This is the last Sunday of the church year, and next Sunday marks the beginning of Advent, a new year in the church. This Sunday and the four Sundays of Advent, we take up the second coming of our Lord. And we Christians have something to learn from this. That we must always be mindful and so prepared, for Christ will come on the day and hour that no man can know.
Our Lord’s parable of the Ten Virgins is intended to teach us two things. First, it is meant to teach us about the state of the church. It is without a doubt that Christ is the bridegroom of the parable. And though he was delayed to the banquet, he still came, and yet when he found those who were to accompany him into the wedding feast, they had all fallen asleep. So before the bridegroom came, no one could distinguish them apart. They were all invited to the wedding feast, and they accepted the invitation by coming to the wedding hall. Those who had already rejected the invitation of the king have already turned away from the Lord and have been given over to their passions. On the last day, there are no second chances. Man will either receive our Lord’s invitation to His Son’s wedding in this life or will reject it for the life to come.
Therefore, these 10 women cannot represent all humanity from all times and in all places. Instead, they represent those of the church here on earth. However, shocking it may be. This means that only those Christians who truly cling to Christ and depend on him completely for their entrance into the final wedding feast in the kingdom of heaven will be saved. For when the cry went out, some fixed their eyes on the coming bridegroom, while others did not. Those who strayed away from the feast had no good reason to. Notice how the parable says that none of the oil went out; instead, they became occupied with the worries of this world as their lamps became dim.
And so the foolish run off, even as Christ is coming, trying to find more oil while they only had to stay with the wise. On the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, when the doors are shut, all will be revealed, the wheat will be separated from the chaff, the sheep and the goats will be divided, and the wise and the foolish will be made known.
So, if this parable invokes unrest or worry, that is evidence that the faith given to you by the Holy Spirit is at work. For without faith in Christ, we would not accept the warnings and instructions that our Lord gives. It is because of this faith that we listen to Christ and take his warnings sincerely. And so we avoid those things and remain steadfast to his word out of love for Christ. Fear the warnings from the Lord because faith can only fear what it believes in, Jesus Christ.
Christ, our eternal bridegroom, has come into the world to betroth us to himself. For out of love for the world, he is sent by His Father so that we would come into his heavenly banquet. And as his bride, he has paid our dowry by his own suffering and death on the cross. And by his payment, the debts of our former life and the sins that we continue to commit our made satisfactory by his blood. God the Father accepts us as one with His Son and Himself. Even so, He ascends to the right hand of God and will return for His beloved bride. As a pledge of his return, he gives us the Holy Spirit who keeps us in the promises that our bridegroom has spoken. The grace given to us by the Holy Spirit prepares us day after day to see our long-expected Savior. When the midnight call goes out, it is our Lord Jesus Christ by His Holy Spirit who will keep our eyes fixed on Him, our most excellent bridegroom. The time of our betrothal will soon be ending, and those of faith will be brought into the wedding feast that will never end.
Secondly, this parable also teaches us how to prepare for the second coming of Christ, for we do not know the day nor the hour. In other words, how do we ensure that we will not be counted among the foolish on the last day? The parable does not reveal when we should prepare, but it does say we should always be prepared. This is not preparation for a great disaster, but of great hope that our Lord is coming to bring forth the fullness of salvation he has won by his cross and resurrection. He will come in triumph to bring you into his kingdom. And there will be no sorrow or trial or suffering, but only eternal joy in the presence of God forever.
Look to our Lord Christ, who has already extended to you the invitation by sealing you in the one true faith. The parable is ultimately not about the oil at all. The parable is about those waiting. Those five foolish virgins became worried, and so they wandered off. And those whose oil was getting low would have certainly been let in by the Lord only if they stayed. Instead, they become occupied with other things, and though the oil was given to them by the coming bridegroom, they lost sight of Christ.
Are we not the same? Is it true that we become entrapped with our own lives instead of fixing our eyes on Jesus? What is the oil that is holding us back from Christ? We all have it. There is no denying. Could be fearing about the state of the world and how it is always getting worse rather than better. Maybe constantly checking our bank accounts to ensure our paychecks come in exactly on time. Or do we obsess over things that don’t really matter, such as whether our house is clean or the Thanksgiving meal is exactly perfect? Do we obsess over getting the highest marks, the best bonuses, the most trophies on our shelf, or having the best vacation for all to see on Facebook? These things and many more are the oil in our lives.
But thanks be to God that when our Lord Jesus comes again in glory, he does not judge us according to our works, how much oil we have stocked away. He does not examine our bank account, look at our report cards, ensure that we have the best house on the block, or even count the number of awards we possess. Instead, he wants us to look at him. That when we see him coming in glory to bring us into the wedding feast, we forget that we even have lamps of oil in our hands. That is when we see him pass by towards the heavenly banquet, we pull on to his robes until he lets us in with him to our marriage feast prepared by His Father from the foundation of the world
Therefore, let us hold fast to our confession. For only Christ, our eternal bridegroom, brings us into his never-ending feast. So hold to Christ even now this day, as he has come to you in his very body and blood as a foretaste of the wedding feast that is to come in his kingdom. At the table of the Lord is where your lamps are filled, and this oil will never run out.
St. John's and Grace Evangelical Lutheran Parish 