December 16th, 2021
Matthew 25: 1:13
25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But 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.’ 10 And 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. 11 Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13 Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
The Oil of Readiness
What does it mean to be ready for the coming of Jesus? Our justifiable joy regarding the birth of Jesus somewhat obscures the very unexpected nature of the nativity. Of course, the birth of the Jewish Messiah along with the expectation of the Messiah being a military and political leader was well established. But Jesus was born in an obscure stable near Bethlehem to the blessed virgin Mary, not in a palace or in a family of notable influence. The King of the Jews, as the magi would call him, was not born with any fanfare, but in the dark of night with only a few shepherds coming by to pay a visit (cf. Luke 2).
The world was not truly ready for the birth of Jesus to happen the way it did. Will we be ready for Christ to come again? Let us consider what the parable of the ten bridesmaids in Matthew 25:1-13 might teach us about being ready.
These bridesmaids, which many translations call virgins, are all preparing for the arrival of the groom and the procession to the wedding proper and the associated feast. Many scholars suggest that the description in the verses accurately depicts traditional marriage customs in the first century. The feast would typically follow sometime after the legal exchange of vows, but might begin at any hour of the day or evening.
It is worth noting that all ten of the young bridesmaids are depicted in identical language except regarding their preparation. They all took lamps to help light the way in the darkness. They all expected the groom to arrive sooner than he did and they all slept. It is only due to the unexpected delay that the error of the foolish maidens of not bringing extra oil becomes a crisis. For fear of missing the festivities themselves, the wise maidens do not share their limited oil supply and the foolish maids venture off to try to purchase some, only to miss the grand event.
Jesus declares early in this parable that the scene depicted reflects what the coming of the kingdom of heaven will be like. Some will be ready, others will not. Jesus, the groom, will likely arrive at an unexpected time. We, brothers and sisters, are invited and encourages to “stay awake” and thus to be ready. Unfortunately, the parable isn’t followed by a private conversation between Jesus and his disciples about what these various symbols mean, but we are not yet without hope in better understanding the passage.
We dive deeper by remembering that all ten are describes as bridesmaids/virgins. They are all marked by purity and as having an invitation and expectation to attend the wedding festivities. Thus, as Saint Augustine suggests, it is feasible if not likely that the passage is describing Christians who have a professed faith in Jesus. Certainly, Jesus has not yet returned to lead the faithful to the great marriage feast imagined in the Book of Revelation. With this delay, many Christians have indeed fallen asleep, used in the sense that Saint Paul uses it to describe those who have died. So far, so good, but what about the oil? Or more significantly, what about the lack of oil?
For this, Augustine directs us to consider that the oil of our faith is the love he described as charity. This is that self-sacrificial love for others which we Christians are frequently implored to show for one another and those around us. Saint James would encourage us in a similar fashion. In James 2:14-26, he declares that our faith is not good if we do not also have works. Or as Rich Mullens once phrased it, faith without works (charity), is “as useless as a screen door on a submarine”.
Do you want to be ready for Christ to return? By all means, start with faith in Jesus and a deep love for God. That is the first great commandment. But let us also provide the oil by which we inflame our faith by remembering to love our neighbors as ourselves. Let us be charitable to others not only in this Advent and Christmas season, but always.
The Rev. Andrew Johnson
Associate Rector, All Souls’, Oklahoma City
Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma