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Or Not...
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One of the things
that made Jesus the “Master Teacher” was His use of the
everyday things of life in His sermons, parables, and
conversations. He identified with His hearers by speaking
about the common activities of the common man. But the moral
of His message was always extraordinary.
When He told the Parable of the Ten Virgins in , Jesus used
for the basis of His lesson a Jewish custom practiced in most
marriage ceremonies. It was their tradition for the groom to
go to the house of his future father-in-law to claim his
bride. Upon entering the house, the wedding feast and other
rituals commenced. Maidens, or virgins, who were friends of
the bride and groom outside waited for his arrival so they
could escort him to the feast.
Let us not forget that parables generally have one truth to
teach, one moral of the story. When we try to allegorize every
detail, as one scholar has identified 15 different meanings
and symbolic representations in this story, we prove only to
cover up the primary lesson. Jesus’ main point is found in :
“Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the
hour.”
This parable was spoken just three days before Jesus’
execution. He knew that time was of the essence. He knew that
He was preaching to people who were not even prepared for His
first arrival. How would they be ready for His second coming?
Spiritual readiness cannot be borrowed. Such is an
individual responsibility. Ten virgins are listed; five were
wise, five were foolish. The foolish virgins were so called
because they thought they could borrow oil from the wise
maidens when their lamps started to go out. They didn’t
realize that it was their own obligation to be prepared at all
times for the bridegroom’s arrival.
Judgment is personal. There will be no extra credit because
you were a member of some prominent family or listed on the
roll of some church. A lot of people seem to think it’s
going to be like a group project in school— one or two do
all the work and everyone else get’s a free ride. But Paul
said, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in
the body, according to what he has done, whether good or
bad” (). Preparation is not something that is automatically
transferred from person to person. You have to do it yourself.
While it is good for us to draw from the faith of our fathers,
if we never make it our own, we can never be His own.
Procrastination often proves costly. The foolish
virgins made some preparations. They took their
lamps, they stood at their posts and did not abandon them when
the bridegroom delayed in coming. But though they lit their
lamps, they made no provisions for keeping them lit. And when
the bridegroom finally came, they were away making the
preparations that should have already been prepared. “Those
who were ready went in with him” (). The others waited and
waited and waited to get ready. And they waited too long.
While procrastination in secular things gets you behind,
putting off spiritual things can get you lost. We’re used to
being able to do things at the last minute, barely finishing
before the deadline. But there has been no such announcement
for the judgment day. In the parable previous to this one,
Jesus said, “For this reason you be ready too; for the Son
of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will”
(). He will come like a thief in the night, at a time least
expected. When He does, time for preparation will have passed.
Things you’ve been putting off will be put off forever.
Lost opportunities are seldom found again. “The
door was shut” (25:10). When Melissa and I went to see Phantom
of the Opera a few years ago, I noticed a phrase on the
ticket that is not written on baseball or movie tickets. “No
late seating.” We’re not used to that. Neither were the
foolish virgins. They pounded on the door, but the bridegroom
himself answered, “I do not know you” (), meaning, “I
have no favorable knowledge of you.” Don’t you know he was
disappointed in them? Was this event not important enough to
them that they would have made every opportunity to be
prepared?
The door is open now, but the time will come when it must be
shut. It will be closed on all chances and possibilities. If
you miss this one, you can’t get it back. If you’re late,
you won’t get in. And we know what happens to those whom the
Lord does not know.
Remember the moral of this story: “Be on the alert, for you
do not know the day nor the hour.” Ready or not, Jesus is
coming. Don’t miss Him for the world.
Unknown
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Copyright (C)
2009
Southside Church of Christ
All rights reserved.
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