_by_Phoebe_Traquair,_Mansfield_Traquair_Church,_Edinburgh.JPG)
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
Presumably the foolish ones would have had enough oil to last if the bridegroom had come when they expected him to come. The wisdom of the wise made them realize that it might not happen that way. They didn't act only based on expectations or assumptions. They had a contingency plan. It requires less of us if we assume the second coming of Jesus is only minutes or days away. There is much we would probably not bother to do if we were convinced of it. Many good works might be omitted, since they could seem less important in that context. Things that we might otherwise have done with excellence might instead be done in a quick, haphazard fashion. While it is true that the long absence of the bridegroom can sometimes make us lazy or wicked, it is also true that his imminence can be an excuse to ignore our responsibilities. Realizing that we are lesser lights than the Lord, we may fail to fulfill our duty to shine as lights of the world, if we assume that he himself will illuminate everything from east to west in a matter of moments.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
It is recognized in the parable that we probably can't maintain a constant faithful and diligent awareness of the nearness of the coming of the Lord. Yet, for all that, the summary given by Jesus for the meaning of the parable is, "Therefore, stay awake". We need not be superhuman in our level of focus, but we must fight against all temptation to laziness and apathy. We have seen that these temptations may come when we assume the bridegroom will be back tomorrow or if we forget he will ever return. Instead, we are meant to make ready to welcome him with sufficient oil to illuminate his return. He isn't coming so quickly that we can take our part for granted. If we lack the necessary oil when we see him he will have no reason to suspect that we were among those awaiting him. Rather, precisely because we want to be among those who thrill to hear, "Behold, the bridegroom!", precisely because we are so eager, we must not fail to have enough oil to fuel our lamps until he appears.
We do not prepare for the coming of the bridegroom as though we required to do so merely with our own resources. Rather, Christ himself, through his Spirit, is the fuel that keeps our lanterns lit:
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
Presumably the foolish ones would have had enough oil to last if the bridegroom had come when they expected him to come. The wisdom of the wise made them realize that it might not happen that way. They didn't act only based on expectations or assumptions. They had a contingency plan. It requires less of us if we assume the second coming of Jesus is only minutes or days away. There is much we would probably not bother to do if we were convinced of it. Many good works might be omitted, since they could seem less important in that context. Things that we might otherwise have done with excellence might instead be done in a quick, haphazard fashion. While it is true that the long absence of the bridegroom can sometimes make us lazy or wicked, it is also true that his imminence can be an excuse to ignore our responsibilities. Realizing that we are lesser lights than the Lord, we may fail to fulfill our duty to shine as lights of the world, if we assume that he himself will illuminate everything from east to west in a matter of moments.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
It is recognized in the parable that we probably can't maintain a constant faithful and diligent awareness of the nearness of the coming of the Lord. Yet, for all that, the summary given by Jesus for the meaning of the parable is, "Therefore, stay awake". We need not be superhuman in our level of focus, but we must fight against all temptation to laziness and apathy. We have seen that these temptations may come when we assume the bridegroom will be back tomorrow or if we forget he will ever return. Instead, we are meant to make ready to welcome him with sufficient oil to illuminate his return. He isn't coming so quickly that we can take our part for granted. If we lack the necessary oil when we see him he will have no reason to suspect that we were among those awaiting him. Rather, precisely because we want to be among those who thrill to hear, "Behold, the bridegroom!", precisely because we are so eager, we must not fail to have enough oil to fuel our lamps until he appears.
We do not prepare for the coming of the bridegroom as though we required to do so merely with our own resources. Rather, Christ himself, through his Spirit, is the fuel that keeps our lanterns lit:
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
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