Got Enough Oil? - A Reflection on Matthew 25:1-13


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

 

Many people expected the world to end in 2012. This expectation was based on the Mayan belief that cataclysmic events would occur on or around 21 December 2012. But 2013 rolled in putting an end to yet another prediction of the end of the world with nothing more disastrous than egg on a lot of faces. So is the world ever going to end? The answer is a definitive yes, but when that happens is up to God, not to Mayans or tin-pot dictators with nuclear weapons at their disposal. So, what does God have to say about the whole thing. 

 

Today’s parable about the Ten Virgins, just like yesterday’s parable about the Unfaithful Servant, says it will happen at an unexpected time. However, many have become cynical. Given that two thousand years have passed since Jesus went away, there are many who don’t believe that he will be back. And even those who do believe he’ll be back don’t believe it will be any time soon. Why do I say that? Well, when is the last time you heard a sermon preached about the return of Jesus? Or a prayer said to hasten his coming? Yet, we have Jesus’ word that he will return. So, why the delay then, you might ask.

 

The apostle Peter might have an answer. I paraphrase. “In the last days people will mock you saying, ‘He said he was coming. Where is he? Everything is just as it was.’ But remember that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, but is patient, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance”. You’ll find that in 2 Peter 3. And then, Peter, too speaks about the suddenness with which Jesus would come. The question is: Are we ready for his return? Or to put it in Jesusspeak: Do we have oil in our lamps?

 

Here’s a quick checklist. One: Are we leading a life that reflects someone who has been born again, allowing ourselves to be led and guided by the Holy Spirit in all we do? Or do we persist in living in the flesh, giving in to our desires without second thought of the consequences, believing our faith in Christ gives us a free ticket into heaven? Two: Do we show, through our actions, that our faith does not merely comprise belief in Jesus as Savior, but also belief that everything he says is true? Or do we believe that we can pick and choose what we want to follow and discard the rest? And three: Are the good works we do for the glory of God or to gain the acclaim of our fellowmen? 

 

These are important questions and not to be taken lightly, not unless we want to miss going with the bridegroom to the feast. I know some of us have a habit of taking things casually. Even when we drive, we don’t bother fueling up until the warning indicator lights up. Consequently, we sometimes find ourselves stuck by the side of the road without gas. Roadside assistance might bail us out if we are stuck on the road, but we won’t have anybody to bail us out here.  So, let us take this seriously. If you want to understand the entire parable better, I wrote a feature about it some time ago. Here’s the link: https://adobe.ly/3448Oep.

 

Ok, now let’s get tanked up! 

 

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here:  https://youtu.be/t1qVNEpmL_Q

 

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