EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED: The ten virgins

Matt 25:1-13
This passage is in a Jewish wedding context and this wedding every thing went wrong. The bridegroom delayed, the wise virgins seem to be selfish, and the bridegroom seems to be merciless.

It looks unfair from Scripture that not everyone who professes Christ will enter the kingdom of heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself repeatedly emphasized the fact that, although many may identify themselves with Him, they nonetheless have no relationship to Him.

This passage is another opportunity where emphasizes the need for a real relationship with Him. The Jews had just rejected Him, because He had denounced their vain religion. And His disciples’ hopes for an immediate kingdom were crushed. They began to question Him about the future. Specifically, they wanted to know when He would return and what signs would signal His kingdom and His coming.

As Jesus answered the disciple’s questions about when He would return, He emphasized the uncertainty of that day and hour. That is, uncertainty from a human perspective. God knows exactly when Christ will appear in glory to establish His kingdom. Within this context, the Lord delivers parables which illustration that imminent return. Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”.

This is seen in Jesus’ telling of the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. Using the analogy of a Jewish wedding feast, the Lord illustrates the opportunity to be prepared to meet Him and depicts the finality of lost opportunity. This parable is centered around a Jewish wedding feast which most often involved the celebration of the entire community. It was the last of three phases to a wedding. The first phase, the engagement, was usually arranged by the fathers of the prospective couple and was essentially a marriage contract. The second phase, the betrothal, involved the actual exchange of vows in the presence of witnesses and was legally binding. It could last for up to a year before the marriage was finally consummated at the end of the week-long feast. From that point, the husband and wife lived together.

The feast began in the evening with the “bridegroom” (representing Christ) and his groomsmen (possibly representing angels) arriving at the home of the bride who, although not mentioned by name, obviously represents the Church. There she waited with her bridesmaids who, no doubt, represent professing believers. Together they would all light “lamps” and go up and down the streets telling everyone that the feast was ready. This is the setting of the parable.

Each of the bridesmaids were recognized by the community as a part of the wedding party by the “lamps” they carried. The light of their torches lit the way to the feast which, in this case, represents “the kingdom of heaven.” At the point of this parable, they have taken their torches and gone “out to meet the bridegroom”  whose “delayed”  arrival is significant. For it represents Jesus’ previous teaching that His return would take longer than His disciple’s anticipated.

Speaking of the bridesmaids, Jesus points out that “five of them were wise, and five were foolish”.  Their wisdom or foolishness is seen in their preparation for the evening. Verses three and four note that “Those who were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” The “wise” bridesmaids came prepared with extra fuel to keep their torches burning.

For whatever reason, the groom and his groomsmen were late in their arrival. Keep in mind that travel was slow in those days and even slower at night. Regardless, the bride and her bridesmaids had already gone outside to greet their counterparts and announce the beginning of the feast. And as their wait grew longer, “they all slumbered and slept”.

The tragedy of this lost opportunity is seen in the remainder of the parable. When the “bridegroom” finally arrived to begin the feast, it was much later than expected -- “at midnight.” But when he arrived, “a cry was heard” announcing his approach and calling for the bride and her bridesmaids to “go out to meet him”. In the parable, the “virgins arose and trimmed their lamps”. That is, they prepared to light the torches that had undoubtedly gone out as they waited.

As someone has said, “The saved cannot become savior, the wise answered, saying, No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves”. The wise bridesmaids brought just enough oil for themselves. They could not give any to the foolish virgins. They could tell them where to get it and urge them to get it, but by this time the bridegroom was only moments away. In reality, there was no way to purchase the oil at that late hour, so their search was useless.

“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut”. The hour was already late, and now that the bridegroom was present, the feast was underway. Those who were prepared were allowed to participate. The foolish bridesmaids, however, had missed their opportunity to participate in their part of the wedding. Their lack of preparation literally left them out in the cold and their absence became an offense to the bridegroom and his bride. It proved how little they valued the sacredness of the wedding, especially since they still showed up without lit torches.

And so, Jesus sums up the parable by calling all professing believers to “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming”. It is this extra reserve of oil I would like for us to think about this evening.  It raises the question: What can we do, day by day, to prepare for the unexpected?  What can we do to be ready?  What can we do to prepare ourselves for the tough times when our faith is put to the test?  

Two answers: 

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.  That's the first point.  If life is anything, it's unpredictable.  Just when you think you've got everything under control and you can kick back and take it easy, something unexpected happens – a crisis occurs, and your life is thrown into a tailspin. Expect the unexpected.  Tragedy strikes like a thief in the night.  That's the first point, and the second is: Be prepared. Most of time we feel at ease in our conditions because everything is running smoothly and we forget the necessity of spiritual life. Or maybe we think we still have time to come back to this faith thing. this passage tells us to be ready at all time.

STAY IN SHAPE.  Train for the day when the next crisis will occur. In much the same way, the parable would have us keep spiritually fit so that, when the day comes and our faith is tested, we'll be ready and able to respond with strength and confidence. The sad truth is, when the moment of crisis does come, it's too late to start making preparations.  We see this in the parable: When their oil ran out, the foolish maidens rushed over to the others and begged for some of their oil.  They said, "'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'What if there isn't enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'"

On the surface, that sounds so cruel.  Why wouldn't the wise maidens share their oil with the others?  The answer is that the parable speaks metaphorically.  Oil here is a symbol for a life of faith and a healthy relationship with God. It is something difficult to share. Some people think they can benefit from the faith of their parents or relatives.  And, as we all know, a life of faith and a healthy relationship with God take time and effort and discipline.  If you don't have it when the moment comes, it's too late.

It also takes individual effort.  You may be inspired by the faith of others, but that can never substitute for a faith of your own.  It's up to you to cultivate your own relationship with God.  Some put it this way: "God has many children, but no grandchildren."  In other words, you can sing or say, "Faith of our fathers", but when it comes to dealing with the crises of everyday life, it's up to you to stand on your own two feet.

So, when the lamps began to flicker, the foolish maidens cried, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps have gone out."  In other words, we have no faith to draw from. The wise maidens answered truthfully: There's no way we can help you now. Expect the unexpected and be prepared.  That's what this parable is all about. 

Have you made the most of your opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven? If you profess Christ as Lord and Savior, does your life reflect that you are prepared to meet Him?

The other question is, how?  What can we do to develop a life of faith and a healthy relationship with God now, while we have time?  I'd like to offer one suggestion: LEARN TO PRAY.  Just as communication is the foundation of any healthy relationship, so is communication with God the foundation of a life of faith. Can you imagine being friends with someone you never spoke to?  Conversation is the heart of friendship.  The same is true of our relationship with God. Talk to him in Pray, in the meditation of the Sacred Scripture, in the service to our brothers and sisters, And in the sacraments, mostly the Holy Eucharist.