Terminally Distracted Or Decisively Prepared?
Sermon
Where Gratitude Abounds
Gospel Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost (Last Third)
Case one: One can be diligent about meeting tasks in an orderly, thoughtful manner and yet be unthoughtful and a procrastinator in matters spiritual.
Case two: One can be a bit too laid-back regarding tasks and professional development, yet be truly thoughtful and an initiative-taker regarding the spiritual side of his/her life.
In case one, such a person will excel professionally, but will more than likely have significant interpersonal issues at home and with his/her Lord. In case two, though the person will be an occasional headache-base for colleagues, supervisors, and family members, he/she will enjoy spiritual growth because his/her heart, mind, and will attend to the Lord and faith. A sub-case could even be made that in the latter as well, as spiritual maturity develops in this person, his/her Lord and maturing faith will call him/her to become more thoughtful and present to persons and tasks, that is, to follow through on matters, because his/her maturing love and understanding come to realize the importance of being more reliable and responsible. Because this person has been decisive about spiritual growth and commitment, matters in his/her life that wear on people and responsibilities will in time be addressed as well, for they affect the quality of his/her love and commitment. He/she, over a lifetime, becomes more decisively prepared, both spiritually and naturally.
But for the person in case one, that of the person who is a natural initiative-taker and is very responsive in matters of profession and duties, but who chooses to procrastinate about dealing with/attending to matters spiritual, a devilish predicament presents itself. In being so preoccupied with duties and tasks and, comparatively speaking, unconcerned about his/her spiritual growth needs, growing only professionally serves to crowd out and will eventually choke the spiritual side and quality of his/her life. Attending only to all the tasks and duties, as well-meaning and as productive and impressive as they may be, serves the devil's motive very well: the task-committed person is continually distracted from attending to a matter that abides: Will your spiritual side grow as you live your earthly life? If this person does not, at some point in his/her life, either through crises or growing thoughtfulness, attend to his/her spiritual growth and preparation, he/she will be so terminally distracted that "Judgment Day" will be a shocking surprise, not so much because of the timing, but because of the lack of a spiritually developed and readied heart.
Will you and I have a kindredness to the five foolish bridesmaids or to the five wise bridesmaids? Bottom line, regarding the spiritual side of our lives, will we choose to be terminally distracted or decisively prepared?
This story shared by Jesus could be related to easily by first century village people in Palestine. Weddings were great occasions then, as they are now. The way a wedding event was played out then was that most of the village people accompanied the married couple to their new home, but, according to Barclay,
they went by the longest possible road, in order that they might receive the glad good wishes of as many as possible (and instead of going on a honeymoon) they stayed at home, kept open house (and were) treated and addressed as prince and princess.1
A whole week of celebrative festivities involved certain invited close friends. Our foolish virgins in the Gospel story missed both the marriage ceremony as well as a week of joy -- and all because they had not been interested enough to prepare themselves. Jesus shares this story because it is a "slice of life from a village in Palestine," not a "synthetic story" that is unrelated to living.2
If one would look at the larger context in which this passage is found, one could see it from chapter 24:37f being yet another expression of the matter of "separation at the last judgment."3 The parable's theme is the importance of being ready for Jesus at his Second Coming, so one can enter his kingdom with him. Furthermore, "the bridesmaids represent the church ... The bridegroom's arrival represents the future aspect of God's kingdom. Having sufficient oil to last until then is proper preparation for its coming."4
In verses 1-4, what kind of wisdom were the ten bridesmaids to have? They were to be prudent, that is, demonstrate care for their future. The readiness of the five shows wisdom, and the other five's lack of practical preparation reveals their foolishness and lack of care. Living a Christian life, not just a busy or laid-back one, is the best way to be prepared for the unknown hour of Christ's return.
What I'm struck with is that each set of bridesmaids had a level of awareness of and commitment to the bridegroom's arrival. Can one's initial commitment to Christ be long-lasting, or for it to be so, must it be ever-deepened and daily renewed? The lamp's need of more oil each day portrays as well our daily need for renewal of faith and commitment. The Lord we know initially, we need to come to know better. To make a commitment to Christ and then to be distracted by so many duties, tasks, and responsibilities that one doesn't tend to nurture that commitment further is to put one's life in spiritual peril. Though both sets of bridesmaids believe the bridegroom will return, only one set truly cares enough to make ready for him.
One's willingness to renew and to deepen one's faith and commitment are at the center of this passage, for how else are we going to be truly ready for Christ's unknown return? Are you more interested in heaven because it will save you from hell? Or are you interested in heaven because you will be in the close presence of Jesus, and your heart longs and beats for such a privilege? The answer to the former question is practically played out in the five unwise bridesmaids' lack of preparation. The answer to the latter question is spiritually revealed in the practical preparation of the five wise bridesmaids.
In verses 5 and 6, we have an insight made in worldly living also spiritually confirmed: good things so often take time. In the midst of our busy and fast-paced lives, we also wait in anticipation and with patience for certain events/arrivals: paying off the house, having a son or daughter grow up and go off to college, finishing another college degree yourself, building toward a career promotion, and so forth. One doesn't sleep off such noteworthy matters and events; one builds an excitement and appreciation for them. To behave non-caringly toward them is to reveal an indifference about life that puts one out of touch with what should draw one outside of oneself. In the scripture passage, while all ten bridesmaids became naturally drowsy and sleepy, the surprising arrival of the bridegroom startled and awoke all ten, but only five were practically prepared. Though naturally as sleepy as the five foolish bridesmaids, the five wise ones were able to recover far better from the surprise arrival of the bridegroom because they had been thoughtful enough to carry sufficient oil. Are we thoughtful enough, spiritually speaking, to abide in Christ, to long for time with him daily, to consider it the privilege of privileges to be taught of him through his Word, and to share and celebrate him in community? Only by having and honoring such a disposition and attitude of being submitted to and learning of Christ will our human nature be spiritually influenced enough to make us ready for his unknown hour of coming.
In verses 7-9, I have a reaction on one level and a response on another. My reaction is that I defensively ask the five wise bridesmaids to practice a little hospitality and charity and help the five unwise bridesmaids out of their tight spots by giving some of their oil supply. After all, doesn't Jesus elsewhere in his Word instruct us to give a coatless person a coat if we have two (Luke 3:11)? I react this way because I tend to side with the ill-prepared and know I may need such help myself. My subsequent, more thoughtful response though is that Jesus rightly handles this situation differently, because the oil represents the depth of belief, trust, and commitment in a person. The five wise bridesmaids can't believe enough for the five unwise ones. No, they must believe deeply enough for themselves. When it comes to the endtime, to Christ's Second Coming, we cannot enter his kingdom with him if we don't truly believe. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). I'm more eager to obey God, the more I believe in and love Him. I know this to be true for myself. Is it applicable to you?
It warns us that there are certain things which cannot be borrowed. The foolish virgins found it impossible to borrow oil, when they discovered they needed it. A man cannot borrow a relationship with God; he must possess it for himself. A man cannot borrow a character; he must be clothed with it. We cannot always be living on the spiritual capital which others have amassed.5
In verses 10-13, we learn that hastily dealing with a matter that has eternal significance, and which God gives most of us a significant lifetime to be more-thoughtful-than-last-minute about, is to put us in jeopardy, rather than lead us to security. The five unwise bridesmaids are now counting on the fact that they still have time to travel the streets for the needed oil. By the time they have sufficient oil, though, the bridegroom has arrived, has received those thoughtful enough to be genuinely prepared, and shuts the door on time, as we have known it all our lives. They plead for him to reconsider, but it is, irrevocably, too late. On the one hand, we're all -- each and every one of us -- invited to God's kingdom. But anything truly precious involves proper preparation of self, regarding belief, attitude, and commitment. Just as diseases or other bodily malfunctions conclude our lives on earth -- with no additional time granted to live life here -- so also, Jesus' Second Coming, the time when the Bridegroom who wants us all, as his Bride Collective, to love him in return, requires a timely response.
Our abundance of choices these modern days clouds the seriousness of a choice-invitation that is head-and-shoulders above them all. Our lift-off to heaven is a matter we need to apply our hearts, minds, and lives to. If we're thoughtful enough to take the necessary steps to assure a seat on a flight to a selected destination, such wisdom in temporal matters needs to be exercised in matters spiritual. Don't let yourself be terminally distracted. Yearn and learn to be decisively prepared, especially for the kingdom eternal!
____________
1. William Barclay, Matthew, Volume II, Westminster Press, p. 319.
2. Ibid., p. 320.
3. Lection Aid, October-December, 1996, Volume 4, No. 4, "Some Are Wise, Some Are Otherwise," p. 26.
4. Ibid.
5. Barclay, op. cit., pp. 320-321.
Case two: One can be a bit too laid-back regarding tasks and professional development, yet be truly thoughtful and an initiative-taker regarding the spiritual side of his/her life.
In case one, such a person will excel professionally, but will more than likely have significant interpersonal issues at home and with his/her Lord. In case two, though the person will be an occasional headache-base for colleagues, supervisors, and family members, he/she will enjoy spiritual growth because his/her heart, mind, and will attend to the Lord and faith. A sub-case could even be made that in the latter as well, as spiritual maturity develops in this person, his/her Lord and maturing faith will call him/her to become more thoughtful and present to persons and tasks, that is, to follow through on matters, because his/her maturing love and understanding come to realize the importance of being more reliable and responsible. Because this person has been decisive about spiritual growth and commitment, matters in his/her life that wear on people and responsibilities will in time be addressed as well, for they affect the quality of his/her love and commitment. He/she, over a lifetime, becomes more decisively prepared, both spiritually and naturally.
But for the person in case one, that of the person who is a natural initiative-taker and is very responsive in matters of profession and duties, but who chooses to procrastinate about dealing with/attending to matters spiritual, a devilish predicament presents itself. In being so preoccupied with duties and tasks and, comparatively speaking, unconcerned about his/her spiritual growth needs, growing only professionally serves to crowd out and will eventually choke the spiritual side and quality of his/her life. Attending only to all the tasks and duties, as well-meaning and as productive and impressive as they may be, serves the devil's motive very well: the task-committed person is continually distracted from attending to a matter that abides: Will your spiritual side grow as you live your earthly life? If this person does not, at some point in his/her life, either through crises or growing thoughtfulness, attend to his/her spiritual growth and preparation, he/she will be so terminally distracted that "Judgment Day" will be a shocking surprise, not so much because of the timing, but because of the lack of a spiritually developed and readied heart.
Will you and I have a kindredness to the five foolish bridesmaids or to the five wise bridesmaids? Bottom line, regarding the spiritual side of our lives, will we choose to be terminally distracted or decisively prepared?
This story shared by Jesus could be related to easily by first century village people in Palestine. Weddings were great occasions then, as they are now. The way a wedding event was played out then was that most of the village people accompanied the married couple to their new home, but, according to Barclay,
they went by the longest possible road, in order that they might receive the glad good wishes of as many as possible (and instead of going on a honeymoon) they stayed at home, kept open house (and were) treated and addressed as prince and princess.1
A whole week of celebrative festivities involved certain invited close friends. Our foolish virgins in the Gospel story missed both the marriage ceremony as well as a week of joy -- and all because they had not been interested enough to prepare themselves. Jesus shares this story because it is a "slice of life from a village in Palestine," not a "synthetic story" that is unrelated to living.2
If one would look at the larger context in which this passage is found, one could see it from chapter 24:37f being yet another expression of the matter of "separation at the last judgment."3 The parable's theme is the importance of being ready for Jesus at his Second Coming, so one can enter his kingdom with him. Furthermore, "the bridesmaids represent the church ... The bridegroom's arrival represents the future aspect of God's kingdom. Having sufficient oil to last until then is proper preparation for its coming."4
In verses 1-4, what kind of wisdom were the ten bridesmaids to have? They were to be prudent, that is, demonstrate care for their future. The readiness of the five shows wisdom, and the other five's lack of practical preparation reveals their foolishness and lack of care. Living a Christian life, not just a busy or laid-back one, is the best way to be prepared for the unknown hour of Christ's return.
What I'm struck with is that each set of bridesmaids had a level of awareness of and commitment to the bridegroom's arrival. Can one's initial commitment to Christ be long-lasting, or for it to be so, must it be ever-deepened and daily renewed? The lamp's need of more oil each day portrays as well our daily need for renewal of faith and commitment. The Lord we know initially, we need to come to know better. To make a commitment to Christ and then to be distracted by so many duties, tasks, and responsibilities that one doesn't tend to nurture that commitment further is to put one's life in spiritual peril. Though both sets of bridesmaids believe the bridegroom will return, only one set truly cares enough to make ready for him.
One's willingness to renew and to deepen one's faith and commitment are at the center of this passage, for how else are we going to be truly ready for Christ's unknown return? Are you more interested in heaven because it will save you from hell? Or are you interested in heaven because you will be in the close presence of Jesus, and your heart longs and beats for such a privilege? The answer to the former question is practically played out in the five unwise bridesmaids' lack of preparation. The answer to the latter question is spiritually revealed in the practical preparation of the five wise bridesmaids.
In verses 5 and 6, we have an insight made in worldly living also spiritually confirmed: good things so often take time. In the midst of our busy and fast-paced lives, we also wait in anticipation and with patience for certain events/arrivals: paying off the house, having a son or daughter grow up and go off to college, finishing another college degree yourself, building toward a career promotion, and so forth. One doesn't sleep off such noteworthy matters and events; one builds an excitement and appreciation for them. To behave non-caringly toward them is to reveal an indifference about life that puts one out of touch with what should draw one outside of oneself. In the scripture passage, while all ten bridesmaids became naturally drowsy and sleepy, the surprising arrival of the bridegroom startled and awoke all ten, but only five were practically prepared. Though naturally as sleepy as the five foolish bridesmaids, the five wise ones were able to recover far better from the surprise arrival of the bridegroom because they had been thoughtful enough to carry sufficient oil. Are we thoughtful enough, spiritually speaking, to abide in Christ, to long for time with him daily, to consider it the privilege of privileges to be taught of him through his Word, and to share and celebrate him in community? Only by having and honoring such a disposition and attitude of being submitted to and learning of Christ will our human nature be spiritually influenced enough to make us ready for his unknown hour of coming.
In verses 7-9, I have a reaction on one level and a response on another. My reaction is that I defensively ask the five wise bridesmaids to practice a little hospitality and charity and help the five unwise bridesmaids out of their tight spots by giving some of their oil supply. After all, doesn't Jesus elsewhere in his Word instruct us to give a coatless person a coat if we have two (Luke 3:11)? I react this way because I tend to side with the ill-prepared and know I may need such help myself. My subsequent, more thoughtful response though is that Jesus rightly handles this situation differently, because the oil represents the depth of belief, trust, and commitment in a person. The five wise bridesmaids can't believe enough for the five unwise ones. No, they must believe deeply enough for themselves. When it comes to the endtime, to Christ's Second Coming, we cannot enter his kingdom with him if we don't truly believe. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). I'm more eager to obey God, the more I believe in and love Him. I know this to be true for myself. Is it applicable to you?
It warns us that there are certain things which cannot be borrowed. The foolish virgins found it impossible to borrow oil, when they discovered they needed it. A man cannot borrow a relationship with God; he must possess it for himself. A man cannot borrow a character; he must be clothed with it. We cannot always be living on the spiritual capital which others have amassed.5
In verses 10-13, we learn that hastily dealing with a matter that has eternal significance, and which God gives most of us a significant lifetime to be more-thoughtful-than-last-minute about, is to put us in jeopardy, rather than lead us to security. The five unwise bridesmaids are now counting on the fact that they still have time to travel the streets for the needed oil. By the time they have sufficient oil, though, the bridegroom has arrived, has received those thoughtful enough to be genuinely prepared, and shuts the door on time, as we have known it all our lives. They plead for him to reconsider, but it is, irrevocably, too late. On the one hand, we're all -- each and every one of us -- invited to God's kingdom. But anything truly precious involves proper preparation of self, regarding belief, attitude, and commitment. Just as diseases or other bodily malfunctions conclude our lives on earth -- with no additional time granted to live life here -- so also, Jesus' Second Coming, the time when the Bridegroom who wants us all, as his Bride Collective, to love him in return, requires a timely response.
Our abundance of choices these modern days clouds the seriousness of a choice-invitation that is head-and-shoulders above them all. Our lift-off to heaven is a matter we need to apply our hearts, minds, and lives to. If we're thoughtful enough to take the necessary steps to assure a seat on a flight to a selected destination, such wisdom in temporal matters needs to be exercised in matters spiritual. Don't let yourself be terminally distracted. Yearn and learn to be decisively prepared, especially for the kingdom eternal!
____________
1. William Barclay, Matthew, Volume II, Westminster Press, p. 319.
2. Ibid., p. 320.
3. Lection Aid, October-December, 1996, Volume 4, No. 4, "Some Are Wise, Some Are Otherwise," p. 26.
4. Ibid.
5. Barclay, op. cit., pp. 320-321.
