In our Gospel lesson for Sunday, November 8, we read the parable of the 10 virgins. (Matthew 25:1-13) Five were wise and five were foolish. By the end of the parable Jesus makes clear, without any doubt, who was who. The wise virgins were the ones who brought extra oil for their lamps. I know that typically, when we look at the parables of the Kingdom, we are thinking of the second coming of Christ and how it's all going to go down. We focus on on being ready for the unexpected return of Christ our King. Implicit in that exhortation is that it might be today, or maybe tomorrow, certainly judging by the chaos of our world it has to be soon, right? It seems to warrant the billboards we see occasionally, that trumpet, "Warning! Jesus is coming, are you ready?" Certainly that is part of the message, that we should be ready, but ready for what?
Our parable seems completely out of context. The bride groom returns late, not early, and the outcome is a wedding feast, not a prison cell. or a court room. Jesus closes the parable with the exortation to watch, for you know neither the day nor the hour. The outcome for the foolish virgins, rather than severe judgement, was simply to be shut out of the party. So, How do we watch? Based on the parable, we must learn to be ready whether he returns early or late. For us, that means that we live lives, invest in the future prepare for the coming generations, and so doing, are also ready for his speedy return.
As Christians we wait for Christ's return, not in slavish fear, but in hopeful anticipation. We marry and are given in marriage, we have families, we build churches and homesteads, we tame the ground, plant gardens, and teach our children a way of life, that is more than just amassing toys. We vote, we serve on the jury when we are called, we protest the crime of murdering infants in the womb, we help the homeless and hungry, build businesses, learn trades and professions, and strive to take care of our elders. We contribute to the life of the world. We refuse to let this world go to "hell in a handbasket" because, "God so loved the world." This is how we watch and wait, as salt and light in the world. Above all, we don't presume that Jesus is going to come back so soon that none of this matters. Instead, we look to the world to come. Which world? That mysterious one in some unknown future, or the very world that we now live in, finally marked as Christ's own for ever? Both. For looking for the first, we must seek the latter. We look to the future generations and try to leave them a clear well lighted pathway to follow Jesus. We make disciples of all peoples, we train our children and grandchildren to do the same. If we are working for our own life, this life only, our vision is much to narrow, and myopic. The wise virgins were those who prepared for the possibility that the Bridegroom could be late in coming. So shall we. B+
