THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WILL BE LIKE, WHAT?!

A Reflection on A Strange And Wonderful Parable of Jesus

*This is the basic outline for the sermon I preached yesterday at Messiah Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, IN.

Matthew 25:1-13 

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; ⁴but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. ⁶But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.⁸The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹But 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.’ ¹⁰And 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. ¹¹Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ¹²But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’¹³Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WILL BE LIKE, WHAT?!

Wow. This story did not go as I thought it would. I thought I wanted to be part of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

I like it when people describe it as a time and place where I am whole, healed, and free from pain, sickness, and suffering. But this description of the Kingdom of Heaven feels different. One minor mistake and I’m out?! And apparently, no one has enough oil (or anything else), so sharing is out of the question! The one who has claimed to know me since before I was even a glimmer in my parent’s eyes says, “Truly, I tell you, I do NOT know you,” and slams the door in my face?!

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WILL BE LIKE THAT?!

Wow. I don’t know what to say. As one commentator says, “THIS PARABLE JUST DOESN’T FEEL LIKE GOSPEL!”

And I agree.

How we often read and interpret this (and other parables like it) sounds more like bad news than good. So what should I do?

• Should I ignore this text and write about something else?

• Should I soften or rewrite the ending? No. That’s the same thing as ignoring it?

• Should I follow the lead of the “turn or burn” preachers? Should I call everyone foolish, awful, no good, rotten, horrible sinners who better get our act together quickly? No. That doesn’t sit right, either. I’m committed to proclaiming the GOOD NEWS of Jesus. There must be good news in here, right?!

I wonder if this parable doesn’t sound like gospel because I’m focused more on what it is NOT about than what it IS.

When I first read this parable, I noticed the same things most people do. There are ten bridesmaids… five are foolish, and five are wise. I asked,

Which one am I?

Am I wise or foolish?
I don’t want to be foolish.
Let’s see what distinguishes one from the other.

Ahhh. The wise bridesmaids brought extra oil; the foolish ones did not. To be wise, I HAVE TO BE OVER PREPARED! That’s it!! I just have to consider anything that could happen. I have to make a plan. That way, I have nothing to worry about if anything goes wrong.

Well, I should be safe then. I’m usually prepared, except when I’m not.
I usually bring extra, just in case, except when I don’t. 
I’m smart. Some people (especially my kids, LOL) have called me wise.
Yes! I’m smart and wise! Except when I’m ignorant and foolish.

Or maybe I’m not foolish OR wise because I had the foresight to bring enough oil. After all, how could I know that the bridegroom would be late? 

Who shows up late for their own wedding? 

Did he forget the time? Did he get busy doing something else?What was so important that he couldn’t arrive when he was supposed to?

If I have to be prepared enough to bring extra oil, shouldn’t the bridegroom have to be prepared enough to consider traffic jams, construction, sand storms, thieves on the road, bad weather, or whatever might cause a delay?

Ohhh. I see. At the end of the parable, it says, “Keep Awake.” Wise bridesmaids must never sleep. Except… 

In the parable, at one point, Jesus says they were ALL asleep.

Am I foolish or wise?

Maybe I’m both. 

Maybe I’m foolish AND wise all at once.

If that’s true (and it is)...Will the door to the banquet be open or closed to me? Will the bridegroom recognize me, or will I be a stranger?

Do you see why it would have been so much easier just to skip this text?

Or…

 Maybe I’m not the primary character in this story. 

This story may be less about me than it is about something or someone else. Maybe how I (and let’s be honest) many others read this parable misses the point entirely. What if it isn’t about being foolish or wise? What if it isn’t about having the door to heaven slammed in my face because I didn’t plan well? Maybe it’s not about oil or never sleeping. Perhaps it’s not about being early or late.

What if it IS about the bridegroom? What if it IS about the bridegroom who has come and is coming?

What if it IS about the bridegroom? Who IS the key to entry to the wedding banquet?

We have a role in the story, sure. But we are NOT the central figure. That role is (and always will be) reserved for one person and one person alone.

JESUS.

But, oh, how good I am about making it about something else.

Maybe you are, too.

Maybe you are foolish AND wise, alert AND asleep.

Thus, the instruction at the end of this and other parables in Matthew’s gospel. 

KEEP AWAKE.

Another way to say this might be, 

“Stay vigilant.” 

That’s different from never resting or sleeping. It means to “Keep a careful watch for danger or difficulties.” And there are plenty of dangers and difficulties to watch for. And maybe staying vigilant isn’t something we can or should do on our own. Maybe to be wise is to stick together and share the watch. The threat is too much for any of us alone. 

I’m not trying to rewrite this parable or soften the ending. But I have to wonder if, even if there wasn’t enough oil to sustain ten lamps, were five lamps enough? If they stuck together and shared the watch, maybe even one lamp would have been enough if they stayed with one another. Wouldn’t it have been wiser to share the oil and use one lamp at a time so they would leave no one in the dark?

Have you ever seen how much even the tiniest flame can break through the darkness?

There is no place I’ve been where the darkness could overcome the light. But sometimes, without someone directing attention to it, noticing it, and proclaiming its presence, we can miss it. And in the darkness, we can easily wander off foolishly. It is easy to wander away on a fool’s errand (IE: unnecessarily getting oil for your lamp) and miss the bridegroom's arrival.

No. Keep awake. Stay vigilant. Stay together. And no one will be left outside looking in because the bridegroom (JESUS) opens the door for us ALL.