Being intentional: The parable of the ten virgins.
Matthew 25:1-13
At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight the cry rang out: here’s the bridegroom! Come out and meet him!
Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ’Give us some of your oil, our lamps are going out.’
‘No’, they replied, there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
But while they were on their way to but the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
Later the others also came, ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us.’
“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
This passage like the one before it about the faithful and wise servant who could be a wicked servant is again about Jesus return. The interesting thing about both of these passages is that they relate to a time on the Mount of Olives where the disciples asked Jesus for a heads up on the end of the age. These parables and teachings are termed by theologians as part of the Olivet discourse, because this teaching happened on the Mount of Olives and theologians and academics, like to give a fancy name to such things.
When we look at these passages in this discourse, we see that the people mentioned who fell out of favour, the wicked servant, the foolish virgins had a foot in the door, with the master, with the bridegroom. The servant worked in the master’s household and was favoured by him to feed the other servants, he either got on with his tasks, or he got distracted from his task, was tempted to misbehave and he lost his direction and intention and in the long term his place in the master's house. The foolish virgins were to meet the bridegroom, they just neglected their preparation, they weren’t responsible and ready with their oil, they also were not intentional. They neglected just one thing, they had no back up oil.
Or is there more to story and the personalities of these virgins. Five were foolish, interestingly Jesus tells us five were foolish. Was it their upbringing that left them foolish, maybe they just didn’t know, they had never heard the boy scout motto, “Be Prepared”, maybe they had bad attitudes, whatever it was they weren’t ready for the eventuality of the groom showing up late. In our roles are we ready for every eventuality, if not can we call on resources that we already have to ensure a good kingdom outcome?
When we were in Sri Lanka there was a song that just about went with every local language tune that I didn’t know the words for. I could almost always sing the song, “Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning, give me oil in my lamp I pray, give me oiling my lamp keep me burning, keep me burning till the break of day. Sing hosanna, sing hosanna etc, etc, etc. I really like that song it makes me feel fired up and ready to witness the love of Jesus!
Are we ready, are we not ready? Jesus taught this parable about the ten virgins to his disciples, those wonderful saints of the church, why because I believe there were some that he had concerns for, not just Judas. He had been with these men for three years we are told. He also knew that we would read these words and some Christians are a bit like the foolish virgins, their lamps are not always burning, they are easily distracted, weak-willed, not realising what is going on around them spiritually, or even physically. Did you note in the passage that all ten virgins had fallen asleep and needed to be woken for the bridegroom's arrival also? Lately, I have had a number of conversations with people affected by Tropical Cyclone Yasa, and when I asked them how they got on they said, “what a storm, but after TC Winston we were prepared, we built stronger, we knew where to go when TC Yasa hit, we harvested what we could and stored it. We were prepared because we knew.” They had learnt from experience what could happen, there were even some who knew how to tell the storm was coming, the dolphins come close to the shore, the temperature is hotter and the air stiller.
But we don’t always see the signs, sometimes these things are gradual. A new season can be upon without us realising.
Our conviction of Jesus return should stir us, our lamps ready, why, are we the “Light of the World.” These five virgins in the story didn’t hide their light under a basket, they had to rush off to get oil for their lamps, they were not ready, not prepared, responsible or ready, they expected to take some oil off the wise virgins. They had no intention of being ready.
I look at this passage and I wonder. The wise girls did their Mum say to them, “here’s a jar or extra oil just in case.” Maybe, maybe the foolish girls Mum’s said the same thing but they knew better, now that would be foolish. As Salvation Army officers are we ready for the eventualities that will likely come our way. Are we seriously intentional about our ministries, let me tell you a story about our ministry.
When we were Corps officers at one Corps, we arrived and noted that the gardens were untidy, that the toilets were not clean and there was mould growing on the walls. We had been there a short time when we pulled together a working bee, it was advertised for a couple of weeks in the Corps newsletter and at the meeting, there was a BBQ afterwards and the place got a long-deserved clean up. I want to point out that people judge by outwards appearances, people will look at the environment we present and say, those people have a nice hall, clean kitchen and toilets they must love and respect God, they will likely love and respect me also. I think I’ll come to the meeting here a few more times and check it out.
Do you think the Bridegroom made his mind up about the foolish virgins on the way they were dressed, what perfume they had on, if they were good looking, had a good family? No just one thing is mentioned, one thing “no oil for their lamp.” These girls were dumb, it was darkness all around and their lights were going to go out. Some commentators talk about this oil being the anointing of the Holy Spirit and we certainly need The Holy Spirit in our lives and congregations, we need the Spirit of God active and leading us as our friend, comforting us, helping us. But back to humans though and their attending your Corps, our Corps in Fiji that some frankly are not performing as they have previously. Major Phillippa had a call from the THQ stats department a couple of weeks ago asking what was happening as in all areas in Fiji the stats are heading in the wrong direction.
Back to my story, People will not want to join a Corps where the toilet stinks or is dirty, where the flusher doesn’t work or the door won’t shut, that is not clean, no toilet paper or soap. Or a Corps where the property is untidy or dirty. Frankly, that is a lot of the Corps I have attended in Fiji. Whose job is it to ensure these things are done? The wise officers. If you want to see kingdom growth you will need to show people how much you love God by presenting an environment where people are able to see that you worship him in all things including the state of His properties surroundings as much as your sermons and music.
It was always part of my weekly schedule as a Corps officer to ensure that toilets were clean and thankfully Rochelle and I did our gender-specific toilets because at one Corps there was a lady who for some reason managed to make a real mess, and Rochelle almost always got to clean it up.
If you believe that cleaning, and that means cleaning a floor or a wall, windows or a toilet is beneath you because you are a Talatala, it’s my opinion that you need to take that to Jesus and talk about his reaching out to the ritually unclean and what he cleaned off his disciples' feet. Well, that is property, represent God as well as you can by keeping his property clean. In the end, we had in our Corps appointments two working bees every year, always followed by a BBQ and those days it was a highlight in the Corps and a struggle to get people to go home at the end of the day. This also resulted in retired people and one unemployed guy at one of the Corps volunteering to look after gardens.
I got reminded of this quote from C.S Lewis’s Screwtape letters the other day. “Spiritual growth requires an intentional effort. Spiritual stagnation and decline require no effort at all.”
Like the wise virgins we can be intentional and have the right attitude, be ready for the groom or make no or little effort. Those dumb girls, I bet they got all prettied up, best clothes, a bit of lipstick, nice perfume, shined their shoes, their best handbag and a hanky. But the thing that really counted didn’t get done. No oil! This was enough for the groom once they had popped off to the shops and got some oil to say, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you!” Remember that the groom is Jesus and the virgins are, well they are us. The ready and reliable us and the not ready and not reliable us. I just want to point out for myself, when I meet Jesus face to face, and that time is getting closer and closer, I don’t want him telling me he doesn’t know me.
Do you think the groom looked at the five wise girls with a sense of relief and thought to himself, “Well I dodged a bullet with those five dummies that are outside. They made no effort, imagine what their attitudes would have been like, no idea how to raise a family, run a household.”
I have been told that Fijian’s don’t like things sugar coated and the truth is that some of us are a bit like those foolish virgins. Not ready, not ministering as you are called to. Who called you into ministry, it was God, not DHQ or THQ, so you are responsible to him, it’s him you will have to respond to in the long run just as I will if I don’t challenge you about this. We have even been asked by THQ why the Fiji Division stats are down across every area. I don’t mind if there is a genuine reason and there is one officer couple whose stats are down and I take my hat off to them for it, because they are challenging the use of Grog (kava), smoking and drinking by Salvationists. This is something that God will honour in the long run and those who are challenged can either grow spiritually, repent and return or God will bring new people who are attracted to the Corps that is being honest before God.
At this time however I get reports from some people in some Corps, people saying there’s little of no bible study going on, we don’t get a sermon that is well prepared at our meeting, there is little social outreach. We don’t see our officer apart from on Sunday’s, there’s little or no pastoral care happening.
I know its sometimes tough, and there’s honestly been times I have struggled in ministry. We have had a covid-19 lockdown, a couple of three nasty cyclones in the past year. But seriously these are times for social outreach, for prayer, for seeking after God’s guidance and for people to seek after and to respond to God.
Right now I would like you to take some time and discuss what is in our lamps as a Division? What are the things that fuel our lamps as officers?
(A time of discussion and reporting back.)
