In the ancient days of Jerusalem a groom and his bride would
go through a ritual cleansing
After the immersion, the couple entered the huppah (marriage
canopy)—symbolic of a new household being planned, to establish a binding
contract.
Here, the groom would give the bride money or a valuable
object such as a ring, and a cup of wine was customarily shared to seal their
covenant vows.
In this public ceremony under the huppah, the couple entered
into the betrothal period, which typically lasted for about a year. Although they were considered married, they
did not live together or engage in sexual relations.
During this erusin period, the groom was to prepare a place
for his bride, while the bride focused on her personal preparations: wedding garments, lamps, etc.
Although the bride knew to expect her groom after about a
year, she did not know the exact day or hour.
He could come earlier. It was the
father of the groom who gave final approval for him to return to collect his
bride.
For that reason, the bride kept her oil lamps ready at all
times, just in case the groom came in the night, sounding the shofar (ram’s
horn) to lead the bridal procession to the home he had prepared for her.[1]
So we can see the basis for this parable Mathew is using the
Marriage ceremony symbolically to answer the question “tell us, when will these
things be, and what is the sign of your return and of the end of age?” (Matt.
24:3)
One interpreter points out that
“this is a good story, though the point is not crystal
clear. We are presumably meant to laugh, and learn the message, which is
probably about being prepared rather than about staying awake; the story
perhaps does not take itself all that seriously – there is the unexplained gap
between the first announcement of the bride groom’s arrival and his actual
appearance; There is an absurb picture of the ‘foolish’ maidens trudging off to
the shops, which are presumably closed at the hour of night; and the pragmatic
attitude of the sensible virgins (‘why don’t you go shopping’) is not
especially attractive”[2]
And dare I ask where is the bride? These weddings were great
cultural affairs
“Richard Swanson suggests that this was a good chance for
unmarried women and men to connect, for prospective husbands and wives to find
each other, so these young women might have been keeping an eye out for their
own futures as much as watching for the bride's groom. It's no wonder, then,
that "the young women have a huge interest in being noticed
favorably," he writes. We may be surprised to hear that five of them
refused to share what they have, a note that clashes with the rest of Jesus'
teachings about generosity. Perhaps, Swanson continues, "This competition
may help explain the odd actions of the young women."[3]
Reflection:
by Kate Matthews
One essential theme in this Parable is a matter of
timing. The early followers of Christ
were anticipating the return of Christ as any day now any moment. By the time Mathew is writing the return of
Christ as Immediate is becoming …well rather doubtful for some. Some may even be growing lax in their practice. The tale here is more or less to remind us we
do not know the hour or the time. The
problem for the maidens is not that they fell asleep but that some were
prepared and others were not. Even
though they had plenty of time to prepare.
I was reading where spencer Kimball the 12th
president of the LDS church had an interesting perspective on the maidens being
told go buy their own oil. He says “This was not selfishness or unkindness. The
kind of oil that is needed to illuminate the way and light up the darkness is
not shareable. How can one share obedience to the principle of tithing; a mind
at peace from righteous living; an accumulation of knowledge? How can one share
faith or testimony? How can one share attitudes or chastity...? Each must
obtain that kind of oil for himself .... In the parable, oil can be purchased
at the market. In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop
in righteous living."[4]
All in all this is not an easy parable to read or comprehend
“If the disciples were looking for reassurance, the words of Jesus must have
given them a lot to think about.
After speaking at length about the end of the world in the
previous chapter, Jesus begins to tell his followers several parables, … right
before this week's passage, Jesus has spoken about a master's unexpected return
that catches his unfaithful servant off guard, one who thinks he has plenty of
time to misbehave, to beat his fellow servants and to eat, drink, and
(presumably) be merry. Today's parable about ten bridesmaids follows the harsh
warning about the fate of that unfaithful, unprepared and surprised servant.”[5]
The story, after all, isn't about generosity or sharing, but
about being prepared. This is about
navigating the real world, be prepared for here and now and yet knowing that
what can go wrong will go wrong thus the bride groom is delayed. In the same
way I do not believe any one of us expects Jesus to return tomorrow however we
know it is possible that Jesus returns this very second and we work at keeping
our hearts and minds with Christ and living out the Gospel the best we can…we are
in it for the long haul and need to be prepared to leave now.
“Five of the young
women had sense enough, then, as Thomas Long puts it, not to be ‘ready for the
groom but...for the groom's delay.’ If the bridesmaids, both the foolish ones
and the wise (or prudent) ones, represent the church today, how ready are we
followers of Jesus for his return? What does ready, or having "enough
oil," look like almost two thousand years after Jesus died and rose again,
promising to return one day, but not saying when? "The wise ones in the
church...hold on to the faith deep into the night,’ Long writes, and ‘even
though they see no bridegroom coming, still hope and serve and pray and wait for
the promised victory of God.’”[6]
“Jesus' story ends with the foolish young women being locked
out of the party. His words sound familiar to readers of Matthew's Gospel,
because we remember another harsh warning from Jesus, as he finished the
beautiful Sermon on the Mount, about people who sound religious but haven't
lived out their faith, who haven't done the will of God. When those people cry
"Lord, Lord," Jesus says that he'll claim he never knew them (Matthew
7:23).”[7]
Those words are hard to hear. We do not like to believe that anyone would
be locked out of heaven. I proclaim a
loving and forgiving God. I believe in a
God whose forgiveness goes beyond even what the most gracious human is capable
of. So I suspect we might be getting more Mathew than Jesus at this point. We recently spoke of how Jesus in Mathews
gospel was often chiding the religious leaders of the day for their behavior
and bravado. I have no reason not to believe that some of this harsh ness that
is being expressed again may be some of Mathews disdain for those who would
assume they need to do nothing more than what they have done to get into
heaven.
One commentator asks
“What do we need to do?
Today's text, about oil and bridesmaids and wedding parties,
is a bit more of a challenge, but we remember that these early Christians in
Matthew's community, a generation or so after Jesus had ascended to heaven,
were still scanning the skies, setting their sights and their hopes on his
quick return. We suspect that the first generation may have believed that Jesus
would return in their own lifetime, but by the time Matthew wrote his Gospel,
there had already been a delay. And perhaps that delay prompted some
questioning and some falling away. Matthew's account, including these difficult
parables, certainly addresses that falling away.
“Today, we are two thousand years of delay later, and our
questions may be just as pressing: What are we to do? What does
"ready" look like for people of faith? When will things change? What
is God going to do about the mess that we're in? When will our enemies get what
they deserve? (We just can't help ourselves any more than they could, long
ago.) We even have to wonder, unlike any generation before us, if we ourselves
will bring an end to the earth, or at least to life upon it.”[8]
"Trouble and beauty" in the Gospels
So this reading leaves us with some questions. Why does Mathew have Jesus speaking so abruptly
and how are we being called to live into this reality? How do we live as a
people of faith knowing we are to expect Jesus at any moment and yet also live
into this daily life not knowing if or when Christ may return? how are we to
live faithfully in anticipation of his return but also prepared for the
Continued delay? “Fred Craddock describes two types of parables, "those
that offer a surprise of grace at the end...and those that follow the direct
course from cause to effect as surely as the harvest comes from what is sown.
There are no gifts and parties." Craddock notes that we need both kinds of
parable, and the "justice and grace" they convey.”
“We often need to hear about grace, but we also need to hear
regularly about justice. While Craddock writes of cause and effect, Arland J.
Hultgren describes it as "both threat and promise, law and gospel."
One of my favorite phrases, heard years ago, is the image of "trouble and
beauty." Matthew's Gospel has plenty of both, from the graceful lilies of
the field to these unprepared bridesmaids, hearing the terrible words, "I
do not know you" (25:12).”
As we wait, then, for the return of Jesus and the
fulfillment of all things, how are we to live in the meantime? Like the five
"wise" or prudent bridesmaids, how can we be prepared? It may be true
of every age there are those who are always anticipating the end of times. We have the bad theology of the left behind
series. There are those who believe we
need to get into Jerusalem and rebuild the temple as if this would force God’s
hand and bring about the end of times.
There are those who believe we can rape and pillage the earth abusing
her resources as we a see fit for the end of days is now. So being good
stewards doesn’t matter.
Some people are so busy with their end of times novels, or
seeking out each and every sign that points to the end of all creation that
they miss what God is doing in our midst here now today! They miss the chances God gives us to care
for each other, to grow in God’s love and be a true supportive and loving
place. God calls us to work to change
this world to work at the injustices in the world and introduce the loving
compassion that Jesus teaches us.
It really seems as if some are just living for the drama and
the fear of the end of times as opposed walking the path that Christ calls us
to. There is nothing in any text that
says be fearfull, hunker down and make yourself ready for the end of times
ignoring all the work the needs to be done.
“However much we may be anxious about a dramatic end time,
our faith reminds us of how often the Bible says, "Do not fear," and
then challenges us to work here, on earth, for the bright day of God's reign in
its fullness, which is glimpsed in every act, every moment of compassion,
sharing, and justice. Even as we trust that we will be with God one day, in
glory, we taste the sweet goodness of generosity and love right here, right
now, through ministries of sharing the abundance with which we are blessed.”
We are ready to live in Love, we are called so seek justice
and to do it joyfully. I mean just look
at this community in which we live. I
love the T-shirts that say the Love in the air is thicker than the smoke. The
response that the Sonoma communities have had to our neighbors in need is
overwhelming. It is not just one
response and we are done, it is ongoing.
As I volunteered some chaplain time at coFfey Park I walked with
chaplains from all faith backgrounds just providing a presence to the people
there. For many that wasn’t enough. I
listen to a group of young volunteers decide to sign up to be called when
needed by the red cross. They needed to
keep on giving to our most vulnerable.
Remaining faithful in the face of disaster or tragedy may be
hard. We will hear cries of just wishing
Christ would return now to make all things right again. But we are called
through todays gospel story to remain vigilant and that means we are called to
live out the life Jesus has called us to live every day and every minute. “Jesus
told us how to live according to the values and vision of the Reign of God, and
loving God and our neighbor expresses the heart of his message.”[9]
“Loving God will inevitably lead us to worship God rather
than idolize the false gods of modern culture (like materialism and nationalism
…to name only two). Loving our neighbor will lead us to greater compassion and
a firm commitment to justice, to making this a different and better world for
all of God's children. This kind of living isn't sitting around and waiting;
it's active and fully engaged in the present moment, as we trust in a future
that is in God's hands, even if the timing of that future is unknown to us.
An ending, and something new…
Arland J. Hultgren suggests that keeping faith
"includes care of the earth and making peace for the sake of future
generations. It is necessary to plan for the long haul, remain faithful, be
wise, and stay strong." We note the difference, of course, between
"making peace" and simply avoiding conflict.
M. Eugene Boring says that such faithfulness makes it
possible to "lie down to sleep in this confidence, rather than being kept
awake by panicky last-minute anxiety." But it also requires endurance:
"Being a peacemaker for a day is not as demanding as being a peacemaker
year after year when the hostility breaks out again and again, and the
bridegroom is delayed." No wonder we're tempted to yearn for a sudden
intervention when God takes care of everything.
However much we may fear a dramatic end, Hultgren reminds us
that our faith sees "the end" not as the end, but as "the
doorway to the new--the new age, the new creation." We can trust, as Paul
says in 1 Thessalonians, that "we
will be with the Lord forever" (4:17b). This, for us and for all creation,
is "finally good news." Indeed!”[10]
So in the meantime
we keep studying God’s word and listening for it anew today. We keep seeking out ways to serve each other
and the community around us. We seek to continue the work we are called to do
as Christians every day, ever vigilant and always ready!
[1] the messianic
prophect bible project, Ancient Jewish Wedding Customs and Yeshua’s Second
Coming, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017,
http://free.messianicbible.com/feature/ancient-jewish-wedding-customs-and-yeshuas-second-coming/.
[3] Kathryn Mathews,
Be Ready, November 12, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017,
http://www.ucc.org/weekly_seeds_be_ready.
[4] Wikipedia, The
Parable of the Ten Virgins, November 7, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Ten_Virgins.
[9]
Kathryn, Mathews “What Should I do?”, ucc,
Novemebr 5, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017, http://www.ucc.org/worship_samuel_sermon_seeds_november_5_2017
No comments:
Post a Comment