the one about the bridegroom and the oil lamps

From the Parable of the ten bridesmaids from Matthew 25:1-13.   

Man this is a harsh story, isn’t it?  We can simplify with an old Sunday school song, ("Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burnin'"),  but it doesn’t really address the problem of this story.  And this story is riddled with problems for us, I think.  I’ve not had much help this week in preparation to preach this gospel story, either.  Every preacher I turn to for support, for a lifeline, says the same thing.  This is hard to preach.  I could jump ship and preach Amos or Thessalonians today.  But I believe I am a disciple of Jesus and must try and listen to and learn from him.

 So what do we learn about the kingdom of heaven today?

Its like 10 bridesmaids who await the coming of the bridegroom for the banquet with oil lamps trimmed to light his way.

Its like a bridegroom whose coming is delayed until late at night.  And when he comes, he comes suddenly, abruptly. He’s late, but he shows up and when he does…

Its like the bridesmaids who fell asleep waiting for the bridegroom to come. And when he comes five wise ones have enough oil for their lamps to keep burning.  Five foolish ones do not.  Not enough oil.  We may expect the five wise ones to share.  They selfishly refuse. They send the foolish girls away to buy more oil for themselves.  And when the bridegroom arrives the foolish ones are absent.  So the five wise ones, who had enough oil, enter the party and the door is shut.  And when the foolish ones return and knock to get in, they are dismissed.  I do not know you. 

So, none stayed away.  The wise have enough oil.  The foolish do not have enough. Perhaps this is about wealth and poverty.  The haves and have nots.  If you have enough oil, you’re safe.   We are tempted to focus on the oil.  What does the oil symbolize?  Faith?  More likely, the teachings of Jesus. The end of Jesus’ sermon on the mount (Gospel of Matthew 5-8) he says, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rains came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall since it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not practice them is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  The rains came down, the streams rose, and the winds  blew and beat against the house and it fell with a great crash.”  Maybe oil= teaching of Jesus.  Wise ones hear it and obey; foolish ones do not.  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.  That’s a good sermon, I think.  Obey Jesus’ words.  It is the key to heaven.  Those who have the oil of His word are in.  All others are out? 

Except that one of Jesus’ teachings is “Give to all who beg of you.”  Yet the wise ones do not share an ounce of oil. And when five thousand hungry people surround them and the disciples compel Jesus to send them away to buy their own food, Jesus says “you give them something to eat.”  And he also says to the disciples, “Knock and the door will be open to you.”   The parable contradicts his own teaching.  The wise ones refuse to share and the Lord locks out the foolish ones, who did not have enough oil.  What happened to blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  And blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” I guess its not about the oil. Shoot. 

So what is it about?  What if the bridesmaids and the oil are a distraction?  It’s not about the mean girls and the poor girls or the amount of oil they carry at all.  In the end, Jesus says, “Keep awake therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour. “  But if it’s just about attentiveness, all ten girls fail, for they all fell asleep.  And all are awakened by a loud shout announcing his imminent arrival. And when he arrives, the party begins.  Some are left out.  Some are welcomed in.  And I guess that’s the rub, isn’t it?  A long delay in coming leads to inattentive, drowsiness.  Who’s to blame here anyway? Must someone be to blame?  We hope for understanding.  Leniency and not judgment.  Mercy and not punishment.  We want all the girls to get in. It’s not fair.   We see injustice in this text, because we know Jesus.  We know that he comes for the not good enough, the fools, the messed up ones.  He claims the ones whose oil ran out.  Over and over again, he chooses what was low and last and lost in the world.  We can’t imagine a day of judgment in which a group of mean girls get in to God’s kingdom and a group of foolish innocents are left out.   Because we know Jesus.

And maybe that’s the point.  Knowing Jesus, there is enough oil and enough room for everyone. Or knowing him, it wouldn’t have mattered if some of the girls had oil and some did not.  He would’ve welcomed all of them in, the bright faces and the dark ones.  If they’d known and trusted him enough to stick around.  But maybe nobody knows it.  Or believes it.  Maybe everyone’s asleep to that reality.  Some have convinced themselves that the world is divided into the good and the bad, the haves and have nots.  And their trying to get things right, working hard to "get their own oil." Because this is all there is, blessings and curses.  Some of us believe that the judgment has already come.  And some do not make the cut.  Maybe even most. Except the ones we decide are alright.  And maybe that prejudicial practice is the nightmare in which we are living. And maybe we all need to wake up from that nightmare to face the only judge whose judgment matters.  Jesus. And maybe when you do wake up, your in.  Your in…love.  A love the conquers death and hatred and despair and self-loathing and fear and broken relationships and mean girls and deadly regimes and abusers of wealth and power.  That sounds like the kingdom of heaven.  There is one overlooked character inthe story;the unnamed announcer who wakes up the girls.  So, the unknown person in the story is ME.  The preacher.  And I’m here to tell you all.  Wake up, the bridegroom comes.  Amen.