Matthew 25.1-13 (NRSV)

Matthew 25.1-13 (NRSV)

 

The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids

 

¹‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; ⁴but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. ⁶But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” ⁷Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” ⁹But 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.” ¹⁰And 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. ¹¹Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” ¹²But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” ¹³Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

 

 

This is the Gospel reading for the third Sunday before Advent, and begins one of the central themes – eschatology – the last days, including Christ’s return in judgement. As always, the depth and beauty of the parable is to be found in its rich symbolism: the figure of the bridegroom being Jesus himself and the expectation that he would return and when this happens, it will be unexpected and emphasises the need for readiness.

 

It is interesting to note how the wise bridesmaids could not help the foolish ones, for if they did, everything would fall down. De Dietrich suggests that ‘... in the hour of judgement each one can respond only for themselves ...’ The oil symbolises faithfulness (and loyalty) as well as perseverance. To be wise is to put one’s faith in God, the ‘fool’ is the one who does not – or who lives as though they do not believe. Paul writing to the Ephesians in 5.14-16 explains: ‘¹⁴for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, ‘Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ ¹⁵ Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise,¹⁶making the most of the time, because the days are evil.’

 

It is only since the Enlightenment that people have associated ‘belief’ with giving intellectual assent to a body of doctrine. When one reads Scripture, this is not what is expected; what it is all about is the way one is faithful in the way in which we live our lives, revealing the truth of the love of God for ourselves and others.

 

Each day, we need to be ready; we need to be prepared, to take every opportunity to show God’s love to others.

 

The division of the bridesmaids into two classes – the one destined for the blessing of the heavenly kingdom and the other for the loss of blessing, matches the divisions found i9n other parables that are peculiar to Matthew. This sort of division also seems to have been present in the teaching of John the Baptist e.g. the wheat and the chaff. This is typical of ancient hyperbole where – in order to make a point known – it is exaggerated.

 

The bride (who is nowhere mentioned in the parable) waits for the coming of her bridegroom from her own home. The bridesmaids are her friends. Their job is to meet the bridegroom when he comes with his friends who will all then go to the bridegroom’s house where the wedding feast will take place. We have already discovered that the image of the bride represents the Church, but Argyle here suggests that it is the ten women who represent the Church as a mixed community containing both the righteous and the unrighteous.

 

All the women have lamps; and all the lamps have oil; but the wise ones also have extra oil. Argyle suggests that the moral of this parable is the need to persevere in the faith and if we do this; we too will have reserves of spiritual resources.

 

The groom is delayed ... is this Matthew’s way of suggesting that the parousia of Christ is also delayed ... possibly ... but like the wise; we must always be ready.

 

The prudent – a lovely word meaning practical wisdom – one of Aristotle’s hinge or cardinal virtues – have no oil to spare and so the unwise miss out on all the joy of the celebration.

 

This event was not untypical in any Palestinian village at the time of Jesus. Weddings were great occasions; the whole village turned out to accompany the couple to their new home and the travelled by the longest possible route so that the couple could receive the best wishes from as many people as possible. Even the Pharisees declared that it was permissible to cease studying the Law in order to share in the celebration of a wedding feast.

 

Couples did not go away for a honeymoon; they stayed at home and for a week they kept open house. They were treated like royalty and for many it was the happiest week of their lives. To the special festivities of the week only the special friends and relations were admitted – so the foolish bridesmaids missed out on a great deal.

 

Like so many of the parables of Jesus, there is an immediate and local meaning as well as a wider and universal meaning.

 

Barclay points out that parables often have more than one meaning. In this case there is an immediate meaning that was directed at Jesus’ original audience. Many Jews saw themselves as being God’s chosen people. Their entire history ought to have been, therefore, a preparation for the coming of the Messiah and so when the Son of God came, they should have been the first to recognise him. Instead, they were quite unprepared and so, like the foolish bridesmaids, they were shut out of the celebrations and all the joy that they could have experienced.

 

But there is another level as well, that of universal warnings. Barclay explains:

 

1. There are some things that cannot be left for the last minute: There are some obvious examples: a student cannot enter an exam not having properly prepared for it. It is too late for a person to acquire a skill or to have character when they confront a situation that demands it. This of course begs the question: Are we ready to meet God? We know that God is full of love and grace and so few will not be blessed; but imagine the embarrassment when people realise so clearly that they do not deserve what they are given. Those who have striven to be faithful will be relieved; those who have  done little, if anything will probably be ashamed.
2. There are certain things that cannot be borrowed: The foolish virgins found it impossible to borrow oil. People cannot borrow a relationship with God, this must be possessed. A person cannot borrow character, they need to have acquired it.

 

Barclay concludes with telling words: “There is no knell so laden with the tears of regret as the sound of the words too late!”

 

Thank God that he grabbed both of us by the scruff of the neck when we were still young. Those that believe the opposite – that they want to live their lives first, because they think that being a disciple of Jesus will spoil their fun – make a huge mistake. They might find that they have left it too late, or they will be highly disappointed because they have missed out on so much for so long. Jesus came so that we might have life; and that in all its fullness.