Scripture
The parable for today is often called the Wise and Foolish
Virgins (or Bridesmaids). It seems a little foreign to us because our customs
are so different. In ancient times (and some places even now), the bridegroom
comes to the bride at her home to marry her. He is accompanied by friends and she
by her bridesmaids who help light the way during the wedding procession to his
home and the wedding banquet. We do retain the custom of having at least a
maid-of-honor and best man, and often many other attendants at weddings today,
but their role is ornamental rather than necessary.
The core of the story, however, is that the bridesmaids had
oil lamps and some of them didn’t have enough oil for them. At first glance, it
looks like a case of being unprepared. Elisabeth Johnson on the Luther Seminary
blog suggests, “The parable of the bridesmaids serves as a call to
self-examination. Are our priorities aligned with God’s priorities, or are we
so distracted with secondary concerns that we risk missing what is most
important — the presence of Jesus in our midst?” Commentary
on Matthew 25:1-13 - Working Preacher from Luther Seminary
‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” 9But the wise replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” 10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” 12But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” 13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (Matthew 25:1-13)
Conversation starters
Elizabeth Johnson also notes that this parable is one of the
series in Matthew 24-25 about the coming of the Son of Man which stress that
Jesus’ followers need to always be ready because you know neither the day
nor the hour. She asks if the problem of the foolish bridesmaids was not
the lack of oil, but that “they acted as if their primary job was to have oil
in their lamps, when this was only a means to an end. Their primary job was to
welcome the bridegroom and accompany the bridal party with joy. Because they
got distracted with secondary concerns, they missed the bridegroom’s arrival
and missed out on the party.”
Johnson reminds us that Jesus teaching emphasizes ministry
to the “least of these.” (see Matthew 25:40 and elsewhere) Johnson says the
Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins is a call to self-reflection on ways we
may fall into "complacency and distraction. Because we don’t really expect
Jesus to come anytime soon, we forget the urgency of the mission he has given
us. We get distracted with so many other secondary concerns. Our priorities get
skewed…In fact, Jesus is already among us, identifying with the lowly, and how
we respond to his presence is a crucial indicator of the health of our
relationship with him.”
What are ways we can get distracted away from the true will
of God to bring into fruition the Kingdom of Heaven?
How are we complacent in our stability and security while the ‘least of these’ struggle?
Action Item
There is a song that can remind us of being prepared: Give me oil in my Lamp, Keep me Burning, also called Sing Hosanna that you may want to listen to.
