Readings: Matthew 25:1-13New International Version – UK (NIVUK)
Where: St Stephens, Wai-iti Road. 12 November
Minister: Brent Richardson
25 ‘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 ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 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.
11 ‘Later the others also came. “Lord, Lord,” they said, “open the door for us!”
12 ‘But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.”
13 ‘Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
(P) I wonder if you believe in the second coming of Christ? This is something that has gripped the imaginations of Christians for 2000 years. It’s in our creed:
“He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end” (Nicene Creed, 325 AD).
It’s in a sung version of the creed we will sing together this morning.
As the liturgical year draws to a close the gospel readings focus on this topic and the reason for that is because Jesus spoke at length about his return. Whether we believe it or not, we cannot ignore the fact that Jesus spoke of an end of time return and judgement. A time when “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah and he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15). In other words, a time when he takes back control of his creation and brings all evil to account.
Apart from the occasional reciting of the creed we don’t place much attention on the Lord’s return. It may be something in the back of our mind or we may never think about; 2000 years on from Christ’s first advent makes any sense of urgency or immanency seem hollow or false even. So large sections of the Church pay lip service to this doctrine.
(P) On the other hand, some Christians are fixated on the return of Christ and are constantly scanning the horizon for any signs of his approach. If you don’t believe me check out how much space is given in a Christian bookstore devoted to the second coming or end times. Most of these are very dramatic and make wild and speculative claims about how current events supposedly line up with ancient prophesy and prove beyond all doubt the Great Tribulation is about to be unleashed and the world is thrown into utter chaos before the return of Christ. Most of these are based on dubious literal interpretations of scriptures and a faulty interpretive system known as dispensationalism. (which we don’t have time to go into this morning).
The context for the parable of the ten virgins is Jesus long speech to his disciples on the Mount of Olives which is east of Jerusalem and overlooks the city and the Temple Mount. In this speech he lays out many of the signs of the end of the age. Such as: (P)
The destruction of the Temple
False Christs
Wars and rumours of war
Famines and earthquakes in various places
Persecution of Christians
A falling away from the faith (apostasy)
False prophets
Increase in wickedness
The gospel preached in the whole world
One of the strongest points Jesus makes in all of this is that the Day and hour are unknown to any except God the Father. Even Jesus is not privy to this information. Which should be enough to stop all speculation about when his return will be but sadly, many try to assign specific dates to this. Wikipedia has a great list of unfulfilled predictions of the second coming going all the way back to the 6th century.
In spite of the abuse this doctrine has endured over the centuries, the timeless nature of the scriptures causes us to examine an important question; In what ways does Christ’s return shape the way we live? Or to put it another way, what is expected of us at his return?
(P) Jesus uses the everyday occurrence of a wedding to describe his second coming at the end of the age. Part of the ceremony was the wedding procession in which the man fetched his bride and took her to their new home. This was an unpredictable affair and could happen at any time, even the middle of the night! Once the couple arrived at their new home the wedding feast would begin and it could last up to a week. It was a time of great joy and celebration.
The main point of the parable of the 10 virgins is pretty obvious; be prepared! There are 2 groups of virgins (or bridesmaids)- 5 are wise and 5 are foolish. The wise are prepared for a long wait having thought to bring extra oil with them while the foolish are completely unprepared. When the shout goes up that the bridegroom is coming the sleeping bridesmaids are roused to meet him.
In the context of this story, having a burning lamp is critical- there is no joining the wedding party without it. And, so the foolish who have left to source some oil at the last minute are shut out of the wedding banquet. But what is the significance of the burning lamp? In the sermon on the mount Jesus said these words: (P)
Matthew 5:14-16New International Version – UK (NIVUK)
14 ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
The burning lamps signify a lifestyle shaped by a relationship with Christ (the bridegroom) and the resulting good works this relationship inspires. So having no burning lamp is the same as having no relationship with God and that is the one thing that will exclude you from the banquet. What do you call someone who goes to a party but doesn’t know the host and hasn’t been invited? A gate-crasher! But we have been invited- this is the inclusive nature of the gospel. Any who will put their faith in Jesus effectively accept his invitation to an eternal wedding party.
The point of the parable is to be prepared. There is nothing we can do to hasten his coming. His coming is not determined by our belief or incredulity. The only thing we can control is our willingness to be prepared for his coming. Let me ask you; when is the best time to prepare for an exam? The day before? Not if you want a snow-balls chance of passing! You begin preparing for an exam from the moment you start the course.
In the same, we are to spend our lives preparing to meet the Lord. That might be at his coming or it might be at our departure from this life. But godly character is not something you can whip up the night before! That comes from intentionally learning God’s ways and following them. It comes from learning to handle defeat as well as victory in our lives. It comes from being in the community of God’s people and learning to love them- the good, bad and ugly!
I asked what is expected of us at his return and we are given an example of what is not expected in the previous chapter which is linked by this common thread of a lengthy delay. (P)
Matthew 24:45-51New International Version – UK (NIVUK)
45 ‘Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, “My master is staying away a long time,” 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This is a picture of a careless person whom assumes no reckoning is coming. He thinks he will not be held to account and so he uses his position of power to abuse those around him.
To be prepared is to be careful about how we live our lives. If the Lord came today, would you be ready? What do you need to do to get ready? I pray we will all be counted among the wise.
