In Annie Dillard’s Teaching a Stone to Talk, she talks about a British Artic expedition which set sail in 1845 to chart the Northwest Passage around the Canadian Artic to the Pacific ocean. Neither of the two ships and 138 men on board returned. Why? They packed their ship like they were going on a pleasure cruise than a dangerous and grueling journey in one of the world’s most frigid parts. They packed a 1,200 book library, a hand organ, fine china, sterling silver flatware, and cut-glass wine goblets. They also only brought their navy-issued uniforms and a 12 day supply of coal for the steam engines. Once the ship sailed into the icy waters and became trapped with ice, they were doomed. Ice coated the decks, spars, and rigging. Water froze around the rudders and the ships became hopelessly stuck. Their unpreparedness cost them their lives. While not as extreme, we too, can have lapses of judgment in which we are not ready. It can be at home, at work, or at school. It can be with various chores around the house, too. In our parable this morning, Jesus tells us about the importance of being awake and ready, for we don’t know when He will return.
In this section of Matthew, Jesus is teaching about the end times. The topic of the end times, though, is something we can struggle with. In some sense, it is awkward for us because of Christ’s delay. How do we deal with this? How do we live with this tension? The end times can be also challenging for us to understand. Some of the imagery and language can rack our brains. We can have confusion about what will happen, and when it will happen. The end times might also scare us as well. We can also live our lives assuming it won’t happen. It might not even be on our radar. Despite these things, Jesus gives us this text to teach, and to warn us. He wants us to be ready. He has been repeating Himself with His warnings and encouragements, and does the same here. He gives us this parable to teach us.
Jesus begins by setting up the story. We see that there are 10 virgins who are waiting for the bridegroom, or as we are more commonly familiar with, groom. It seems like a strange thing to us, but it was common in Ancient Israel. Weddings and customs back then were different. The groom would dress in wedding garments, and his friends would escort him to the bride’s house. The bride would then come out to meet them with her friends. The wedding party would then process to the home that the groom prepared. These virgins are waiting for the groom to come.
As Jesus continues, He breaks down the characters. He says that five were morai. Sound like an English word? Morai means foolish. What were the other five? They were wise, and their actions will prove it. The foolish ones took no oil with their lamps. They are burning on borrowed time. In that day, this would have been unheard of. No Jewish maiden would have done such a thing. It helps us to see just how foolish and unprepared they are. That would be like leaving to go to Duluth with your gas light on, and then leaving your wallet at home. It makes no sense. These maidens assume that there will be no delay. We’ll see how that works for them since their oil will not last the night.
The wise ones, on the other hand, took flasks of oil with them. If their lights go low, they will be able to fill them and have light. They brought their wallets, one can say.
As they are waiting to meet the bridegroom, a problem arises! The bridegroom is delayed! He has no cell phone to give them an update of when he will arrive. They have no clue when this will be. As they wait, it gets darker. As it gets darker, eyes become heavy, and sleep overcomes them all. While they are sleeping, the groom comes, and the announcement sounds forth: “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” With that, they arose and tended their lamps.
But, “Ah!” a problem arises. As they get their lamps trimmed and ready, the lamps of the foolish ones are beginning to extinguish. They cannot keep them lit. So they beg the wise ones: “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” The response of the wise? “No way, Jose. I need it for my lamp. I have just enough for my lamp. I can’t do mine and yours. Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.” Now, the question arises. Will they be open? Can they make it back in time if they are? With that, the foolish head out and look to buy some oil.
While they are gone, the groom appears, and they leave without them. They go to the wonderful feast prepared for them, and they shut the door behind them. When the door is shut, it is shut. There is no way to enter.
Jesus’ parable now takes a sad turn, like the fate of those on the artic voyage. The foolish virgins go the feast and begin to beg and plead. They cry out, “Lord, lord, open to us.” You can hear their desperation and groveling. However, their cry does not work. They receive the ultimate rejection. They are told, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.” Imagine the horror and shock those virgins felt at hearing that. Imagine the feelings of regret, stupidity, and shame that emerge. They were supposed to wait and greet him. Why didn’t they have the extra oil. They were not ready. They knew what they needed to do, and simply didn’t do it, and it cost them dearly.”
Jesus then ends with the point: Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” The Greek word for “watch” also means “stay awake”, which is appropriate for the story. The grammar of this word helps to drive Jesus’ point home. In Greek, this word is a present imperative or command, which means it is to have an ongoing action. Jesus wants us to be ever ready for His return because we don’t know when it will be. He wants us to be active in our faith. He doesn’t want us being like the foolish virgins who weren’t prepared. He warns us because He cares. He warns us because it is real.
As human beings, it is a challenge to watch, stay awake and be ready for Christ’s return. These challenges stem from a variety of things. The delay and unknown time of Christ’s coming complicates things. He obviously hasn’t come yet, and we have lived every day of our lives without this event happening. This influences our thoughts and behaviors, whether we realize it or not. We always think and assume that there will be a tomorrow. In our lives, there has always been one. As a result, we can be lax spiritually. We might think “tomorrow I can prepare, repent, or be active in my faith.” The return of Jesus might not even be on our thoughts or radar because of the delay and unknown time. When was the last time that you thought about it? Did you consider that He could have returned this weekend? Have you even given thought He might return today? The honest answer is “no.”
Going along with this is that fact that we can get distracted from His Second Coming. We have so many things in our lives that grab our attention. Our work can come home with us when we leave the office through computer, cell phones, and email. We might have other responsibilities that take up our time like volunteering on a board or being part of a group. As sinful human beings, we can even put a premium on the physical things of this world and neglect, or even forget, the spiritual needs we might have.
Perhaps another challenge is the fact that the theme of judgment might scare us, or make us feel uncomfortable or worried. Our Old Testament reading, Amos 5, calls the Day of the Lord a day of darkness, and not a day of light, after all.
Adding to this, though, is the fact that the world lives not just if Christ won’t return, but as if He doesn’t exist. It can be a challenge to see others live their lives with little regard or care about Christ’s return.
Despite these challenges, our Lord encourages us to watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. By faith, we see the blessings of watching, waiting, and staying awake for Christ’s return. The uncertainty of His return is not a bad thing. The unknown day and hour encourages us to always live and stay in His grace that covers all of our sin. It encourages us to always cling to Him and to what God gives us through Christ. This uncertainty encourages us to live in our vocations as fathers, mothers, grandparents, employee, boss, and sibling as we wait for His return.
It is also encourages us to be active in the means of grace. For it is through these means, the Word, baptism, and Lord’s Supper, that He not only gives us His grace, but it is also what He uses to prepare us for His coming. It is what He works through, and what He uses to help keep us in the faith, too.
Through faith in Christ, we are ready, and will be just fine when He returns. Why is that? It is because for Christians, our Lord’s return is not a day of darkness, but a day of light. Jesus bore God’s wrath on good Friday for us. On that day, darkness overcame the land, but light burst forth on Easter morning as our Lord triumphed over death and the grave. God accepted His death in our place. His wrath was satisfied. Our Lord’s coming is light, love, and life for us. We have no need to be scared. Through faith in Christ, we are ready, because of what Jesus has done. IN HIS NAME, AMEN.
