I think the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids
should be called the parable of the tardy groom. And what about the bride
waiting at the altar? I bet she was more than a little upset. “Midnight? Really?”
Of course none of that is the point of the parable, well, except the tardy
part. Mathew’s community is wondering what happened to Jesus. After all he said
“this generation shall see my return” (Matthew 24:34) and that generation is
almost all dead by the time this parable is written down. So the point of the parable is
verse 13 and none of the details really matter except as a promise and on the
flip side a warning. If you are awake and waiting faithfully you are wise and it doesn't matter how long it takes for the groom to arrive because your
invitation is as good as gold. But if you grow tired of waiting and doubt the
promise you are foolish and your lamp will go out and you’ll be left in the
dark. So what does it mean for us over 2000 years later? I suppose the message
is the same since we neither know the time or the date of Jesus’ return. But
maybe more importantly the message is for us to use our waiting time wisely as
Jesus will say at the end of this chapter. “When I was hungry you fed me, in
prison you visited me, naked you clothed me, a stranger you welcomed me, thirsty
you gave me drink.” We don’t just sit around in the glow of our lit lamps and
sing Kum by Yah. We wait by living into the charge that is given to the
baptized when the baptismal candle is presented. “Let your light so shine before
others that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” So
let’s get busy waiting.
No comments:
Post a Comment