Today, as we read in the Gospel Jesus’ parable about the Ten Bridesmaids, I couldn’t but reminisce two
memorable experiences I had in September 2013.
First, my experience of visiting the Holy Land during the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.
Rosh Hashanah is one of Judaism’s holiest days. It begins on the first day of the seventh month of the
Hebrew calendar, which falls during September or October. The Jewish Calendar is based on the lunar
cycle; therefore, the exact date changes yearly. In 2013, Rosh Hashanah was celebrated from Wednesday the 4th to Friday the 6th of September.
Rosh Hashanah celebrates God’s creation of Adam and Eve.
Second, I experienced attending the marriage ceremony of my young friend Rabbi Eliyahu Aaronson, who was marrying his high school sweetheart Ayala. The wedding was planned to take place on the 10th of
September, which was the Tuesday following the New Year. My birthday was on Saturday that week.
Since all these days fell within the period of less than a fortnight, Rabbi Eliyahu invited me to
Jerusalem for the Jewish New Year and for his wedding. I accepted his invitation with joy.
It was an honour to receive an invitation to the wedding of this dear friend. The invitation also came with
the opportunity to experience the Jewish New Year in its native land and to witness a Jewish wedding. I
had never experienced the Jewish New Year or a wedding before.
I flew into Tel Aviv (from Dubai via Austria) on the 2nd of September. I was very blessed to be offered a
single-room flat next to Aaronson’s villa for the time I was going to be in Jerusalem.
The New Year was celebrated grandly by hearing the sounding of the ram’s horn on Wednesday, and
Thursday morning, eating festive meals with sweet delicacies during the night and day. The eating festive
meals included a prayer ceremony over wine (and grape juice for children), eating pomegranates, raisin
challah bread and apples dipped in honey, and so on. I even attended a New Year’s service at my friend’s
synagogue.
If the new year was celebrated grandly, the wedding was celebrated with style. While the
celebrations started in the afternoon, the wedding ceremony was held after sunset. What I witnessed and
learned at the wedding ceremony was so wonderful that it helped me understand the message
of Jesus to us in the Parable of the Bridesmaids.
Before coming to the parable's teaching, I want to share two allusions to the wedding
being held on a Tuesday and the night. Although all Jewish weddings do not occur on a Tuesday and at night, some Jews prefer to have their weddings on a Tuesday and in the evening.
I learned from Rabbi Eliyahu that Jews prefer Tuesdays to hold their weddings because in the account of
the creation of the third day in the Creation Story, the phrase “… and God saw that it was good” (Genesis
1:10,12) appears twice. Therefore, they believe Tuesday is a doubly good day for a wedding. Interesting;
ha!
Then, why hold the wedding ceremony at night? This is also interesting. While there is no such
requirement in the Hebrew Scriptures, Eliyahu told me that, in the Scriptures, the descents of Patriarch
Jacob (whom God renamed Israel) is compared to the stars in the skies (Genesis 26:4). Therefore,
weddings should be held at night so that there will be many children due to these weddings. We had some laughter around this custom.
Although Jesus’ parable does not say whether the wedding mentioned there took place on the third day of
during the week, it was interesting to see that it happened at night.
In the parable, the bridesmaids are expected to await the bridegroom's arrival and greet him
with a procession of light in the darkness. As was the custom, bridesmaids waited either at the bride’s home for the groom to come and fetch her or at the groom’s family’s home where the wedding would
take place. All the maids have lamps. All are waiting with their lamps lit, eagerly expecting the
groom’s appearance.
I experienced a modern version of this custom at Eliyahu’s wedding.
Ayala, Eliyahu’s bride, stayed at her home so Eliyahu could come and fetch her and take her to the synagogue for the wedding ceremony. About 300 meters from Ayala’s house, eight bridesmaids assembled with family and friends from both sides at a friend’s home to wait for the groom to arrive. They were there, ready to form a light procession in the darkness to take Eliyahu to the house to fetch Ayala.
Although there weren’t any oil lamps as in the parable, I remember seeing eight electric lanterns plugged
into a charger as we gathered at Ayala’s friend’s house. From time to time, the guy responsible for
having the lanterns ready for the procession ensured they all were fully charged and worked
properly.
Of course, the street leading from the friend’s house to Ayala’s was not dark. Like our modern-day
streets, the road was beautifully lit. The street was also decorated with festive lights. But, they’d wanted to observe the tradition of bridesmaids leading the procession with lit lamps.
As we waited for Eliyahu to arrive, I couldn’t help but have the parable of Jesus running through my mind
several times. As said in the parable, the bridegroom was delayed coming; for some reason, our groom, too, was delayed. At a Jewish wedding of this kind, a groom’s delay is not altogether uncommon.
We all have experienced weddings in our settings where the bride is delayed coming to the church. When
that happens, we usually do not complain. Nor do we ask for an explanation for the delay. In all instances,
the reason for the delay is not anyone’s or groomsmen’s concern. We are almost expected to anticipate that a delay might occur.
In the parable, all the bridesmaids had fallen asleep due to the delay of the groom and the late hour. Their
sleepiness is not the problem since both wise and foolish alike have become drowsy. The wise brought
extra oil for their lamps (verses 2-4). Both groups knew the groom was coming and waited with their
lamps burning. Still, only half considered that the wait in the darkness might be longer than anticipated.
When all the maids were awakened at the announcement of the groom’s arrival, they all set about
trimming and preparing their lamps for the procession. To the horror of the foolish, they
discovered they would not have enough oil to keep their lamps burning. The wise maidens refused to
lend their extra oil. If they gave away their oil, they would not have enough. Then what would become of
the processional?
To our ears, the wise maids’ suggestion to go to the dealers to buy more oil may seem ridiculous. The
parable says that it is midnight (verse 6). Where will the foolish maids purchase oil in the middle of the
night? This detail is unimportant, however, because apparently, the maids do find a place to buy oil (verse
10).
When the foolish were away making arrangements that should have been made already, the groom
arrived. The procession took place without the foolish bridesmaids, and the banquet began.
The foolish returned, ready for the processional. They knocked on the house door, but the groom denied their entrance to the wedding banquet. They missed the grand procession.
Although these bridesmaids were chosen to accompany the bride and groom, their role as bridesmaids did not guarantee them a place at the banquet. They had waited with lamps lit, for a while, but they did not
plan for the long, dark time of waiting.
The parable is summed up in verse 13: “Be vigilant!” In the parable, the bridegroom’s arrival was certain.
The uncertainty of the timing illustrates the need for constant vigilance.
This parable Jesus told us is all about his return. Today, we don’t hear even the church proclaiming the message of Jesus’ return. Although many Christians today dismiss the talk of Jesus’ return, through this parable, Jesus teaches us that the lives of his disciples are to be shaped by knowledge of his return.
Like the other Gospels, Matthew clearly states that the timing of Christ’s return is unknown. Although Jesus speaks of signs of the end time (Matthew 24:3-35), he goes on to say that no one but God knows the day or hour of its arrival (Matthew 24:36). Matthew states clearly, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” (24:44).
In the parable, Jesus points to the importance of readiness. The last verse of the passage, “Keep awake
therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour,” points us toward a message of watchfulness. It
suggests that the foolish bridesmaids were not sufficiently prepared.
However, the point of the parable is not constant readiness. “Keep awake” does not mean that Jesus’
followers should never sleep and hold a standing vigil through the ages for Jesus’ imminent return. The wise and foolish bridesmaids were asleep when the shout announced the groom’s approach.
What is unique about this parable is its focus on the delayed return of the expected one. The passage does not simply call for the right action in the groom’s absence. It calls for recognition that he may be delayed.
In this parable, the wise follower of Jesus is the one who prepares not only for the groom’s return but also
for his delay. If the groom were coming quickly, there would be nothing wrong with taking one’s lamp full
of oil to meet him. But the wise follower packs a supply of oil, knowing that his or her wait may be
unpredictable.
It is difficult for many of today’s followers of Jesus to be anything like the bridesmaids, wise or foolish
, because we have stopped waiting. We give little thought to Jesus’ return, let alone what we should do to
prepare for it.
On the evening of Eliyahu’s and Ayala’s wedding, I was blessed to have another opportunity to learn a few
more things that helped me understand the parable than I had ever before. The wedding service at the synagogue ended at about 8 pm, and the reception and celebrations started.
At the reception, I was designated to sit with an elderly Rabbi and his family. Recognising that I was a complete outsider to the event, the Rabbi introduced himself first to me, saying: “Shalom, I am Rabbi Menachem.” Then he introduced his graceful wife, Devorah (Deborah), and his son, Rabbi Benjamin, and his wife, Rina. I also introduced myself and my association with the Aaronson family. Then we settled into the evening, and a fascinating conversation ensued between Rabbi Menachem and me
.
I was dressed in my priestly attire. I told the Rabbi that Eliyahu’s wedding was my first experience of a
Jewish wedding and I am greatly blessed to witness the marriage and the ceremony in the synagogue.
I then said to the Rabbi that the customs and ceremony observed reminded me of Yeshua’s
parable of the five wise and foolish bridesmaids. (Yeshua is the Hebrew form of Jesus).
My use of the name Yeshua immediately struck a chord with the Rabbi. He smiled, and then, looking at me over his rimmed glasses that had slid down his nose, he said, “Reverend Father, an important correction: Yeshua’s parable speaks about ten virgins. Your new translation of the Bible had tried to be politically correct and used the word bridesmaids. Yes, they were bridesmaids, ladies-in-waiting, who were virgins.”
I recognised the error immediately because the word used in the Greek New Testament is virgin. I cringed
in embarrassment.
In pointing this out to me, the Rabbi wanted to highlight that even in the parable, Jesus had signalled the
expected purity of his followers, wise or otherwise. Then, the Rabbi went on to tell me that the oil in the parable represented the presence of God. “In the Hebrew Bible, what you call the Old Testament”, the Rabbi said, “oil was used in the Temple to sanctify and keep the Lamp of the Lord perpetually lit. But when Eli’s sons sinned against the Lord, the oil ran out, and the Lamp of the Lord went out. It was a sign to say that the presence of God had departed the Temple (1 Samuel 3:1-4).
When Yeshua told this parable to the Jews, they would have made the connection immediately.”
What a great insight?!
Then, symbolically, oil represents an eternal, everlasting love between God and the soul. Whether we are
asleep or awake, the oil keeps us going and doing the Lord’s work until he returns. The oil we are to have
within us is also a symbol of our relationship with Jesus. We cannot afford to have the oil run out.
This reminded me of the age-old beautiful song from the 1960s (based on the parable of the Ten Virgins):
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning,
Give me oil in my lamp, I pray!
Give me oil in my lamp,
Keep me burning,
Keep me burning
Till the break of day.
Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna! Sing hosanna to the King of kings!
Sing hosanna! sing hosanna! Sing hosanna to the King!
Then, the Rabbi went on to say something very profound. He made this remark because we’d changed the
subject from the parable of wise and foolish virgins and started talking about Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish
New Year was celebrated seven days ago.
The Rabbi asked me whether I know that each time the Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah, they are reminded
that they have already inherited what God has promised for the future?
I said, “I don’t know, Rabbi; please tell me how?”
He said: “We stand in the future and live in the present moment. This can be explained by comparing the
Gregorian Calendar (the Western Calendar) with the Jewish Calendar. They work on two
systems or time frameworks.”
[A footnote: The Jewish Calendar is lunisolar, which means that the Calendar keeps in sync with the
natural cycles of both the sun and the moon. Unlike the Western Calendar, the Jewish Calendar does not use BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, in the Year of the Lord) for dating purposes].
The Rabbi grabbed the paper serviette next to his plate and scribbled on it two sets of numbers with his
pen: 2013 and 5774. He said 2013 is the year we are in the Gregorian Calendar, and 5774 is
its equivalent in the Jewish Calendar. Then, he wrote 3760 below 5774 and subtracted it. The result was
2014, the following year! I was truly amused.
3760 is the year Jews believe God created Adam and Eve. When that year is subtracted from the year we
are in the Western Calendar, the answer is always the following year.
Let me write it down for you:
I was in Jerusalem for Rosh Hashanah and Eliyahu’s wedding in 2013.
Year 2013 = Year 5774 - (in the Jewish Calendar)
Year 3760 (the year God created Adam and Eve)
---------------
Subtracted to Year 2014 (the following year)
========
The Rabbi said, according to this calculation, we, the Jewish people, are already in 2014. I was quite
fascinated by it all.
This is true for every year. Here’s the calculation for this year.
Year 2020 = Year 5781 - (in the Jewish Calendar)
Year 3760 (the year God created Adam and Eve)
---------------
Subtracted to Year 2021 (next year)
The Rabbi, having noted that I was fascinated with the things he was sharing, went on to share with me a
few more beautiful customs in the Jewish faith before we were interrupted by the entrée being served.
Inspired by what the Rabbi told me, later that evening, I went through the parable of the ten virgins Jesus
taught us in my mind several times.
It then dawned on me that, as followers of Jesus, we, too, stand in the future and live in the present moment.
In the future we stand, the Lord had already returned. In the present we live, we can claim to have already been
blessed by the return of the Lord. What a tremendous blessing for those who know this?
That evening, I was utterly enthralled by the joy of learning all this. Then, a penny dropped for me.
The Greek word parousia is used in the parable for return. The word can be taken to mean both
return or visit and presence. In Jesus’ time, it was the word used to denote a king's or emperor's visit and the sovereign's " presence " throughout the empire.
Then, what about the extra oil the wise virgin had with them in the flasks of oil with their lamps? I take
the “extra oil” to mean us hearing the Gospel and experiencing the foretaste of the banquet to come. We
hear the Gospel and experience the foretaste of the banquet in receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist
when we attend church every Sunday. It is like attending the engagement and pre-wedding parties and
being recognised and acknowledged by the groom.
Rejoice, keep your lamps burning! You are already at the banquet in anticipation of the Lord’s return!
Amen
