Always a Bridesmaid...

Matthew  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Jesus is using a parable to describe his return; it is likened to 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins. They had the important task of meeting the bridal procession.

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Context; The events leading up to our study today

In chapter 24 Jesus said the temple would be destroyed; not one stone left on another ()
Given the sacredness of the temple to the Jewish people; his disciples asked him when these things would be and what would be the sign of his coming and of the end of the age
Jesus responded to that three part question
We spent a considerable amount of time looking at how Jesus answered this three part question
Towards the end of Chapter 24 Jesus reminded his hearers that no one knows the day or the hour
only the Father knows
Jesus then gave a couple parables that helped his hearers understand what he was teaching them then and what he is teaching us today
Parables are stories that often use common events or items to convey deeper spiritual truths
Today Jesus continues with a couple more parables
One will highlight the importance of being ready
The other, which we won’t get to today, will highlight our responsibilities based on the gifts God has given us
But before we get into that we need to better understand how weddings were conducted and celebrated in 1st century Judaism
This will help us understand the parable Jesus is telling

The Wedding

The 10 virgins in the parable Jesus is telling his hearers are what we would consider bridesmaids
Like today, there are certain things that were expected culturally
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For example in weddings today, it is customary to seat the guests of honor in the front rows
That would be the bride and grooms parents
Or that the groom does not see the bride until she is revealed at the start of the procession
Also like today there are certain things that would be culturally unacceptable
Like if uncle Joe and aunt Sally showed up to your wedding in their swimming suits
Like today, back then the bridal party would play an important role in a wedding
Like today, back then the bridal party would play an important role in a wedding
Today the best-man and maid of honor are like the slaves, I mean helpers to the bride and groom
They are responsible for the bachelor / bachelorette party
Its expected that they make speeches at the reception
The maid of honor has so many important roles; she keeps track of the train of the dress, the flowers, and ensures that the bride does not go into meltdown mode before the big show
Well they had bridal parties back then too
They would help start and maintain the celebration of the wedding
They would have certain jobs that would help conduct the celebration, which was almost as important as the ceremony itself
It is debated how exactly this 1st century Palestinian would have went
Perhaps the bridal party was awaiting the groom so that they could escort him to his bride
Or maybe they were joining the party already in procession to the celebration
Either way, their job was to light the way as most processions would take place after sun set
The lamps that Jesus refers to would most likely be more like torches
Rags soaked in oil then wrapped around a long stick
They would not stay lit very long and need to continually be re-lit
Jesus uses this common event to help teach his hearers about his return at the end of time
We will look at it
Seek to understand it
Then apply it to our lives

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

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One of Matthew’s favorite phrases is The Kingdom of Heaven is like...
Jesus begins his parable by using this phrase

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

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It is not always clear in a parable on who is the smart guy in the story
But in this case, Jesus tells us that half of these virgins (remember bridesmaids) are wise and the other half are foolish
There is two distinct groups; the wise and the foolish
After we read the parable we should compare the two groups
Like me, I am sure you would like to be in the wise camp and not the foolish

For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.

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The wise were not presumptuous; they knew what they didn’t know.
They knew that the exact time the bridal party would show up was impossible to know.
So they took extra oil.
The foolish however did not take any oil.
Perhaps they were lazy,
or in a hurry
In the previous examples Jesus used in chapter 24; Noah and the master of the house that was robbed
the time to prepare was long and the event in which Noah and the master of the house prepared for was sudden
In that context it could be that these virgins did not spend enough time in preparation for their task
No one eloped
Weddings were a long time in the making
They should have had plenty of time to rehearse their part in the celebration

As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.

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It would be very common to get held up
In this culture, the families of the bride and groom could still be negotiating the bride price or other details pertaining to the union of the couple.
This would almost be expected
Going to sleep would be acceptable as well
It was late after all
Going to sleep unprepared will prove to be their downfall
When the party finally makes it, everyone is told
They are all called to come out and meet him
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8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’

There is a problem
If the wise were to give the foolish their oil then none of them would have enough to light the way for the procession
The wise are not wrong here; in fact they point the foolish to the place they can buy oil
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That is compassionate
But they understand the importance of their role in lighting the way or else the celebration could be ruined
They stick with what they were called to do
The foolish did go to get the stuff they needed but...
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10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

It is interesting to consider that people would come to the celebration at all hours and even days to celebrate the marriage
The fact that the door was “shut” indicates a stronger shunning for missing out on their important task.
Verse 12 seems to add to this idea.
To be unknown at first is liberating but then very lonely
To be unknown by the all-knowing creator of everything is terrifying.

The Wise

Understood the importance of their role in the ceremonial celebration
Understood that they were called to do something that was not about them
Understood that they could not know when the bridal party would arrive
As a result they prepared
They brought their flasks of oil to be able to do what they were called to do
They did everything in their power to ensure a successful celebration
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The Foolish

It wasn’t that they did not know the role they were supposed to play in the celebration; they didn’t care
It wasn’t that they weren’t asked or called to help in the celebration, they were; it just wasn’t a priority in their lives
Since it wasn’t a priority in their lives, they didn’t prepare for it
They only prepared for the kingdom when the kingdom was already upon them
Friends, that not preparation at all, that's procrastination
First John the Baptist shouted in the wilderness that the kingdom of heaven was at hand
Then Jesus affirmed that his death, burial, and resurrection would usher in that kingdom
Folks that leaves one more step in the scheme of things; the return of the bridegroom for his bride
That’s the church
The time for preparation is now
That is the time of salvation is now
The time to tell
The time to tell the foolish person in your life, you know, the one God put there this news
Jesus ends this parable by telling us what we should do
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13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Watch - That is be alert, be on guard, BE READY
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