Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost |
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Scripture |
Matthew 25:1-13 25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise replied, ‘No! There will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13 Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
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Devotional |
The parable of the ten bridesmaids is introduced with a different formula, “the kingdom will be like this,” instead of the usual, “The kingdom of heaven is like this.” The ten bridesmaids took their lamps to wait for the bridegroom. Five were wise and took extra oil with them. Five were foolish and did not go prepared. After the bridegroom was delayed, the bridesmaids became sleepy and go to sleep. When awakened for the arrival of the bridegroom, the five foolish bridesmaids find they have run out of oil. They ask the other five to share their oil but are refused. They go out to purchase oil but on returning find the door shut. The banquet had begun and the bridegroom refuses to open the door. Jesus admonishes the disciples that they should keep awake. One point in this parable is that the wise and foolish are equally divided. Many times when we find ourselves identified with the foolish, we are alone, one person against all those wise people. Another point is Jesus says, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this.” Does Jesus make a place for those of us who sometime make foolish decisions? Some of us need a second chance. Michael Yaconelli has a good subtitle for his book, Messy Spirituality. ”God’s annoying love for imperfect people.” It seems that God could be annoyed when one half of the people make the wrong decisions. “We would all like to believe the growth results for one mighty decision, a once-and-for-all commitment to God. And while we should celebrate our initial decision to follow Christ, it’s just the beginning of our spiritual journey, not the end. It is the first of many decisions, all of them important, all bringing growth.” 1 Two important lessons for me:
1 Michael Yaconelli, Messy Spirituality :God’s Annoying Love for Imperfect People. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002. p. 99 |