When the bridegroom is late

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him. Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Matthew 25: 1-13

The above extract is a paragraph from Matthew’s first-century eye-witness biography of Jesus. It’s on page 28 – out of 35. So only 20% to go. But this paragraph is so unusual – so out of this world – that it needs a bit of imagination. That’s because it’s in the genre of a parallel. Jesus taught mainly in parallels but this one is about what will take place at a date which is still future for us now – as well as being future when he first taught it in Jerusalem around AD 30. This parallel then is Jesus’ description (in parallel form) of actual events on the day when he’ll return at the end of this age – the end of this era we’re living in now. Sometimes even today people talk in kind of riddles. Are you any good at working out – at discovering – the real meaning behind what people say to you – their real message to you?
.	‘Live your own life, and you will die your own death.’ (Anon.)
I’m not going to tell you what I think because I’d like you try to work out this parallel yourself. What I say isn’t on much use compared with Jesus’ parallel. Here it is in everyday words – but still faithful to the original Greek used by Matthew. It’s about the day when Jesus comes back to earth. “At that time”, he said, “the realm of the skies will come to be similar to ten bridesmaids who took their own lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.Five of them were foolish, and five were wise, because, when the foolish took their own lamps, they took no oil with themselves, whilst the wise took flasks of oil with their own lamps.” “But - with the bridegroom remaining delayed, all of them dozed and slept.” “But in the middle of night there was a cry, ‘look and see - the bridegroom! Come out to meet him. At that time all those bridesmaids woke up and beautified their own lamps. but the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our own lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, stating, ‘Since there may not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and transact for yourselves.’” “But - while they were going away to transact, the bridegroom came, and those who had prepared went in with him into the marriage feast, and the door was shut.” “But - later the remaining bridesmaids came also, stating, ‘Lord, lord, open for us.’ But he answered saying, ‘Truly, I state to you, I don’t see you.’”
.	‘Life is only lived wisely to the extent that it is spent in preparation for the eternity which follows.’ (Dave Hunt, American broadcaster, 1926-2013)
That was the end of the parallel. “Watch out then,” Jesus then said, “because you see neither the day nor the hour.” A future final day at the end of the age? A parallel? Ten bridesmaids waiting to greet a bridegroom and go into his wedding feast? All of them dozing and sleeping? Five of them polish up their own lamps but their oil is petering out? The other five of each have, in addition to their own lamps, flasks of oil. The bridegroom comes. The door is shut. The bridegroom cannot see the five foolish bridesmaids outside. and they didn’t see him coming – neither the day nor the hour.

Sinner Syvret

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