Ten lamps and ten bridesmaids

‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

- Matthew 25:1-13

Over the past several readings, Jesus has been preparing his disciples for the events to come, which they've asked him about. He has focused on two great events: the destruction of the temple at the Siege of Jerusalem, and the end of the age. In popular expectation, both were tied, and Jesus' talk on this subject contrasted the two and made distinctions between their times and how they would occur. In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave the disciples a parable about living in the time of expectation of the return of the Son of Man, and what it is to live with this in mind. We read the parable of the wise and faithful slave, who follows his duties while the master is away. This was in contrast to the slave who would shirk his duties and harm and exploit his fellow slaves and his position. While Jesus' warnings about the destruction of the temple were to those who were living at the time (this was to happen in A.D. 70), Jesus contrasted the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy of the desolation and sacrilege in the temple with the end of the age and his return. In these parables (see readings of yesterday, today and tomorrow), he teaches those of us who would follow what it is to live in preparedness with this unpredictable event in mind, the time of which no one knows, not even the Son.

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'" The return of the Son has often been portrayed as a wedding feast: Christ is the bridegroom and the Church is his bride. When Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem on the event we celebrate as Palm Sunday, many of the crowd who welcomed him as Messiah did so as the bridegroom, coming to his bride Jerusalem. My study bible notes that the Old Testament prophets portray the covenant between God and Israel as a marriage covenant. We recall Jesus' teachings to his followers earlier on in Matthew's gospel, as he preached the Beatitudes: they are to be the "salt of the earth, the light of the world... No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house." The lamp, then, is the light that we are all capable of shining, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."

The oil is of particular note. In past commentaries, we've noted the similarities between the Greek word for olive oil (which is the traditional oil in the lamps), and the word for mercy. (They are both pronounced the same way). Mercy, in the traditional understanding of the language of the New Testament, is therefore seen in the context of healing: again, the same word, for olive oil, was the base for all healing ointments. So this "store" of mercy that fuels the light of the lamps becomes more than an image in a story of preparedness in terms of purchase. It becomes the cultivation of a life based on spiritual gifts rooted in love and mercy and grace. I've heard the term "pool of grace" used for that which we restore in ourselves through prayer. This is our preparedness for the bridal feast and the celebration of the celestial marriage. We must each do this preparation for ourselves; it's not a commodity to be bought or sold or traded: "The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."

The traditional word used for the bridesmaids in this passage is "virgins." We must consider this word and its historical use in connection with the notion of "purity." We recall the importance of this word, "purity," in this particular context, again in Jesus' preaching of the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." To be pure, then, is a question of single-mindedness, of whole-hearted devotion to something, of honesty -- and the cultivation of that condition within our hearts, with all the work that it may entail as a process of faith and trust, and discarding whatever stands in its way. Can we listen and learn? Can we be faithful and true? This is also part of the fuel in the lamps.

So, putting all of these elements together, come to understand the importance of preparedness, in consciousness of this eventual return of the Bridegroom, as the way in which we live our lives day to day. We cultivate that quality of mercy, we say "yes" to grace, and live our lives in cooperation with it and its work in our lives and through us. This is the way we prepare so that we may shine our light before others. As you think about these things and ponder the return of the great Light we await as we celebrate Christmas, think about the lamps and the light - and the mercy and love in that image of the oil that is also the balm for all ailments and for healing in this world. What does it mean to be pure in heart, and to await the true love of the heart with faith and trust and devotion? How do you shine your lamp, and make sure you are replenished with this fuel of mercy and grace, and even take your proper rest in all the grand scheme of life (as the wise bridesmaids do, too)? Our works are not a competition, we can't buy and sell grace as a commodity, we each must shine our own lamps and cultivate the quality of mercy in our own lives, and in the proper time.