Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father and
our Lord Jesus Christ,
The
word “parable” comes from a Greek word that means “putting things side by
side”. Somebody said that a parable is a heavenly story with an earthly
meaning. Somebody else said this: “a parable is one of those stories in the
Bible that sounds like a pleasant yarn but keeps something up its sleeve that
pops up and leaves you flat.” In other words, Jesus’ parables are meant to wake
us up from complacency and get us to think.
When
I was a seminary student, I learned that although our Lord’s parables have many
details, most of them have one central point of comparison and one basic
message they want to get across. I’ve never been very good at figuring out
these central points, so if I want to get to the heart of Jesus’ stories, I
need to consult the writings of experts. This morning’s parable is the same as
the others: we need to do some thinking to get to the main points.
Jesus
uses the parable of the wise and foolish virgins to be ready for his return. That’s
its basic meaning. A day is coming when he will return in glory to claim his
beloved people with all the love and joy with which a new husband claims his
bride. He will bring his faithful children into eternal happiness. He will wipe
away sin and death and every evil to such an extent that we won’t even remember
the things that may trouble and vex us today. Instead, there will be gladness
and rejoicing forever. The love God has for his people, which we now experience
by faith, will be clear to us and visible and unmistakable.
The
Lord commands us, meanwhile, to be ready. The word “readiness” suggests certain
things to us. We get ready for winter by getting our heavy clothes in order and
making sure the care is shipshape, if you have one. A student gets ready for
exams by studying faithfully.
We
get ready for the Lord’s second coming in a different way, not by taking
external measures, but by trusting in Christ now, in his friendship, his
goodness toward us, his promise that we are saved by God’s love through our
faith in him. Somebody explained the details of the parable this way: the oil
we need is God’s grace and the power of Christ and the flame the oil produces
is faith together with the good works we perform today and tomorrow and the
inner changes we undergo as the Holy Spirit works to transform us.
Faith
in Jesus means more than agreement with certain facts, such as the ones we’ll
recite in the Apostle’s Creed. It isn’t just carrying out the forms of
religion or being active in the church. Faith is a living trust that Jesus is
our friend and savior – that he died on the cross to win the forgiveness of
sins for each one of us. Faith in Jesus means a profound certainty in our
hearts, which only God can give, that Christ hears our prayers, that he’s
present in our worship and in the sacraments, and that he has prepared a place
for us in heaven. Faith in Jesus means assurance, confidence, that we ourselves
are saved. If when we read the Bible or hear God’s Word spoken, we are
convinced of Jesus’ friendship for us, then we have a good supply of oil and
the flame of faith is burning. We’re ready for the second coming of Our Lord.
Let’s
think about how this readiness works by imagining a few people in everyday
situations. Nelson is an intelligent and searching person. He wants to know
about salvation. He reads a wide assortment of material and talks to many
people. He often hears the idea that he doesn’t need God for salvation because
he can earn it on his own through good works and pushing himself to live by a
strict code. But because he knows very well he isn’t perfect and is likely to
make mistakes, he doesn’t take these ideas seriously. He knows that he needs
help. He turns to the Bible where he learns that Jesus is his help and he comes
to trust what Scripture says about the Lord. Nelson is ready for the second
coming.
Mary
Beth is a young lady from a strong Christian background. She goes to school and
then to work, where she meets a variety of people whose faith isn’t so strong. They
tease her and tell her she ought to get more fun out of life. Going to church
every Sunday won’t do anything for her, because there is no evidence that Jesus
will come back. Mary Beth says that it isn’t just a matter of going to church. It’s
true that for some people turn religion into a routine, but she herself has a
strong personal trust that Jesus is her savior. He refreshes her and gives her
energy. He removes her sins and fills her with confidence. Her lamp is filled
with oil. She’s ready for the second coming of our Lord.
Warren
is an older man. He’s had a wide experience of life and contact with hundreds
of people. Many have done better than he in a worldly sense, and he has endured
more than one heavy disappointment. Without his faith in God, he would be
tempted to sink into despair and give up on life. He’d be inclined to blame
himself for everything he thinks has gone wrong. But Warren is a Christian. He
brings his troubles to the foot of the cross and he feeds on our Savior. Even
while he knows the heaviness of life, he trusts in the mercies of Christ. He is
ready for the second coming.
Hilda
has had a long life. She knows what it means to be active and she’s had many
joys. She’s also experienced a lot of sadness and frustration in recent years
together with physical pain. People she loves have moved away or passed on to
eternity. She’s tempted to wonder if life has meaning and purpose, but only
tempted because she believes in her heart that Jesus walked the earth before
her and that he passed through every sorrow that she’s now experiencing. She
leans on Jesus’ companionship and his compassion for the wounded. She trusts
that he died for her and that in his rising to new life again she herself gains
new life. As she turns to Jesus, she discovers that her joy revives and she’s
ready for the second coming.
We’ll
take one more example. Priscilla is a new Christian. She has many questions and
she isn’t sure that other Christians accept her. But she knows that Jesus is
her savior and she has experienced his power to renew. She knows that Jesus’
blood washes away her sins and that she has a never-failing friend in our Lord.
She is ready for his return.
These
five people of faith are prepared for the second coming because by God’s grace
they trust in Jesus now. They know he is their savior; their lives are safe in
his hands. It would be easy to imagine five people of a different sort, who
thought they were ready for Jesus’ return but actually were not because
although they had the right lamps, they lacked the oil that brings faith. They
went to church; they did good works, but their souls were elsewhere, focused on
themselves and on the world rather than God’s will for them.
The
Savior’s parable teaches several lessons. First, that automatic religion
doesn’t do much for us. It’s possible to know all the teachings and to do good
works and practice all the rituals, but to be dead inside. True religion comes
from personal contact with our Savior, who makes alive and who brings joy.
People who look for a lively, strengthening faith will find it. They will be
ready for Christ when he returns.
Similarly,
borrowed faith doesn’t help. The foolish virgins believed that when the time
came they could get oil from their friends. But their neighbors had none to
give. They had just enough for themselves and nothing left over. It isn’t
enough to say, as some might, though no one here this morning, I’m sure, “Well,
my grandparents had lots of faith and I will attach myself to theirs.” We need
our own relationship with the Savior.
Thirdly,
God’s grace is abundant. He is very patient, slow to anger and quick to
forgive. He continues to reach out his hand. But a time is coming when it will
be too late. There will be no chances for sinners to repent and faith to be renewed.
The Lord has included us among the wise. We ask him to keep us there and to
build up our understanding of what it means to be ready for his return.
In
the fourth place, Jesus points out that we do not know exactly when he will
come back. It could be next month. There could very well be a long delay. We do
not know. this is not a case, however, where ignorance is bliss. We are not to
use our lack of knowledge as an excuse for laziness. We should regard each day
as if that were the day of Christ’s return. When we think this way, we find
that the Lord is bringing out the best in us. He motivates us to do good works
– to spread the gospel, to help the needy, to visit the sick, to pray for
ourselves and our neighbors, to read the Bible every day. We find then that we
are not living by automatic religion or leaning on the prestige that previous
generations built up. We are living by our own faith with plentiful supply of
oil to fill the lamp when our Savior returns. What opportunities he has given
us! What ways to be active as we get ready to receive him on the day of his
second coming. In his name we rejoice. AMEN.
The
peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the
knowledge of Christ Jesus. AMEN.
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