November 8, 2020
The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost

Wedding customs vary around the world. I cannot explain the customs at the time of Jesus which he talks about in his parables. I do not know why those ten virgins had to wait outside the gate in the dark until the bridegroom arrived. But I have been to weddings in Japan where all the guests waited in the lobby of the hotel until the doors of the ball room were opened. I have been to music concerts or recitals where if you were late you could not enter the auditorium. Usually you have to be on the guest list to enter a wedding party, or the receptionist will be like the doorkeeper in the parable, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.”

At the end of the parable, Jesus tells us the meaning. “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” This is the theme of Matthew Chapters 24 and 25. There are at least five parables that talk about the Second Coming of Jesus. We do not know when that will be. Whether we are working or sleeping, we must be ready. Whether life is like a wedding party or like persecution or like the invasion of Jerusalem, we must be ready. And so watch the signs of the times. They tell us that the end in near.

And in the midst of that we live our lives. We work, we party, we sleep. In today’s parable, the ten maidens sleep, because that is the natural thing to do. But they must be prepared to meet the bridegroom. And they have to be prepared in case he is late, so the five wise virgins took an extra flask of oil, but the foolish ones did not want to. They knew that they bridegroom might be late, but they choose not to bring extra oil. That was their foolishness. And later when they went to buy more, the bridegroom came and the doors were shut so that they could not enter the wedding banquet.

As a parable, the Bridegroom is Jesus. The virgins are all the people in the world who want to go to heaven, but only the wise, true believers can go to heaven. The wedding banquet is eternal life. The door is the gate of heaven. The oil is faith. The lamp is how faith is active and burning in our lives. The wise virgins cannot give their oil, their faith to the foolish ones. Your faith cannot save someone else. Everyone must have their own faith. And so the five foolish maidens were told to go to the market and buy their own oil. Maybe this means that they have to go to church and confirmation or baptism preparation class and become a believer. Perhaps the foolish maidens are all those people in the world who want to go to heaven when they die, but really do not believe in Jesus as their Savior. They have no oil, they have no faith in Jesus. It is like when the thief breaks into your house, it is too late to buy a burglar alarm. When the typhoon comes, it is too late go out shopping for batteries and candles. When Jesus returns, it is too late to escape judgment.

There were five wise virgins and five foolish virgins. How about you? Are you wise or foolish? How is your supply of oil? When the tragedies of life come, do you have enough faith? Is your lamp burning brightly? Will you be let into the heavenly wedding feast? In my heart there is the assurance of salvation. But sometimes the devil reminds me of my sin and shortcomings, and makes me wonder whether I am one of the foolish ones. And if I am one of the wise ones, I wonder if I would share my oil with the foolish.

As a preacher of the gospel, I would like to change the parable. If the oil is faith, then that is a gift of the Holy Spirit. And that faith-oil is infinite. I can share my faith so that the lamp-lives of the foolish would shine with faith and the grace of God. When we witness our faith we say that we “share our faith” with others.

That faith which we share is about Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World.” He proclaimed the bright Good News. And yet, that night in the Garden of Gethsemane was dark. When Jesus was on the cross the sky was darkened. His life-blood was poured out like oil on the cross and he died. It was dark inside the tomb, and the door of the tomb was shut and sealed. On the third day Jesus rose from the dead. He told his disciples to spread the Gospel of faith, forgiveness, discipleship and baptism. And then he sent the fire of the Holy Spirit upon his disciples at Pentecost. That same flame of the Holy Spirit in is our hearts. It is an infinite supply that gives eternal life.

If you are foolish now, get wise. Believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior. That is the one and only preparation. We do not know when Jesus will return. But when we pray “Thy Kingdom Come,” we are looking forward to that day when we will meet Jesus. So, in the meantime, because it may not happen in our lifetime, plant a tree, study your lessons, raise a family, invest in the market, love your neighbor, support evangelism and church work, let your light shine.

Jesus said, “Mt. 5:16 In Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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