BUY OIL WHILE THE SUN SHINES (MATTHEW 25:1-13)
A good friend called me shortly on the Saturday afternoon exactly a week before the day of my wedding. He asked hesitatingly, “What are you doing?” I sensed something was not right and asked him what he meant. After a brief pause, he asked meekly: “Aren’t you getting married today?” Refraining from laughing, I answered, “No, it is next week.” He mumbled, “My wife and I are standing outside the church you have picked for your wedding ceremony. I must have seen the wrong date on the invitation card.”
Poor guy. He had caught a break; his in-laws were available to baby-sit their two kids, who were five and two in age, so that the couple could attend the wedding. As one of the two wedding ushers for the big day, he had a part in the wedding but was spared from the rehearsal, with embarrassing consequences to him. All he had to do was to show up for the wedding day and do the ushering, a chore not unfamiliar to the minister friend.
The wedding usher must have realized something was wrong when he arrived to ample parking and quiet streets. Next week he and his wife returned to the same church, on the right date this time, and did his ushering best.
Jesus compared a person’s ill-preparation for His return to bridesmaids that sleep on the job and miss out on the bride and groom’s wedding ceremony, the biggest day of one of their best friend’s lives, and the subsequent wedding reception, celebration and banquet.
How should we prepare for Jesus’ coming? What is there is a delay? Why is prevention better than cure and crying over spilt milk?
Be Ready Within, Not Outside
25:1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. (Matt 25:1-4)
A film crew was on location deep in the desert. One day an old Indian went up to the director and said, “Tomorrow rain.” The next day it rained.
A week later, the Indian went up to the director and said, “Tomorrow storm.” The next day there was a hailstorm. “This Indian is incredible,” said the director. He told his secretary to hire the Indian to predict the weather for the remaining of the shoot.
However, after several successful predictions, the old Indian didn’t show up for two weeks. Finally the director sent for him. “I have to shoot a big scene tomorrow,” said the director, “and I’m depending on you. What will the weather be like?” The Indian shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know,” he said. “My radio is broken.”
Appearances are deceiving. The foolish virgins looked, dressed and marched like bridesmaids. They were pretty, radiant and even charming on the outside, but dreary, dim and dull on the inside. The word “foolish” is none other than the Greek word “moros,” or the English equivalent “moron,” for stupid.
The foolish virgins were not prepared for the wedding, the ceremony or their duty. In fact, their oil did not run out at midnight; it ran out much earlier. They did not even have enough oil for the night, never mind late night. The groom’s arrival at midnight – before the wedding day was over – exposed them for who they were. They had lived their lives like a bad Cinderella story - once the clock struck midnight, the coach turns into a pumpkin, the horses become mice and the beautiful clothes rags. Unfortunately, the virgins’ gowns were stunning and their makeup was perfect, but their heads were empty. All that the foolish ones had to do was to bring extra olive oil, which was not expensive, heavy or rare. The oil was probably at the expenses of the wedding couple, not the bridesmaid.
A person reflects on the wisdom of having more, not less, oil to burn: “When I was a boy, they had beautiful kerosene lamps in every home, on every table. They had lovely glass bowls for the oil, so you could see their wicks and the level of the oil and knew when to replenish them. The lamp burned best when full of oil. When the level got low, too much of the wick would be out of the oil for the wick to be thoroughly soaked. Then the wick itself would begin to burn faster, and the lamp would give off smoke.”
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The wise ones, however, brought oil in jars or vessels. The only other Greek occurrence of this word for jar or vessel is the word for “basket” or “pail,” for what fishermen used for a good catch (Matt 13:48). The work was tough, taxing and tiring. They knew they had their work cut out for them. They had to carry, drag and transport the jars around, but the girls were glad for their friends who were getting married, eager to help the wedding couple and willing to do what was asked. Goofing about, fooling and lazing around would have to wait.
The five virgins were foolish because they saw the wise virgin’s intense preparation, incessant activities and infectious spirit, but they did not ask how others do it, how much was necessary and how long to wait. They sure had ample time to find more help and were free to talk to the wise ones. The ladies were not sequestered or barred from meeting together, asking questions, seeking opinions or exchanging insights.
Be Ready Before, Not After
5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ’Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ’Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 “’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.’ 10 “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. (Matt 25:5-10)
A great prophet once addressed a herd of donkeys. “What would a donkey require for a three-day journey?” he asked. And they answered, “Six bundles of hay and three bags of dates.”
“I cannot give six bundles of hay and three bags of dates,” the great prophet said. “Who will go for less?” One donkey said he could go for six bundles of hay and two bags of dates. Another offered to make the journey for (less -) three bundles of hay and one bag of dates. Then one long-eared, sad-looking donkey said he would go for just one bundle of hay.
“Thou art a disgrace to the herd and an Ass,” said the prophet. “Thou cannot live for three days on one bundle of hay, much less undertake the journey and make a profit.” “True,” replied the Ass, hanging his long ears in shame. “But I wanted to get the order.” (Bits and Pieces 5/25/95)
It’s been said, “It’s easy to be wise in hindsight.”
The foolish virgins’ problem wasn’t drowsiness or sleep. Even the wise ones dozed off. They were foolish because they chose sleeping over shopping at the wrong time and on the wrong day. Even if they were tired, they could have sent someone else in the wedding party to purchase more oil. Sleeping was so important to them they were not bothered with anything else, even though they could sleep their head off once things were over, but they could not see beyond their immediate need to sleep, so they shoved other things aside. Unlike the foolish ones, the wise ones could afford to sleep because they were prepared for the long wait.
Note that the wise virgins did not keep the oil to themselves, but for themselves. Keeping oil to oneself means wasting it instead of using it, but keeping oil for oneself is saving it for a reason and for good use. The former would rather pour oil down the drain than share it, but the latter would rather save the best for last. The wise virgins were not opposed to benefiting others, helping others or covering for them. They were not the type that forbid, as the Chinese say, “fat water to flow into others’ fields.” However they could not give away or help others with what they themselves needed. Besides, it was the couple’s right to give, not their oil to give. To their credit, they were wise enough not to share at the wrong time. Selfishness, by definition, is an excessive or exclusive concern with oneself without regard for others. The wise were not unkind, unmerciful or unfeeling, but they could not afford to be sentimental, emotional or naive. Their friends’ biggest day was at stake. They felt sympathetic, but they could not afford to be soft or sloppy.
The wise virgins did not wish for others’ exclusion or rejoice in others’ misery; however, they just couldn’t spare any. If they could, they would be delighted with less work to do. Instead, they should be commended for their sober judgment, smart thinking and stubborn resistance. Also, they did not have hardened hearts or push others away, but suggested an alternative to the foolish virgins, not knowing that they would not make it back on time.
The wise virgins’ reply in NIV and KJV does not do justice to their answer in Greek. They did not begin with a harsh “No,” (NIV) or “Not so” (KJV). The Greek reply is, “Lest” followed by “not enough for us and you.” The wise ones weren’t screaming “No” at the top of their voice. They turned the foolish virgin’s request down with the utmost sensitivity, class and regret, explaining the quandary they were in, the luxury they did not have and the consequences if they do too much. They were as reluctant for fear of “mud Buddha crossing a river - can’t even protect one’s body,” as the Chinese would say. Group disqualification would not do anyone any good.
Be Ready Sooner, Not Later
10 “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. 11 “Later the others also came. ’Sir! Sir!’ they said. ’Open the door for us!’ 12 “But he replied, ’I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ 13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (Matt 25:1-13)
Sean, Juan and Billy Jack were doing construction work on scaffolding on the 20th floor of a building. They were eating lunch and Sean said, “Corned beef and cabbage! If I get corned beef and cabbage one more time for lunch I’m going to jump off this building.”
Juan opened his lunch box and exclaimed, “Burritos again! If I get burritos one more time I’m going to jump off, too.”
Billy Jack opened his lunch and said, “Bologna again. If I get a bologna sandwich one more time I’m jumping too.”
Next day the Sean opens his lunch box, sees corned beef and cabbage and jumps to his death. Juan opens his lunch, sees a burrito and jumps too. Billy Jack opens his lunch, sees the bologna and jumps to his death also.
At the funeral, Sean’s wife is weeping. She says, “If I’d known how really tired he was of corned beef and cabbage I never would have given it to him again!” Juan’s wife also weeps and says, “I could have given him tacos or enchiladas! I didn’t realize he hated burritos so much.” Everyone turned and stared at Billy Jack’s wife. “Hey, don’t look at me” she said. “He made his own lunch.”
When Doris was in high school, her friends challenged her on this parable: “Why was the ending so harsh? Shouldn’t the wise ones distribute a little to others?”
Harsh is letting no one in, but God ushers in the right people and keeps out the wrong crowd. Harsh is letting one person in and keeping nine people out. Harsh is letting everyone in, but keeping one out. Harsh is forcing good people out and sneaking bad people in. Harsh is kicking out people that are in, barring people that do right from entering and embracing people that do little or nothing.
The romance of heaven is that it is a wide door; the reality of heaven is that it is a narrow gate (Matt 7:13). Jesus says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matt 7:13-14). The romance of heaven is that it is open to strangers. The reality of heaven is that it is open to sons and daughters. Jesus says to trespassers, “I don’t know you.” The romance of heaven is believing that God is benign, humanitarian and broadminded, but the reality of heaven is that He is sovereign, just and patient. His love, forgiveness and salvation are not extended to sinners beyond time, death and existence.
Like the foolish virgins, many will cry on the last days, “Open for us,” but it will fall on deaf ears. A lot of people’s only concern is for the door to open and nothing else, not if they had done their best and stood the test
Don’t wait till the last minute or final second to act on salvation, like the foolish ones who cried and demanded in vain to the wise virgins “Give us oil” and to the Lord “Open for us.” Some mistakes are rookie mistakes, some make juvenile mistakes, and some honest mistakes. Some losses are bearable, recoverable and even unavoidable, but the loss of a human soul is unacceptable, irreversible and preventable. God has given us the rest of our lives to get things right and turn things around, for life without God is a risk no one should take.
Conclusion: There is no bigger day than your appointment with the Lord. Are you ready? Are you guilty of missing out on salvation, taking it for granted and living a vain existence? Do you know time flies when you are having fun and having a good time; before you know it, your time is up? That time and tide wait for no man? That preparing for life on earth is a honeymoon compared to preparing for life in heaven? Do you know the God who holds all things together (Col 1:17), your life in His hands (Dan 5:23) the keys to death and life (Rev 1:18)? If you are not prepared for life today’s dress rehearsal, how are you going to be prepared for tomorrow’s real thing?
Victor Yap
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