The text this morning is from the Gospel according to Matthew, the 25th chapter:
“Then 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. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is 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 for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage 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 nor the hour.Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
Last Sunday, a congregation of people, bowing in worship to their God, Baptist by confession, were gunned down. They were killed right around the same time we gather. Their confession of faith was different, their church looked different, their lives were probably different, but much was the same. Ultimately, their hope was in the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, that we have our eyes fixed upon this day.
These men, women, children, and even the unborn who died that day met their Bridegroom. It wasn’t an expected time, it was a time they thought of their safety, their joy in Christ, their Lord. And, in reality, they are now experiencing an even greater joy than they could have known, for they are safely in the arms of their Lord, their Bridegroom. They didn’t know the hour of their death was upon them; the Lord surprised them. You see, this is how we are to approach this parable this day.
Our Lord tells us this parable to be prepared, because we never know the day or the hour of His return. And while last Sunday was certainly not His visible return to earth, I think the saying can easily help point us to the idea that we should watchful, for we’ll never know when we see our Bridegroom face-to-face. It may be because He returns with a trumpet blast or it may be that He has decided to bring us to where He is that we might await the day of Resurrection. You never know.
That’s really what’s going on in the parable this morning. In weddings in Jesus’ day, the bridegroom and the bride were in essence married as soon as the betrothal occurred. There was no engagement period like we have, but there was time that would elapse before the bride and groom would be together as husband and wife. It could be up to a year, and it was intended that the groom prepare his house or obtain a house in which to begin the family, and get his life affairs in order.
So, some time after the betrothal, the bridegroom would come to receive his bride and take her to his home. Not only that, but all of his friends come with him and all of her friends escort her there. They would all go back to the groom’s house, husband and wife would be together for the first time, and the party would begin. I know that sounds a little weird, but it’s a different culture and that’s okay.
When one was betrothed to a neighbor, or someone in the same city as them anyway, they can see the progress being made in getting the house in order. It would be easy to get your friends and family organized to await this blessed and wondrous occasion. But what if the groom is in a far off land? What if he is in another nation? Across the ocean?
It’s the picture today. The bridegroom has sent word that he is coming, and thankfully, everyone can expect him soon, but somewhere along the way, he gets delayed. No one knows how long he will take. The virgin friends of the bride have gathered together on the day that he told them to be ready, and they have been waiting for him, ready to escort him to his bride, his queen. When the message comes that he is delayed, it shows the character of the friends. Five of the friends have planned ahead; five of the friends are incredibly foolish.
You see, once the friends arrive to receive the bridegroom and escort him to his bride and then to their home, they are expected to be there. The bridegroom in this case doesn’t know them from anyone, and the only way people are going to get into the intimate party that was the wedding ceremony is if he saw them as they awaited his arrival.
When the foolish women don’t plan ahead, they, when night comes and they have no oil for their lamps have to go out and buy more, leave the bride and completely miss the groom’s arrival. It’s not as if they’re cast out of the party as we find people in other parables of Jesus; they leave it by their own choice. They chose not to prepare appropriately for the groom’s arrival. They knew the circumstances, and they didn’t look to what would happen if just one thing went wrong.
We are quickly approaching the day of the Lord’s coming, the day when He returns to make all things new. Especially in these last weeks of the Church year, we are awaiting this day with eager expectation. The Lord Jesus Christ has written us to tell us that He is coming soon, and so we prepare ourselves, friends of the bride, His Church, to receive Him.
Yet, there may be some of us who are unprepared. The five foolish virgins are not unbelievers, they are people who call themselves Christian but lack the faith, the substance of the faith that will bring them into the party. The foolish virgins are those who hear the Word of God, but reject it, choosing their own way, their own sin, their own works over the righteous merit of Jesus Christ, won for them on the cross. They forget their status as baptized children of God. They refuse to come to the Supper to be forgiven and strengthened for everlasting life.
Not only this, but they go elsewhere to find the substance of the light. They go to entertainment, politics, sports. They go to the world and its culture. They go to drugs or drunkenness. They fill their lives, their lamps, with things that seem to be helpful, but only serve to take them away from the Church, from the bride of Christ.
This parable is a warning as well as a blessing. Be prepared to meet the Bridegroom, your Lord. Be prepared for the Lord’s coming. Prepare by being in His Word, receiving His gifts. And honestly, the best way to do that is to take an hour, hour and half, two hours on a Sunday and receive all the good things that the Lord has for you here. Yes, your Lord, and your pastor, too, want you to be in prayer, to meditate on the Word through the week, to remember your status before God Himself, a redeemed, forgiven child. But, I also know that it’s hard to devote yourself habitually to these things. So, come on Sundays. Be fed for a while here and then contemplate what you have received here throughout the week. Luther once compared this idea to rumination, where the cow chews the cud, chew, chew, chew, swallow, spit it back up to chew, chew, chew, swallow, spit it back up to chew and so on. That’s how meditate on God’s Word, and you can easily do that with what you receive even once a week.
Be prepared to meet the Bridegroom, your Lord. Be prepared for the Lord’s coming. Know that He’s coming soon and don’t just think you’ll be able to get by at the end. He may come at any moment. If the oil in your lamp has run dry, you will not have a good time of it. If you are too filled with the air of this world, if you are too focused on getting by on the bare minimum with the gifts of God, you’re going to miss it.
Remind those around you to not miss it. Remind them of this parable, show them who they are. If they are the wise virgins, commend them, build each other up, spur each other on to good works, to receiving the Word and the Sacraments of Christ. If they are foolish, reprove them, gently, showing them the error of their ways. What’s more important, respecting your friends’ choices now, or making sure that they’re with you in eternity? We reach out to the ones who have decided for themselves to take it easy. They may remain fools, but some may yet turn wise. Pray for that.
As for you, you are doing the good work of receiving Christ this day. He has come and spoken to you that you are His forever. He has forgiven your sins, He has turned your eyes to His cross which you have received through Baptism and the Supper. You are wise, this morning, my friends. You are praying for a good death, even today, a death where you confess Christ with your mouth and believe in Him in your heart. And if the Lord returns before you die, so much the better. And you should pray, as the whole Church does, that the Bridegroom returns with haste. Look forward to His party, His joining together with you, the Church, forever. It’s coming, and soon. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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