"Lesson #2: Be Prepared"

Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13

“Be Prepared” should be the sermon title for Boy Scout Sunday, not today - but here it is just the same. And maybe that’s good – preparation should be part of our everyday lives, and yet few of us ever take it seriously. Oh, some folks are prepared well in advance of any event – they are packed for the trip to visit relatives 3 days before they leave; all the “fixings” for Thanksgiving dinner are ready by Tuesday; and they are always the first ones to get to church, just so they can greet everyone else as they arrive.
These folks are not the norm, and the rest of us like to call them “obsessive-compulsive”. And yet these are the ones who are never late for an appointment, they always have clean clothes for a week in advance, and they have never, ever, in their entire life, let their car run out of gas.
And 90% of the world looks down on them? Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? And this issue of being prepared is the very lesson that we see in our parable for today.

As with all of Jesus’ parables, there will always be questions regarding the realism of the story. I have known folks who focus completely on the facts of the parable, and try to nit-pick the story apart on that basis alone. And in doing so, they completely miss the theological significance of the narrative. And the truth is that everything that Jesus said, or did, or taught, has a lesson for us that is related to our relationship with Almighty God.
Today’s scripture tells of a group of people who are waiting for the wedding party to arrive for the marriage celebration, so what is it about, if it isn’t about a wedding? What was Jesus trying to teach us regarding our life with him?

Read Matthew 25:1-5

“The kingdom of heaven will be like …” Jesus told 7 parables that began with these words, and from this, we can see that the Lord placed a very high priority on our need to understand what was coming to our lives, and how we must be ready to receive it.
The first lesson in this parable is that being prepared is not the same as being alert! The 10 virgins (some translations read “Bridesmaids”) all knew that the guest of honor would be along soon, but they didn’t know the exact time. They all had their lamps lit, and they all waited, and waited, and waited. The difference, though, is that half of them took additional fuel with them, just in case they had to wait longer than expected. The others had their lamp with them, but assumed, incorrectly, that they wouldn’t have to wait long. And in their wait, they all fell asleep.

There are, of course, many references in scripture to the word “sleep”. Sometimes, it simply means inattentive, such as “he’s asleep at the switch”, but in other instances, it is used as a metaphor for death. Either way, the word implies the inability to do anything further in preparation for a coming event or time.

Lesson #1 – this is about the church. All are eager to see the Lord finally arrive, but only a few are truly prepared to receive him when he finally appears. The preparations in faith that we have already put in place are the only ones that will matter when he calls us home.

Read Matthew 25:6-9

The honored guest is on the way, and the hue and cry goes up – “He’s here - he’s finally here! Come and give him honor!” And everyone wakes up at the sound. And again, whether this refers to the restoration of our attentiveness, or to the time of the great resurrection, we aren’t sure – and maybe it’s both! But the point here is that all 10 “trimmed their lamps”, which means that they cleaned the wick and added more oil to give more light. But 5 of the maids didn’t have any additional oil to fill their lamps with, and no matter how clean your wick may be, if there isn’t any fuel in your lamp, it won’t give any light!

Jesus was telling the people, and in particular the Pharisees, that a “clean life” was certainly important. But if your “inside” – your heart - was empty, there was no way the Spirit could shine within your soul. The 5 virgins who were out of “fuel” went to buy some more, but would the stores be open? Would there be enough time? Could they make up for lost time? Would they be back before the host arrived?

There are many, both within and outside the church, who think there is plenty of time to make their lives ready to receive Jesus, and each and every one has put themselves in the same boat with the 5 foolish women. If we knew the day and hour that Christ will return, that attitude might work, but no one does. Not the preachers, not the evangelists, not the worship teams, not the most faithful Christian you have ever met, not even Jesus! He has warned us about this, and if we don’t listen, whose fault do you think it is?

Read Matthew 25:10-13

“Those who were ready went in ... And the door was closed.” Some folks would say that this just isn’t fair! Why should anyone be excluded from the celebration, just because they weren’t ready to show honor to the groom? So what if their lamp went out – they wanted to come to the feast, and therefore they should be allow to join in!

The answer to the question may be as simple as this - that if they couldn’t put a little effort forth in preparing to be respectful before the banquet began, what makes anyone think that they will be respectful during the banquet? After all, they thought that they were entitled to attend simply because they wanted to attend! But Jesus tells us that the expectation for entry to the banquet is so minimal, that refusal to do what is asked in preparation is paramount to an insult! If the 5 couldn’t show honor and respect, then why should they receive honor and respect?
And when they try to enter the hall after the party has begun, what does the bridegroom say? “I don’t know you!” In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus says “Many will say on that day ‘Lord, Lord’, did we not prophesy … and drive out demons … and perform many miracles?” The point is that it isn’t enough to do things in the name of Jesus – it isn’t enough to know about Jesus – it isn’t enough to speak his name. The truth of the matter is that we must know him and be known by him.

So what does this parable have to do with the Kingdom? Everything!
1. Jesus is on his way to consummate the grandest “marriage” of all time. In John 14:1-7, Jesus offers some words that may have been confusing to the disciples. He talks about “going to make a place” for them, and actually, this is an integral part of the traditional Jewish marriage proposal. And when he returns, he will take his “bride” – the Church – to be his own for eternity. And he says that this promise is only for those who know him. It is all about our accepting the intimate relationship that he has offered to us.
2. The time of his arrival is still unknown. It could be any day now, or it could be years before he comes, so the best course of action is to get ready now. To wait for a “better time” may be too late.
3. The time to prepare for the Lord’s return is now. To wait until the day of his arrival to develop a relationship with him just won’t work. The “light” of your life will have run out of fuel, and if we aren’t willing to give him the honor he deserves now, “then” will never be sufficient.
4. And if the relationship is insufficient, we will be an unknown quantity, and the door will remain shut to us.

Jesus is calling us into relationship with him while we are still alive in this life, but the full impact, the full significance of a life in him will be obscured until that glorious day when Jesus reappears on earth. And at that time, all will be revealed, all will be made clear, and we will know.

If you have never accepted Christ’s offer of a life in him, then today is the day. Won’t you pray this prayer with me and accept him as your Lord and Savior?

Lord Jesus, I know that I am unworthy to be your beloved. I have sinned against you and have turned away from you. But I am weary, I am carrying a heavy burden, and I just can’t go on anymore. Lord, I know that you have suffered greatly on my behalf – you have taken the death that I so richly deserve, and have destroyed it. I seek your forgiveness for the life I have lived, and I desire the newness and wholeness of true Life that can only come from you. Lord Jesus, my greatest desire is to claim you as my Lord, and my Redeemer, and my Savior this very day. Amen.

Amen.