First Lutheran Church
November 8, 2020
Twenty Third Sunday after Pentecost
Matthew 25:1-13 (Jesus said to the disciples) “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 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, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
“The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids”
Pastor Greg Ronning
I find the parable of the “Ten Bridesmaids,” the parable found in today’s appointed Gospel, - extremely frustrating. I find it a bit problematic. I guess I don’t really like it because I have a problem with “all” of the characters in the story. I don’t understand their actions, I don’t think any of them are particularly “faithful,” and I’m not sure there are any obvious heroes! And consequently, I’m not really sure what it’s all about!
I am frustrated with the five foolish bridesmaids who are not prepared. I am frustrated with the five wise bridesmaid who refuse to share. I am frustrated with the bridegroom who shows up late, really late! And I’m really frustrated with the person who locks the door, the person who locks people out of the wedding. I guess I’m frustrated because I don’t know what to do with this “frustrating” story!”
Yet if we dig down deeper into the story, if we give ourselves permission to play with the story, look at it from different angles and perspectives, perhaps we will find some truths and insights to ponder, and maybe even the good news of the Gospel.
So, let’s take a closer look at his frustrating parable …
First things first, things rarely happen the way you expect them to happen. The Bridegroom does not arrive at the time the Bridesmaids hoped he would. Sometimes things get “delayed.” Sometimes you don’t get the election results the night of the election. Sometimes it takes days. It is foolish to make assumptions, assumptions about elections, assumptions about life, and assumptions about God. It is wise to be prepared for a delay, it’s wise to make provisions for the unexpected, it’s wise not to think we have God all figured out. For God has been known to come to us in curious and unexpected ways, and more often than not - when we least expect it. In today’s parable all the bridesmaids fall asleep, none of them expected the groom to arrive so late. Yet the wise were ready, they were flexible when things changed, and they are present when the Kairos moment finally arrives. So, first things first, expected the unexpected, stay flexible, and always be ready for the possibility of surprise.
Two, don’t leave the party or you will miss out on something great. This is perhaps the biggest mistake the foolish bridesmaids in our parable make, - they leave the wedding, even before it begins. Theologian Debie Thomas writes in her commentary on this text, “They assume that their oil supply is more important to the groom than their presence at his party.” They forget that they were not invited to the party because of their “oil,” their “things;” they were invited, they were made a part of the wedding party, because they were valued, cherished, and loved for just being who they are, for being members of the community, members of the family! How often have we made this foolish mistake, the mistake of thinking that we are only lovable because of our things, our status, our resources, - our oil supply. How often have we left the party because we didn’t feel like we belonged, that we didn’t have anything to offer, that we weren’t important. The foolish bridesmaids leave the party out of fear that their empty flameless lamps would mean more to the groom than their presence. How many times have we done the same thing, cut ourselves off from the presence of God because we felt we were somehow - unworthy of the opportunity? Thomas reminds us, “Don’t allow your fear or your sense of inadequacy to keep you away from the party. Be willing to show up as you are — complicated, disheveled, half-lit and half-baked. The groom delights in you — not in your lamp.”
Three, and what about the so called “wise” bridesmaids. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think this parable makes them look so great! They have their own issues, they seem to have forgot that primary lesson that every parent tries to teach their children, - the lesson about sharing! They may be present when the bridegroom arrives, but they seem to be suffering from the same sense of fear that the foolish bridesmaids are suffering from, the fear of scarcity. When asked to share their oil they reply, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us.” They too are afraid that if they don’t have enough oil, their lamps will burn out; and if that happens, they too will become unwanted, unwelcomed, and unloved. So it is, they are afraid, unwilling, to share with the foolish bridesmaids. Thomas observes, “Operating on the basis of scarcity and fear, they refuse to share their oil. Smug in their own preparedness and “wisdom,” they forget all about mercy, empathy, kinship, and hospitality.”
And I suppose we’ve been there too, afraid and unwilling to share of our stuff, fearing that without all our possessions we would be nothing, that we won’t belong, and that ultimately, we won’t be loved. Thomas concludes, “We’re so afraid of emptiness, we worship excess. We’re so worried about opening our doors too wide, we shut them tight. We’re so obsessed with our own rightness before God, we forget that “rightness” divorced from love is always wrong. We live in dread that there won’t be enough to spare. Enough grace. Enough freedom. Enough forgiveness. Enough mercy. Somehow, we would rather shove people into the dark than give up the illusion of our own brightness.”
Bottom line, all the bridesmaids in this parable, both the wise and the foolish, are operating out of the fear of scarcity and not the abundance of love. They have all seemed to have forgotten that they have been invited to a wedding, to a celebration of love. They have forgotten the true nature of love. They have forgotten that they are cherished and loved.
So, what might be the takeaway for us today? What might this parable have to offer us in the midst of our pandemic, our social unrest, and our ongoing, seemingly never ending, divisive election season?
I suppose we might begin with patience, patience and an acceptance of the reality that things don’t always happen the way we expect them to happen, the way we want them to happen, or the way we’d like them to happen. And that part of practicing such patience, also means being open to new and even different outcomes and possibilities. There is an element of humility in practicing patience, a “letting go” of thinking we have it all figured out, that we have all the answers, that our way is the best way. And this can be applied to all of life, even to our understanding of God, and especially to our anticipation of how and when God becomes present in our world. Don’t make assumptions about the Kingdom of God, be open to the coming of the Kingdom of God!
And in the midst of this uncertainty, the uncertainty that we know in this time and place, the uncertainty that is part of life, the uncertainty that is present, even in the life faith; remember we are called to trust in love, - to trust in God’s love for us. We will be tempted to trust in our “oil supply,” our possessions, our wealth, our privilege, our systems, our affiliations, the principalities and powers - the things that matter the most in this world. Yet ultimately these things are not trustworthy, they are not worthy of our trust, they are not what matters the most, not in the least. Trust and believe in this, that in the waters of baptism, in the death and resurrection of Christ, you are loved completely and unconditionally. You are nothing less than a beloved child of God.
And finally, trust that you are loved enough to love others. (Trust that you are loved enough to love others!) Remember that love does not operate out of the fear of scarcity but rather the joy and freedom of abundance. Trust that you are loved enough to love others … This is the Gospel of Christ!
Amen.