Matthew 25:1-13
Last night we went to the Southeast Missouri District Choir concert. I love choral concerts, it reminds me of when I sang in them. You have to watch the conductor constantly. You have to make sure you cut off when the conductor tells you, especially if it ends in an s or you sound like a pit of snakes. You have to listen to the people around you to make sure you blend with one another. You have to watch for when to come in so your not late, you have to watch the conductor for weather your loud or soft. Watch, wait your turn, watch, wait for your part.
Today's scripture is a lot about this watching and waiting and picking up on cues. The women are awaiting an important event and some are prepared and some aren't. This is where we run into the problem though, too many people want to be predictors of the future. We are in the end times. They want you to know preparations are immediate, or your too late. Well I've never been really good at predicting the future. Everyone who I've seen do this has ended up with egg on their face. Much like the community of Matthew is struggling with today. The early followers predicted Jesus' return was expected soon. Before all the disciples died, before the temple in Jerusalem fell and it didn't happen. So their struggle is still our struggle, how do we live when this expectation doesn't come to pass?
So we switch to the focus of dichotomies here. One set of ladies was prepared, the rest weren't so they are shut out. So be prepared. So the group which wasn't prepared was bad and the group that was is good. There, now we can talk about behavior and morality, a ground we are familiar with, but is this really what the parable is saying? Good and bad, how we act, the things Jesus teaches us all come into the understanding and we are lost on this because to us it is safe, it makes sense. But a parable isn't supposed to give us safe, it should make us go, "what?" If this were about morality why then is there no obvious fault except the oil?
How do you make sure you have enough oil, what is too little? Why did the women have to wait so long they fell asleep even and a lot of other parables tell us to keep awake? What is Jesus getting at. In Matthew there are always certain indicators we have to watch for. One is this phrase, "The kingdom of heaven is like..." today it is will be like, but you get the picture. Jesus doesn't leave the disciples with one solid picture of this. Tell me what is the kingdom of heaven like? (a mustard seed, a pearl of great value, yeast in the dough, poor in spirit possess it, a treasure hidden in a field).
The kingdom of heaven appears 32 times in Matthew, so it has to be an important term. We get the kingdom of heaven has come near, it is here, it is for those who are looking for it. So where have you seen God (Jesus, the Holy Spirit or the holy) this week? Can you name a time? Can you name one for everyday? And what if this story is just about this, noticing when the kingdom arrives and comes near in your everyday life. We can get so caught up in the future event, we make preparations of being good, predictors of when it will happen. The women don't remain awake they just come some more vigilant then others. They fall asleep and awaken to the sound which is made when the bridegroom comes.
Where has the kingdom come near? Learn to ask yourself the question, to examine it, to know it is something deeper than right or wrong or predictable. Maybe its in the everyday struggle. The times when we question most where is God. Maybe its in the simple everyday looking. Maybe its in the simple everyday blessing of someone or receiving blessing from someone else. Maybe this is our oil to stock up on so we are ready for the kingdom here.
Last night we went to the Southeast Missouri District Choir concert. I love choral concerts, it reminds me of when I sang in them. You have to watch the conductor constantly. You have to make sure you cut off when the conductor tells you, especially if it ends in an s or you sound like a pit of snakes. You have to listen to the people around you to make sure you blend with one another. You have to watch for when to come in so your not late, you have to watch the conductor for weather your loud or soft. Watch, wait your turn, watch, wait for your part.
Today's scripture is a lot about this watching and waiting and picking up on cues. The women are awaiting an important event and some are prepared and some aren't. This is where we run into the problem though, too many people want to be predictors of the future. We are in the end times. They want you to know preparations are immediate, or your too late. Well I've never been really good at predicting the future. Everyone who I've seen do this has ended up with egg on their face. Much like the community of Matthew is struggling with today. The early followers predicted Jesus' return was expected soon. Before all the disciples died, before the temple in Jerusalem fell and it didn't happen. So their struggle is still our struggle, how do we live when this expectation doesn't come to pass?
So we switch to the focus of dichotomies here. One set of ladies was prepared, the rest weren't so they are shut out. So be prepared. So the group which wasn't prepared was bad and the group that was is good. There, now we can talk about behavior and morality, a ground we are familiar with, but is this really what the parable is saying? Good and bad, how we act, the things Jesus teaches us all come into the understanding and we are lost on this because to us it is safe, it makes sense. But a parable isn't supposed to give us safe, it should make us go, "what?" If this were about morality why then is there no obvious fault except the oil?
How do you make sure you have enough oil, what is too little? Why did the women have to wait so long they fell asleep even and a lot of other parables tell us to keep awake? What is Jesus getting at. In Matthew there are always certain indicators we have to watch for. One is this phrase, "The kingdom of heaven is like..." today it is will be like, but you get the picture. Jesus doesn't leave the disciples with one solid picture of this. Tell me what is the kingdom of heaven like? (a mustard seed, a pearl of great value, yeast in the dough, poor in spirit possess it, a treasure hidden in a field).
The kingdom of heaven appears 32 times in Matthew, so it has to be an important term. We get the kingdom of heaven has come near, it is here, it is for those who are looking for it. So where have you seen God (Jesus, the Holy Spirit or the holy) this week? Can you name a time? Can you name one for everyday? And what if this story is just about this, noticing when the kingdom arrives and comes near in your everyday life. We can get so caught up in the future event, we make preparations of being good, predictors of when it will happen. The women don't remain awake they just come some more vigilant then others. They fall asleep and awaken to the sound which is made when the bridegroom comes.
Where has the kingdom come near? Learn to ask yourself the question, to examine it, to know it is something deeper than right or wrong or predictable. Maybe its in the everyday struggle. The times when we question most where is God. Maybe its in the simple everyday looking. Maybe its in the simple everyday blessing of someone or receiving blessing from someone else. Maybe this is our oil to stock up on so we are ready for the kingdom here.
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