The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones took lamps, but they did not have the foresight to bring oil with them. They would have been able to burn brightly for a brief moment. But they didn't consider what might happen if the bridegroom was long delayed. This might have seemed like trust in the bridegroom, as though he would ensure that everything would happen quickly and smoothly and easily. But it was actually a sort of presumption. The bridegroom might well have his own schedule and timing during which he attended to other important matters. It wasn't on him to consummate the celebration at anyone else's convenience. He would do so when the the resulting joy between the bride and the bridegroom would be the highest, and no sooner. Yet, even with celebrations, waiting can be tedious, and lead guests to grumble against their hosts. We can easily imagine why the foolish virgins acted as they did. But we should learn from them not to do so ourselves. We must not be seeds that sprout quickly and then whither for lack of root. We must not be torches that burn brightly for a moment before sputtering out into darkness.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
The bridegroom seldom operates according to our schedule. He may take long enough that everyone falls asleep, both the wise and the foolish. This may mean that no one is well situated to make any last minute adjustments. All may instead need to rely on what they prepared in advance.
What of us? Have we made up our own minds in advance to trust the bridegroom even when we experience what seem to us to be delays? Or does our enthusiasm and zeal end the moment when the bridegroom's plans deviate from our own? He is assuredly worthy the wait, worthy of resolving in advance to be prepared, no matter the hour of his coming.
At midnight, there was a cry,
'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
Once we hear that cry it will probably be too late to make any new preparations. We will have what we thought best to store in advance, what our desire to welcome the bridegroom motivated us to make ready. We will be able to shine brightly and illuminate his welcome or not on that basis. To be sure there is such a thing as a deathbed conversion. But the point is that a majority of individuals die on the basis of how they chose to live. And most will be ready to meet Jesus or not on that basis. It is not something that others can ultimately do for us if we ourselves vacate the responsibility. They are not cruel to withhold the fuel. They are instead so fixed in their desire to illuminate the face of the bridegroom that they can't do otherwise. The possibility that sharing would so diminish the light as to find no one ready is at that point an insurmountable concern. They can't simply transfer or multiple their own holiness to those who thought such precautions trivial until they became urgently necessary.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.
While the night lasts, and before sleep comes, let us make ourselves ready to meet the bridegroom. We need to seek the grace that the bridegroom longs for us to receive while there is yet time to seek it. We need to allow the desire to see his face to motivate us for the duration, and not just for a moment. Because seeing his face will be a joy far surpassing any of the difficulties of waiting or making preparations we experience.
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