is out in the wilderness collecting disciples to make his move, that the final battle is beginning. Jesus wants his followers to put all that nonsense out of their heads. "No one knows the day or hour," he tells them. But when the Son of Man does come it won't be in secret, it will be seen by all.
There's another group of disciples Jesus is speaking to on the Mount of Olives... All of us who face our own dark days. The same warning goes to us. We will see unprecedented things and may be tempted to believe the end of all things has come. We too need to hear the warning not to follow after false messiahs or believe that we can interpret the clues that no one else can. Instead, Jesus says: "Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."
Then he tells a strange parable. One that turns this whole business on its head. A parable about a wedding celebration.
See, back then it was Jewish custom that when a couple was to be married, they would enter into a betrothal period. This was a legal period of being married but not married yet. We might think of it like a modern engagement except that it is legally binding. A betrothal involves a ceremony and an offering of the bride price and it can only be dissolved by a divorce. Why? Because the groom is then expected to take the money he has received and prepare a place for he and his new wife to live. Sometimes that's building a new house entirely but very often it involves making an addition on to his Father's house.
This by the way is the imagery Jesus is using in the Gospel of John when he says, "In my Father's house there are many rooms... I am going there to prepare a place for you."
Because, get this, once the preparations are complete and the groom has finished making a place for his new family, he will gather his groomsmen and they will surprise the bride at her home and take her and the bridesmaids back to the new place for the wedding feast. They will come down the street singing and carrying torches and stand outside the bride's home and she will come out with her bridesmaids to meet him in the air and the rest of their lives will begin in earnest.
Isn't this a lovely image of what Jesus' coming will be like? A handsome groom showing up suddenly to take his bride, the Church, to their new happily ever after that he's been gone all this time preparing?
So often we treat Jesus coming back like bad news. We tell it like a horror movie. But Jesus, himself, makes it sound like the end of the fairy tale when the curse is finally broken, the dragon vanquished, and all is right with the world. Jesus coming will be as it always has been: gloriously good news. The Gospel completely fulfilled.
The danger, according to the parable, is that we could miss the celebration by being unprepared. Jesus warns all his disciples in all times that they are not to go chasing after prognosticators who promise to have the real details about how it's all going to go down but, rather, to be spiritually ready. Like members of the bride's party, we want to be awake and ready to go.
But we are not awake in fear... Awake worried that some vengeful demon is on its way... We are awake with anticipation... excited that at any moment all our dreams could be fully realized and we could be following our beautiful savior to the greatest celebration imaginable. We wait with the passion of those young and in love. Undistracted... dressed... ready to go at a moments notice....
Lord, Help us to be ready. Whether it is for the end of the world or the end of our own lives, help us to be prepared in our souls to meet you with joy. We ask you to forgive us of our wrong doing and purify us in your sight so we can be excited for your arrival. Give us the heart of one in love. Amen.
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