Matthew 25:1–13
1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For 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, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 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.’ 10 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. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
The older I get, the more realize the truth that time is relative. Don’t get me wrong. There are still 60 seconds in a minute; 60 minutes in an hour; 24 hours in a day; and 365 days in a year. That doesn’t change. But sixty minutes is nothing when you are doing something you enjoy compared to sixty minutes of something you don’t. One day at work could fly by, while the next might seem to drag on for an eternity even though you clocked in at 9 AM and out at 5 PM both days.
Our Gospel text today is about Jesus’ return, and Jesus plainly tells you what your attitude and approach to His return should be, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Jesus is returning on the Last Day, but we don’t know when the Last Day is.
We do know that Scripture teaches that we are – currently, right now – in the last days. At Pentecost, Peter preaches that humanity is living in the last days (Act. 2:17). The many signs that Jesus says will mark His return are seen in our time (2 Tim. 3:1-9; Heb. 1:1-2; 2 Pet. 3:3). The Bible says that the end of all things and Jesus’ return is at hand (Jam. 5:8; 1 Pet 4:7). The Apostle John even says that we are living in “the last hour” in his first letter, which was written before 100 AD (1 Jn. 2:18). On top of this, Jesus repeatedly tells us that He is coming ‘soon’ (Rev. 22:7, 12, 20). Soon. What does He mean by ‘soon’? ‘Soon’ is a bit vague especially when with the Lord a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day (1 Pet. 3:8). Come on, Jesus, can’t You give us a little better timeline than that? But His only response is, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
Jesus could come today – even before I’m done preaching this sermon. He could come before your Thanksgiving leftovers go bad or need to be frozen. Christ could return before you need to do your Christmas shopping and wrapping. Wouldn’t that be great! But Jesus could also come in twenty years, five-hundred years, or thousands of years from now. We only know two things about Christ’s return: 1) He is coming again soon so we need to be ready now, and 2) because we don’t how soon ‘soon’ is, we need to be ready if He delays and comes later.
That is why Jesus wants us to have the wisdom of the five wise virgins who go into the marriage feast. They are doubly ready. By being at the door of the banquet hall, they are ready if the bridegroom comes now. And by having enough oil to light their lamps, they are ready if the bridegroom comes later.
We should be excited and ready for Jesus to come now. If you are, that’s good. But we also need to be ready to wait. We can’t be so obsessed with what is happening right now that we do not plant and build up God’s kingdom for the next generation and the one after that and the one after that and the one fifty generations from now. In other words, we need to have enough oil for later.
But Jesus doesn’t tell us what the oil is. Is the oil God’s Word, faith, grace, the Holy Spirit, or the Sacraments? Jesus doesn’t say. But the Scriptures teach that we can think of the oil as all of those. My guess is that Jesus doesn’t tell us exactly what the oil is so that we seek after all those things because each of them – the Bible, faith, grace, absolution, and the Sacraments – are kingdom of heaven things. And Christ tells us to, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mt. 6:33).
Here, today, right now, you are storing up oil. You don’t have to save up your money, go to the marketplace, and find the best deal on oil. It’s given away here for free. In this place, you hear God’s Word, are absolved of all your sins, and receive Christ’s risen Body and Blood. In this place, you are supported by your brothers and sisters in Christ, and your presence ministers to them. Here, you unite in prayer making intercessions for yourselves and others, for our nation and this world. This is how faith is given, sustained, and strengthened.
But also, don’t be a fool and think that a couple hours at church each week (or two to three times each month) is enough. You need more. And parents, listen up: your children can’t share your oil and can’t walk in the light of your lamp. Each one needs his or her own lamp lit. So, if it hasn’t been your family’s practice in the past, make the reading of Scripture, prayer, and fellowship around God’s Word together as a family your top priority each day. Start today. Fathers, God calls you to take the lead on this. Wives, if he doesn’t do it on his own, pester and nag him until he does.
Family time in the Bible doesn’t need to be complicated or fancy. Start simple. Start with the Gospel of John and read one paragraph each day. After you read, pray for your friends and family. It can be as simple as, “Bless grandma and help uncle Phil. Amen.” Then, pray the Lord’s Prayer. That will take five minutes. You can do that. You have the time to do that.
If you don’t have enough time, eliminate something from your schedule. If your job makes it impossible, quit. Find a new career – even if it means a pay cut and you have to get a smaller, cheaper house. This is eternally serious. Your salvation and the salvation of your children, grandchildren, and great-great-great-great-grandchildren depends on it. If you miss a day, don’t give up. Start again the next. Make it a habit for you and your kids to pray together on the way to school or practice or wherever. All of this will fill your oil reserves and make God’s Word part of your regular conversations as you watch and remain ready for His return. It will help make you ready now and later.
Then, as soon as you have worked yourself into a tizzy about the dire urgency of Christ’s return, step back, take a breath, and remember: Christ’s return is not something scary or horrific that you need to fear. No, Jesus’ return means that you will be in eternal bliss, happiness, contentment, and joy. There will be no more pain, tears, or sorrow. Christ’s return is something to anticipate – more than a child anticipates the arrival of her favorite aunt and cousins. That excited expectation is what Jesus is highlighting with this parable.
Yes, this parable is a warning. Our lamps can run dry. Faith must be continually fed by God’s Word and the Sacraments. Repent. Believe. Have faith in Christ. Sure, Scripture teaches that as the end draws near the signs of Jesus’ return become more and more alarming (1 Th. 5:1-11). There will be wars and rumors of wars, nation rising up against nation, earthquakes, persecution, hatred, false teaching, and love growing cold (Mt. 24:4-12).
But, when you see those things, remember what that means for you. Christ says it means your redemption is drawing near (Lk. 21:28). The bridegroom is coming, and you are His bride without spot, wrinkle, or blemish (Eph. 5:27).
Dear saints, this world is ending. Good riddance. You have Christ. Your redemption is secure and your eternity certain. So, look forward to that day. Stay awake. Keep eagerly anticipating and looking for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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