The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Rev Steve Murray
Sermon at St Andrews Church, Tinwald
Matthew 25 : 1-13
Let us pray as we prepare our hearts to reflect on the Word of God. Heavenly Father we thank you for your word. We thank you that you speak to us through it and that it is a guide for us today. We ask that you open our hearts and minds today. Help us to recognise your image in everyone we meet. Give us the wisdom to navigate complexities with compassion and the strength to live in righteousness and justice. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen
THE PARABLE of the TEN VIRGINS
What is a parable? It is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson as told by Jesus in the Gospels. A parable challenges us to change our behaviour or teaches us a great truth or both. A parable can be as in our case today, a warning to us. We need to be ready in case Jesus returns. Am I ready ? Are you ready ? For myself I must confess that at the last minute when I am asked to perform a task I panic initially before getting ready. You can be the judge if I succeeded.
Let’s recall this parable. There are 10 virgins /bridesmaids who were waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom for his wedding. Five of the girls did not take any oil for their lamps, whilst the other 5 were wise and did take oil with them. There was no fixed time for the bridegroom to arrive and commence a week long celebration and he arrived late at night when all 10 were drowsy and asleep. They awoke and the 5 wise virgins/bridesmaids trimmed their lamps but the 5 foolish virgins /bridesmaids asked to borrow the others’ oil but were refused. They were absent buying oil when the bridegroom arrived. The 5 wise bridesmaids who were prepared joined the bridegroom and entered into the wedding banquet. The door was shut behind them. When the 5 foolish bridesmaids finally arrived they were refused entry. They were too late. The lesson is keep awake, keep alert, by ready ! Verse 13 (from the NRSV version) is worth repeating “ keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming”.
It may help us if we look at the ancient Middle Eastern weddings as they are very different from our modern customs. The bride would prepare herself, along with her bridesmaids (virgins in this story) at her house. They would then wait for the bridegroom to come and then they would all move in procession to his home where the formal ceremonies would commence. If the bridegroom came at night, which would not be unusual at all, the members of the party would carry torches to light their way. It was to be a week long celebration. You can just imagine the sense of excitement with people processing down the street with torches ablaze. If you did not have a torch you were not welcome and would be considered as “party crasher”. Our text says “lamps” but the idea in the original language is that of rags soaked in oil and wrapped around a rather thick stick. If the lamp began to dim , it could be recharged by dipping it in more oil.
There are various theories on why there are 10 virgins,/bridesmaids 5 foolish and 5 wise. My personal take on it is not the numbers but the fact that half or 50% were wise and 50% were foolish. That is a lot of people whom Jesus doesn't recognise and that percentage might be more. I think that all 10 bridesmaids would have regarded themselves as followers of God having a sense of the divine. The 5 who were refused entry would have been devastated as they expected to be included in the week long celebrations. They thought they belonged but when it came to the crunch they were rejected and shut out. “I do not know you” was the answer at the closed door. Ouch! Did those 5 take their duties, their role seriously ? Obviously not. It seems that they were taking care of themselves.
It must be clear to you now that I think this parable is about Jesus’s 2nd coming and he want us, you and me, to be ready when that happens. Do we know when that might be ? No. Jesus wants all of us to be ready for when he comes again hence this parable. Jesus wants to welcome us into his Kingdom. He doesn’t want to close the door. We do not want to be locked out of the kingdom of God.
So how can we be like the 5 wise bridesmaids. Do we need to buy oil for an old fashioned lamp? No. This story is a parable trying to show us what to do. Clearly the prime message is for all of us (100% of us) to be ready should Jesus come in our lifetime. I don’t want the door of the Kingdom of Heaven to be closed on me. What do I need to do? I need to be ready, ready for what, ready for Jesus. How can I do that? Jesus said & I quote “ The Lord our God is one Lord, & you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first commandment and the second is like this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There are physical things I can do to show that love. For example go to church, pray, read the bible, be kind to others but the real answer for me is to commit myself 100% mind, body and soul to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. If I do that then the door will be open to me. If you do that then the door will be open for you. I pray that the door will indeed be open for all of us here today.
Amen.