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 in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to 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 buy 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."
Be Prepared!
Dear fellow saints of God,
Just about every house in America there is a ritual that takes place pretty much every school day morning, a ritual that takes place pretty much every Sunday morning. Some of you may be very familiar with this ritual. I call it the "Are you ready yet?" ritual. As the time to leave for school draws near parents begin asking the question, "Are you ready yet?" Normally there are a number of responses. You hear: "Yes! Let’s hurry up and leave!" You hear: "I just need to brush my teeth." You hear: "I still have to pack my lunch." And sometimes you even hear: "I can’t find my shoes!" Eventually, one of two things happens. Either everyone is ready and you leave, or you leave and someone is putting on their shoes or putting up their hair in the car. Many of you I am sure understand exactly what I am talking about.
Preparedness. The need to be ready is something that none of us will ever escape on this side of heaven. Whether it is at home or at school or at work; whether it is in our private lives or in our public lives there are always things for which we need to be prepared or at least things for which we need to be preparing.
In a nutshell, my friends, this is what our text for today is all about: Be prepared!
To understand what Jesus is talking about we need to view this section of scripture in its larger context. In 24th chapter of St Matthew’s gospel Jesus had just left the Temple in Jerusalem and had gone to the Mount of Olives with His disciples. It was there that Jesus began to teach His disciples about the end of the world. Jesus talks about the signs that we will be able to see as the end of the world draws near. In Matthew 25 He talks about Judgment Day when the Lord will separate the sheep from the goats which was our gospel lesson for last Sunday. And in the middle we have our text for today—the Parable of the Ten Virgins.
Having explained to His disciples what will take place as the end of the world draws near and having explained to His disciples what will take place when the end of the world arrives, Jesus here encourages His disciples to Be prepared! To help them understand how to be prepared, to help us understand why we need to be prepared, Jesus uses a very common event of His day—a wedding procession.
According to the Jewish customs of this day when two people were married two ceremonies took place. First, there was a religious ceremony that bound the man and woman together as husband and wife. Then weeks or perhaps even months later the bridegroom went to the bride’s house and escorted her back to his home where they would begin living together as husband and wife. When it came time for the bridegroom to get his bride, the bride’s attendants would wait for the groom and then join the wedding procession—their lamps providing festive lights for the happy occasion.
Our parable focuses on these ten virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom. These 10 virgins represent us—Christians. We are the ones who are now waiting for our Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ, to return to this earth. And while we don’t know exactly when He will return we know that He will indeed return to this earth and escort His faithful children into the eternal wedding banquet.
The question we need answer today brothers and sisters is this: Am I one of the "wise" virgins or am I one of the "foolish" virgins? Am I prepared for the Bridegroom’s return?
I think it is rather important for us to note that on the outside all ten virgins looked pretty much alike. All ten were undoubtedly excited about being in the bridal procession. All ten had brought their lamps along with them. All ten were patiently waiting for the bridegroom. All ten were fully expecting to join the bridegroom at the wedding feast. All ten fell asleep while they were waiting.
In a very similar way, when we look at those who profess to be Christians, when we look at those who hold membership in a Christian congregation they can all look very much alike—on the outside. They may all be in church on a regular basis. They may all be actively involved on various boards and committees. They may all be giving of their time and their talents and their treasures. They may all be waiting for the Lord to return as the Judge of the living and the dead. They may all be expecting to join the Bridegroom at the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb. But they may not all be prepared!
When you look at these ten virgins what was the one thing which separated the "wise" from the "foolish"? It was personal preparation. The wise virgins not only brought their lamps with them but the scriptures say, “The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps”
Did the foolish virgins forget this? No! They neglected this! They probably anticipated that there would be some kind of common stock of oil from which they would be allowed to replenish their lamps once the announcement went out that the bridegroom was coming. But it was not so. And do you know what else these foolish virgins neglected to prepare for? They neglected to prepare for the fact that they could not share in the oil of the "wise" virgins. They neglected to prepare for the fact that once the bridegroom arrived there would no longer be time for them to hurry off and find some oil of their own. They neglected to prepare for the fact that once the bridegroom arrived and ushered all those who were prepared into the wedding banquet the door would be shut. All who were not prepared were not allowed to enjoy the wedding feast. They would be banished from being in the presence of the bridegroom—forever! And where did it all begin? It all began with a lack of personal preparation. It all began with their neglect to bring along their own personal supply of oil.
What does it mean to be prepared for the return of the Jesus Christ? Our Lord says: "Make sure you have oil in your lamp!" This oil isn’t produced by Texaco or Exxon. This oil is manufactured and maintained by God the Holy Spirit! This oil is called faith. Faith in Jesus as the only Savior there is from sin - that’s how any sinner can be prepared for Jesus’ return.
The sinners who have that kind of oil, not just on the day they were baptized or the day they were confirmed, but sinners who have that oil in their hearts and lives until their existence on this earth comes to an end, those are the men and women and children who will sit down with this Bridegroom at an eternal wedding banquet called heaven.
Jesus tells us here that everyone is responsible for themselves. We cannot borrow oil from Mom or Dad, or Grandma or Grandpa or from our Mate on Judgment Day. Each of us will stand or we will fall with our own faith or lack of it.
Have you checked the oil in your lamp lately? If Jesus comes back today or if you should die before he returns, are you ready for Jesus? Is your religion real and genuine? Are you truly concerned about your daily sins and your standing with almighty God? Do you feel that you need forgiveness? Or are you satisfied just to be a church member, but your heart is empty and cold and your relationship with the Lord is strained? If that be the case with any person here, please repent of such indifference and such pride and humbly embrace Jesus as your loving and forgiving Savior once again. He will take you back, no questions asked! But do that today, because tomorrow may be too late.
Have you been reading your Bible daily and having family devotions; have you be attending worship regularly and joyfully and frequently and eagerly receiving the Lord’s Supper so that you may always have a never failing supply of faith in your heart and life? If that’s not the way you’ve been treating Word and Sacrament, just maybe it’s high time you started.
Are you living you life out there according to that Word so that when Jesus returns he will find you faithfully waiting for him? If you’re not, today is the day to start living that way. Do you know someone right now who is not ready for Jesus to come back? If you do, what are you doing about it? Maybe it’s that friend or neighbor who never goes to church anymore. Maybe it’s a son or daughter or someone else in your own family who has forgotten about the promise they made on confirmation day. Now is the time to sit down and gently talk to them about Jesus and urge them to come back to his family again. Tomorrow may be too late.
Jesus has shown us in this parable what will happen to those who aren’t ready when he returns. The door of heaven will be slammed shut forever. To those without the oil of faith, Jesus will have to say: "I tell you the truth, I don’t know you."...Depart from me you who are cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and all his angels."
Don’t be foolish, my friends. Don’t let your Christianity be something that only makes you look upright and holy on the outside. Be prepared. Use the tools that God Himself has given to you to sustain and replenish the oil of faith in the lamp of your heart. Be prepared so that when the cry suddenly rings out, "Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!" you will be among the wise virgins who joyously enter into the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb—triumph of the saints. Be prepared! Amen.
