Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The text is the Gospel reading from Matthew 25.
I suspect that if I were to ask
you all this morning, “Do you believe that Jesus is going to return, as He
promised,” I would have somewhere between 98-100% agreement. It’s one of the
foundational statements of the Christian faith: that the same Jesus, who became
flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary, who died for our sins, who rose from the
dead, who ascended into heaven after promising He would return, will, in fact,
physically yet extra-ordinarily return one day. Jesus said it. The ascension
angels said it. The apostles proclaimed it. The Creeds confess it: He will come
again with glory to judge the living and the dead. There is a good reason why
we would have perfect, or very-near perfect, agreement with that statement.
But, what if I changed the
question slightly? What if I said, “Do you believe that Jesus is going to
return soon?” For the purpose of the question, let’s identify “soon” as “within
your lifetime.” Also, it’s a yes or no question – “maybe” is not an option. I
wonder what our poll numbers would drop to. Do you think we would have 75%
agree? 60%? 50%? Now, let me push it one step further. What if I said, “Do you
believe that Jesus is going to return by sundown, or even by the end of this
worship service?” I wonder if we would even make 10% agreeing with that.
Why is that? Why do you think the
narrower our time frame the lower our expectations become? I suspect it’s
largely because the Christian Church has been waiting for 2000 years. It’s hard
to stay watchful and on pointe for four hours in a hospital waiting room, or overnight
for a jury’s deliberation, or for a couple days for medical test results. If we
grow weary and lose focus after those time frames – which seem to last forever
in the moment, but in reality aren’t all that terribly long – if we lose focus
in the short term, then it’s no wonder the church has grown weary after twenty
centuries of time. Besides, we reason, Jesus has waited this long. What’s the
hurry, now?
Remember, the purpose of parables
is to speak of God’s reigning in heaven and on earth through the person and
ministry of Jesus Christ, in His advent 2000 years ago, in His work in the
church today, and with the promise to return in glory. Christ is King, and in
His death and resurrection, He has conquered satan’s hold on the world. He
rules now, in a hidden way, but He has promised to return in an incredibly
visible way so that every eye shall see and every ear shall hear, and there
will no longer be any doubt or question of who and what He is: Jesus, the
Christ, the Son of God. For two thousand years, the Church has preached the
same message. From generation to generation, people of God have looked eagerly
and with anticipation for Jesus’ return. The Kingdom is near.
But, how near is He? Where is the
King? Why is He so slow in returning? It’s been so long, it seems, since He has
been among us. What is the reason for His delay? How much longer must we wait?
To encourage us in our waiting,
Jesus tells this parable from Matthew. It’s often called the parable of the ten
virgins, but perhaps it should instead be called the parable of the patiently
slow and deliberate bridegroom. After all, the bridegroom is the reason the
virgins are there, waiting to meet the bridegroom, watching for His arrival.
Waiting and watching, watching and waiting. The parable stands as a verbal
picture, a narrative, to remind us that Jesus will return – at His own time, at
His own pleasure.
But, it seems like He is being
delayed. Or, is He the one who is delaying? Either way, it seems as if He
is taking forever. Reading the New Testament, it seems as if the disciples, the
apostles, expected Jesus to return almost immediately after His ascension.
Certainly, St. John – the last of the apostles and the only one to die a
natural, non-martyred death – concludes his spirit-given Revelation in
prayer-filled anticipation, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Come.” And, still,
throughout the history of the church, from the early church fathers, into the
Reformation, and even into the last century, faithful people of God are urged,
in their own times of loss and death and confession of faith to repent, for the
Kingdom is near.
But, more and more – and
especially in our day and age, two thousand years and counting since Jesus’
ascension, satan temps us to give up watching and waiting, waiting and watching
for our Lord’s return. It’s been so long, he whispers. It seems – some days –
as if He has forgotten, almost, of His promised return. It seems – some times –
as if He has lost interest in what is happening among His people. It seems –
some times - as if He is unaware of what is happening to His people for His
name’s sake. Why bother at all?
Why bother watching and waiting,
waiting and watching? Because Jesus will return. He has promised.
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| "Ten Virgins" - Tove Jansson Tove Jansson • Murals • Tovejansson.com |
It’s easy to identify the bridegroom – He is Jesus. Likewise, the virgins are easy to see as the people of God, the church. The virgins have one, simple vocational task before them: to welcome the bridegroom with festal celebration. The bridegroom will return, even if He delays. He is returning with His bride to celebrate with His people. They must be prepared – nothing can get in the way of the celebration. The church has one, simple task before us: to welcome Jesus with festal celebration. He will return, even if he delays. And He will return to celebrate with His resurrection people who are watching and waiting, prepared for His return.
There is a difference between
getting prepared and being prepared for our Lord’s return. Being prepared is
when you are the one standing at the door on Sunday morning, coffee finished,
teeth brushed, shoes on, keys in one hand with the other hand on the door knob,
ready to walk out the door with ample time to get to church. Getting prepared
is what everyone else is doing – still finishing breakfast, brushing teeth,
hunting for socks let alone shoes, still in their own bedroom, a far distance
from the door. Getting prepared is not the same thing as being prepared.
All ten were asleep, resting, and
waiting; all ten were equally surprised when the Bridegroom arrived and the
midnight cry was sounded. Five virgins were prepared to watch and wait for the
bridegroom’s return, even if He delayed, by having extra oil in reserve. Five
were ready for his immediate arrival, but when the bridegroom’s immediate
arrival became delayed, their readiness was found lacking. They were still
getting prepared, shopping for oil, when the bridegroom returned. Despite their
plea, the bridegroom refuses to allow a delayed entrance. It’s as if they
failed to know Him and be rightly and fully prepared to meet Him, and in so
doing insults the bridegroom, his bride, and the family. Therefore He also
fails to recognize them: I do not know you. A warning in the story is repeated
as Jesus says to His hearers: “Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day
nor the hour.”
The simple truth is this: We are
called to be prepared for the unknown and unknowable moment of Jesus’ return
which will happen in the most unexpected time.
Jerry Clower told a joke about a
new pastor who came to the community. Driving around, he found a man fixing the
fence, so he stopped his car to visit a bit. “Hey, fella,” the preacher said,
“are you a Christian?” Fella kinda pushed his hat back and shook his head,
“Nope; my name’s Johnson.” “No,” Preacher said. “What I mean is are you lost?”
“Nah,” the man said, “I’ve lived here all my life, I know where everything is.”
“Preacher was starting to get a little frustrated and said, “Listen – what I
want to know is are you ready for resurrection day?” Fella said, “I don’t
know…when’s it going to be?” Preacher said, “I don’t know – it may be today; it
may be tomorrow.” Fella said, “Well don’t tell my wife, she’s going to want to
go both days!” (slightly adapted from a joke told by Jerry Clower; I forget
what album it was…)
Be prepared, filled not with oil,
but with whatever it takes for you to be prepared to honor the Bridegroom in
His arrival whether it’s today or tomorrow or tomorrow’s tomorrow. Repentance
is obviously needed to be ready to welcome Jesus, and so is true and humble
faith in Christ and Christ alone for salvation. Those are constants among the
people of God. But, depending on your particular situation, your own vocation,
your own place and time, your “oil” may look similar or different from those on
your right and your left. Some may need to practice perseverance while you
wait. Courage in these dark, difficult, and dangerous times is needed, both for
yourself and for those around you. Humility keeps us ever mindful. Willingness
to suffer for the sake of Christ and the ability to deny ourselves while taking
up the cross of Jesus will be necessary at times. We may need a measure of what
the beatitudes speak: sorrowful awareness of the world’s brokenness, a yearning
and longing for God’s name to be hallowed, a desire for others to also be
watchful and prepared. There may need be separation from those who would keep
us un-prepared while also surrounding ourselves with other faithful, watching,
waiting, and prepared people of God. Encouragement may be helpful for one another
with Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Practicing mercy and compassion to the
least in the name of Jesus. Prayer is a necessity as are joy, peace, love, and
all of the fruits of the spirit. The list is almost endless of what can be the
oil which fills our lamps. [1]
Fill your lamp. Be watchful and
waiting; be waiting and watchful, always prepared for the day of Christ’s
return. Be filled with repentance and faith that others may see the light of
Christ that shines from you, that they, too, may watch and wait with you.
[1] This
paragraph borrows liberally from Dr. Jeff Gibbs’ commentary on Matthew, Vol. 3.
Concordia: St. Louis, 2019. pp. 1323-1324.
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