Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!

 

 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

 

- Matthew 25:1–13 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been teaching about the end times.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.   But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two men will be in the field:  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.  Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,'  and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of,  and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  Therefore shall be weeping gnashing of teeth."

 

 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."  My study Bible tells us that this parable illustrates the need for being spiritually prepared while the bridegroom; that is, Christ, is delayed in His return.  The Kingdom is frequently portrayed as a marriage (Matthew 22:1-14) between Christ and Christ's Church.  This marriage will be consummated at the end of the age when the Bridegroom returns to escort His Bride; that is, the Church, into the eternal wedding banquet.  My study Bible adds that this parable is primarily about the virtue of charity in almsgiving as the words for olive oil and "mercy" are sound alike in Greek.  (Keep in mind that until recently in history, Scripture was always heard, not read, by common parishioners.)  The wise virgins are those who practice charity and mercy in this life, my study Bible says, while the foolish are those who squander God's gifts.  Moreover, the fact that all the virgins slumbered and slept indicates death:  in this world both the virtuous and the sicked will die.  The cry at midnight gives us the Second Coming, when the wicked will arise with the righteous for judgment.  The incapacity of the righteous to share their oil is not to be understood as a lack of generosity.  Instead it teaches us about the impossibility of entering heaven without one's own faith and virtue.  See also the parable at the end of yesterday's reading, above, in terms of the themes of persistent virtue and living faith while awaiting Christ's return.

 

 Many people seem to understand Christianity and Christ's teaching merely something that insists on belief at its core, as its substance.  But today's parable tells us something quite different.  The emphasis on the lamps and flasks or vessels full of oil (ἔλαιον/eleion) is an echo of the notion of acts of charity, compassion, or mercy (ἔλεος/eleos) teaches us something about what it means to truly believe at its heart.  In the Old Testament the understanding of righteousness is tied directly to this Greek word.  It can be understood as the summing up of the two greatest commandments as named by Jesus ("'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself'"; see Matthew 22:36-39).  For these two commandments taken together are understood to indicate a faith and loyalty to God, a covenant of love, that is borne out in the ways we live.  In other words, an active love.  This is the practice of love in action such as we see in Christ's actions in the world, a compassion informed by and inseparable from the love of God.  Just as a flame to a lit lamp is reflective of the glory and light of God, so we need fuel to be able to do that ourselves; the treasure of the love of God with which we fill ourselves enables us to "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).  Without this precious treasure of oil or mercy within ourselves, how do we 'let our light so shine?'  With what are we able to glorify our Father in heaven?  Indeed, the very act of doing so is what affirms us as children of God by adoption, members of Christ's Church.  Thus, being so filled and so doing, we are prepared to meet our Bridegroom at His Return, for the wedding feast that is the union of Christ and those who truly belong to Him, His people.  And it is in the telling and preparation Christ has done over the course of the past several readings in teaching about end times and His return, He has prepared the disciples (and us) for this grand event of return, the promised wedding of Bride and Bridegroom.  In the marriage image, we return to Christ's words regarding marriage in which He quoted from Genesis, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh" (see Matthew 19:5; Genesis 2:24).  It is this image of Bride (the Church, or people of God) and Bridegroom that is emphasized as the great good news, the true comfort of the return of the Bridegroom, Christ's Second Coming.  It is this for which the parable tells us we're to be prepared, just as all that He has taught regarding our conduct through these end times in which we await Him emphasizes endurance in the practice of our faith, following His commands, being alert to the things He has told us and warned us about (Matthew 24; see especially His final parable from Saturday's reading, above).  Here is how we are prepared for His return, like the wise virgins who live their lives as His true children (see also this parable).  Indeed, these teachings are also part and parcel of Christ's great critique of the ways of the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites, who praise God with their lips, but fail to live the faith they proclaim (Matthew 23).  So, as Christ draws near to His human death on the Cross, we are to take all of these teachings together and to understand what it is He tells us and asks of us as His disciples and spiritual children.  We live our faith, and it is through a covenant of love, which He will make possible through His voluntary death in defeating death for us so that we may enter that union with Him and be with Him (John 17:24-26).  Let us live our faith, the the world will know we are His (John 13:34-35), and that we may be one at His return.

 

 

 

 

 

Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'

 

 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who wee ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

 

- Matthew 25:1–13 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been speaking of the end times (the entire Christian era), and the time of His return and judgment.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus told a parable about how the faithful are to await His return:  "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

 

  "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who wee ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."  My study Bible explains that this parable illustrates the need for being spiritually prepared while the bridegroom -- Christ -- is delayed in His return.  The Kingdom is frequently portrayed as a marriage (see Matthew 22:1-14) between Christ and His Church.  This marriage will be consummated at the end of the age, when He returns as the Bridegroom to escort His Bride (the Church) in to the eternal wedding banquet.  My study Bible further explains that this parable is primarily about the virtue of charity and almsgiving, as the words for (olive) oil and "mercy" sound alike in Greek.  In this understanding, the wise virgins are the ones who practice charity and mercy in this life, while the foolish are those who squander God's gifts on themselves.  Moreover, the fact that all the virgins slumbered and slept is symbolic of death:  in this world the virtuous will die alongside the wicked.  The cry at midnight gives us the Second Coming, when the wicked will arise with the righteous for judgment.  The inability of the righteous to share their oil is not a sign of lack of generosity.  Instead, we're to understand it as an illustration of first of all, the impossibility of entering heaven without one's own faith and virtue, and second, the impossibility of changing one's state of virtue after death (see Luke 16:26).  My study Bible further comments that the themes of this parable and the one before it (see yesterday's reading, above) are woven together in the liturgical hymns of Holy Week in the Orthodox Church.  On Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, a hymn is sung which begins, "Behold, the Bridegroom comes at midnight, and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching."

 

 As said above, the words in Greek for olive oil (with which lamps were fueled) and "mercy" sound a like.  The word for oil in this passage is ἔλαιον (pronounced "elayon"), and the word for "mercy" is ἔλεος (pronounced "elayos").   It seems to say to us that our practice of mercy and compassion is a type of fuel by which we can see in life.  The lighting of the lamps also implies the use of this image in the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus taught His disciples, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16).  In today's parable, it would seem that we are advised that it is our practice of mercy that fuels the lamp, our personal light, that Christ wants us to shine before men, so that we glorify our Father in heaven.  Perhaps it's important that lamps can run out of oil, for it tells us that our compassion and mercy must be a continual practice.  Just as life doesn't simply stop at times when we're tired or upset, we understand all times to be times to listen to God, to practice prayer, to observe the things Christ asks of us.  We know that God's mercy and grace, the compassion of Christ, and of the saints who pray with us, are always at work in our favor, helping us to navigate life and give us light to see by.  In fact, we learn of mercy and loving compassion from its Source to begin with, for God is love (1 John 4:8).  Just as each worker in the vineyard had their own work to do, so each person must bring their own store of oil, or mercy with them to the Bridegroom.  Let us be ready to meet Him with lamps full.

 

 

 

 

 

Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!

 

 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!"  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

 

- Matthew 25:1-13 

 

In our present readings, Jesus has been speaking about end times (Matthew 24).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the disciples, "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two men will be in the field:  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill:  one will be taken and the other left.  Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming, and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 

 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!"  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."  My study Bible explains that this parable is an illustration by Christ of the need to be spiritually prepared while the bridegroom (Christ Himself) is delayed in His return; that is, as we await His second coming.  The Kingdom, it notes, is frequently portrayed as a marriage (Matthew 22:1-14) between Christ and His Church.  This marriage will be consummated at the end of the age when the Bridegroom returns to escort His Bride, the Church, into what my study Bible calls the eternal wedding banquet.  To understand this parable clearly, it's important that we see how oil lamps work;  a wick is placed in a container holding oil.  To trim the lamp is to trim the wick so that the flame burns brightly and clearly; but there must be oil (fuel) in the vessel to burn in order to have a flame to cast light.  But we need to understand that the Greek word for oil (ἔλαιον/elaion, meaning olive oil) and the word for "mercy" (ἔλεος/eleos) sound the same.  Therefore, my study Bible explains, this parable is primarily about the virtue of charity and almsgiving -- a preparation for judgment.  The wise virgins are those who practice charity and mercy in this life, but the foolish are those who, in the words of my study Bible, "squander God's gifts on themselves."   Moreover, my study Bible explains, the fact that all the virgins slumbered and slept indicates death.  In a worldly sense, the virtuous will die alongside the wicked.  The cry at midnight indicates the Second Coming, when all will rise together for judgment.  So, therefore, those "wise" who cannot share their oil in the parable cannot be attributed to a lack of generosity.  On the contrary, it shows the impossibility of entering eternal life without one's own practice of faith and virtue, and also the impossibility of changing one's state of virtue after death (see Luke 16:26).  

As my study Bible indicates, the parable in today's reading is Jesus' illustration of the need for vigilance as we await His second coming, and the judgment it will entail.  In our previous reading, Jesus concluded His prophecy on the end times by teaching us,  "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  Today's parable is an illustration of that principle, that our lamps must be kept full through our own capacity for practicing our faith, following His commands, exercising our ability to live righteously.  At the end of the chapter we've begun, Jesus will tell the parable of the sheep and the goats, whereby they are separated on the basis of acts of compassion.  Today's parable, and our understanding of the word "mercy" heard in the telling of the story and the filling of the lamps, emphasizes our actions of lived faith.  Looking closely at the Greek word for mercy (ἔλεος/eleos), Strong's Concordance explains its use in the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament) as indicating "mercy as it is defined by loyalty to God's covenant."  It corresponds to the repeated times the Gospels witness Christ being "moved with compassion" for those whom He helps (Matthew 9:36; 14:14, 18:27; note the use of this phrase in the parable in chapter 18).  We must take this teaching into the context of Christ's teachings regarding "treasure in heaven," for it is by doing in this world, through acts of compassion, that we have treasure in heaven.  This is made clear when Christ advises the rich young ruler to sell all that he has and give to the poor (Matthew 19:21), and also in His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).  For this is how our lamps are filled with the oil of mercy, the balm that helps to heal the world, a kind of ointment of care corresponding to the healing done in the ancient church (James 5:14).  This connection is also illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan, in that the Samaritan "anointed" the wounds of the man injured on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho (Luke 10:25-37).  So, if we put all of these things together, we might consider how daily acts of compassion work to keep our lamps full, so that we might see more brightly by the light cast through Christ's teachings, and be prepared no matter what time or day He returns -- for He has promised yet again it will be at a time we don't expect: "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming'"  This kind of righteousness we also find in Christ's teaching of the two greatest commandments, for they go hand in hand:  "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind' This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matthew 22:35-39).  For in loving God we enter a lifelong journey of learning what love is and how it works, and how to express that love to others -- and this is righteousness and mercy.  Let us live our lives as if every day, every minute mattered, in that ongoing filling of our lamps with this oil.  We have nothing to lose but emptiness.

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming

 

 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

 

- Matthew 25:1-13 

 

In our current readings, Jesus has been in Jerusalem, teaching and disputing in the temple with the religious leaders.  The setting is Holy Week, the final week of Christ's earthly life.  He has been prophesying to His disciples regarding the end times, and also the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.  Reminding them what they must be and do as they await His return in this period of the Church, He taught the following parable:  "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

 

  "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."  Once again, Jesus gives another parable for this time in which we who are nominal believers await Christ's return, His Second Coming.  My study Bible comments on today's parable that it illustrates the need for being spiritually prepared while the bridegroom -- Christ -- is delayed in His return.  The Kingdom, it says, is frequently portrayed as a marriage between Christ and Christ's Church (see the parable of the Wedding Feast).  This marriage will be consummated at the end of the age, when Christ the Bridegroom returns to us in order to escort His Bride -- that is, the Church -- into the eternal wedding banquet.  My study Bible emphasizes that the parable stresses the virtue of charity and almsgiving.  The words for oil (meaning olive oil) and "mercy" sound the same in Greek.  So therefore the wise virgins are those who practice charity and mercy in this life, prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom, and filling up their lives (their lamps) with such.   The foolish, my study Bible says, are those who squander God's gifts on themselves.   My study Bible also explains that the fact that all the virgins slumbered and slept is an indication of death -- that all will die in this earthly life, both the virtuous and the wicked.  The cry at midnight is an indication of the Second Coming, when both wicked and righteous will arise for judgment.   Note also that the inability of the righteous to share their oil is not due to a lack of generosity, for mercy or charity or compassion are qualities that can only be gained through one's own efforts.  My study Bible comments that this illustrates the impossibility of entering heaven without one's own faith and virtue, and also the impossibility of changing one's state of virtue after death (see verse 26, in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus found at Luke 16:19-31).   

The question of mercy is rather a tricky one in the Gospels; and yet, it is also absolutely central to the gospel of the Kingdom.  In today's reading, it is clear that the wise virgins cannot share their oil for the lamps of the foolish ones.  In this sense, it seems rather out of place with the Christ that we know, who so shares His gifts freely with all, who feeds those in the wilderness (twice!) who followed Him and heard His teachings and stayed with Him.  This is the image of compassion and graciousness, and our understanding of the whole of the Incarnation, and all that it produced and produces and will go on producing for us and for our world, is sheer grace, a gift (and gifts) for all of us.  But in this question of mercy and of the showing of mercy and compassion, there is no compromise.  We each must do so for ourselves.  We are called to be "like God" and to fail to make an effort to be and to do so is to fail at life itself.  When Jesus teaches the Lord's Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, He teaches us to pray, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  In that case, debts function as sin committed against someone else, hurting of others, places where we've fallen short, so to speak.  But Jesus adds for emphasis this caveat, just in case we haven't understood properly:  "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:15).  Trespass is another word for sin, this time for a violation of boundaries, so to speak, a breaking of a law.  But the gist of this teaching is clear:  if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven.  So it is with the acts of mercy and compassion which the foolish virgins have failed to do:  one must practice mercy in order to realize it.  This kind of mutual effort and recognition permeates the gospel of Jesus.  When He teaches the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), it is to emphasize precisely that it is we who become neighbors by being neighbors, by practicing acts of mercy and kindness, taking the initiative to do so.  That the compassionate man is a Samaritan emphasizes there are no other boundaries to define "neighbor" but that.  In the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, one who does not forgive as he was forgiven is sent to truly reap all that he has sown.  Jesus ends that parable with this statement, "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses" (see Matthew 18:21-35).  If we look closely at this parable, we will understand that this is, in fact, how judgment is rendered.  Our acts of mercy have greater power than we know.  When He sends out the disciples on their first apostolic mission, Jesus teaches, "And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward" (see verse 42 in Matthew 10).  So how do we fill our lamps so that they shine brightly?  Going back again to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches disciples that they are the light of the world, and that they are to reflect the light of God, the Source of all light, comparing them to a lamp (see Matthew 5:15-16).  He finishes that passage by saying, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."    In today's parable, He affirms that not only is this the way He teaches us to live, but that all our lives -- and even an eternal life -- depend upon how well we fulfill this mission and take the initiative.  Let us follow His example and remember this teaching.  For this is what it means to be watchful, and we have been warned that we do not know at what hour our Bridegroom will return.

 

 

I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life

 

 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  

 

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  

 

Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 

- John 8:12–20 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the last day, that great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

 

 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."   Jesus speaks these words in the context of the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), when the great lamps were lit in the courtyard (Court of Women).  These great lamps were four huge menorah oil lamps, said to be seventy-five feet high.  The light produced effectively made a stunning illumination of the city, and was meant to remind people of the pillar of fire that led Moses and Israel by night.  Therefore, my study Bible explains, Jesus is declaring Himself to be the fulfillment and the divine object of all celebrations of light  In the Scriptures, god the Father is Himself light (John 1:4-9; 1 John 1:5), which is an attribute God bestows on God's followers (Matthew 5:14; Philippians 2:15).  Christ confirms this claim in the following chapter, by opening (thus illuminating) the eyes of a man born blind (John 9:1-7, esp. verse 5).  

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  As in yesterday's reading, above, for the religious leaders the issue of a witness to a claim is essential to their understanding and the law.  The law required two witnesses; in yesterday's reading, Jesus provided four, anticipating their demand.  Here again, the demand for witness is answered.  But this time, Jesus offers two witnesses, Himself and God the Father, from Whom He receives all judgment.

 

Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.  My study Bible comments here that because the Son and the Father share the same divine nature, one cannot be known apart from the other (John 14:7-11).

Over and over again, Jesus will express in quite detailed and repeated fashion the importance of what He called the first and greatest commandment; that is, to love God with all one's heart and soul and mind and strength.   (The second, which Jesus said goes together with the first, is to love one's neighbor as oneself.)  This teaching is found in all the Synoptic Gospels, but in Mark's Gospel, it includes the Shema, the Jewish confession of faith (see Mark 12:28-31).   Here in John's Gospel, Jesus repeatedly emphasizes, in His response to these religious leaders who challenge Him, the essential nature of this first commandment to love God.  While He does not literally repeat the commandment to them, nor cite it from the Old Testament (see Deuteronomy 6:4-9), He does repeatedly illustrate by both actions and words the essential nature of the command.  Effectively, He is telling these leaders that they themselves fail in following this command to love God -- for if they did so, they would recognize Him.  They would recognize that God who sent Him, whom He represents in the world, whose judgment He serves and executes unconditionally, whose works He is given to do.  It is the same as if we were to meet a person who claims to act in the name of Christ.  How would we know they worked from the love of Christ and the desire to serve Christ?  We could only understand that with the love of Christ in our own hearts -- and thereby recognizing that love in another.  That love would include both knowledge and love of Christ's works and teachings, and thereby recognition of the reflection of that holiness in others.  This is where the image of light becomes essential to the Gospels.  Jesus spoke of this light, and His followers as the bearers of that light.  In Matthew 5:14-16, for example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke of His followers as the light of the world.  It is in the recognition of that light that we see Christ, and also a reflection of the Father Who is light, for God is light (1 John 1:5).  For if we think about the properties of light, we will begin to understand the language of the Bible.  Light illumines the darkness, and shows what is true, making disappear what is false.  Darkness cannot hold itself out against the brightness of the light; it makes the darkness dissipate.  Darkness has no strength in or of itself, for it is simply the absence of light.  Light can be shared and brought to other places, such as through a lamp in the illustration of Jesus for His followers in the Sermon on the Mount.  Light can be reflected.  It can be dim, and it can be intense.  In the Transfiguration, the light is of a quality that is so brilliant it's not known on earth (Mark 9:3).  And in language that affirms the way that we "know" in the heart, Jesus teaches those who would be His disciples, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).  There is a recognition in this light, if we but let it inform us, shine in us, grow in us, and dispel the darkness.  This is how we are to think of Christ, to know Christ, to understand Him.  Even when there are those who prefer the darkness, the ignorance of His light, or to work against it, we may embrace and walk by that light.  Let us follow where it leads us.

 

 

Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!

 

"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

 

- Matthew 25:1-13 

 

On Saturday, we continued to read Jesus' discourse on the end times to His disciples:  "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near - at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two men will be in the field:  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill:  one will be taken and the other left.  Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to given them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 

"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."  Jesus is continuing His discourse to the disciples regarding the end times, which specifically refers to this time in which we now live, this period of the Church since His Incarnation, as we await His return.   My study Bible has lengthy notes on this parable.  It says that this parable illustrates the need for being spiritually prepared while the bridegroom -- that is, Christ Himself -- is delayed in His return.  The Kingdom, it says, is often portrayed as a marriage between Christ and His Church (see, for example, Matthew 22:1-14 in this reading and commentary).  The marriage will e consummated at the end of the age when the Bridegroom returns to escort His Bride (the Church) into the eternal wedding banquet.   This parable is primarily about the virtue of charity and almsgiving.  In the Greek, the words for oil (meaning olive oil) and "mercy" sound alike.  (In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the pouring out of the oil upon the wounds of the hurt man by the Samaritan is an image of mercy, as is the image of the anointing of the Holy Spirit given to humankind and mirrored in chrismation in the Church.)   The wise virgins in the parable, therefore, are those who practice charity and mercy in this life, while the foolish are those who squander God's gifts on themselves.  The fact that all of the virgins slumbered and slept indicates death, my study Bible says.  In this world the virtuous will die alongside the wicked.  The cry at midnight is an indication of the Second Coming, when the wicked will arise with the righteous for judgment.  The inability of the righteous to share their oil is not to be understood as a lack of generosity.  Instead, it illustrates the impossibility of entering heaven without one's own faith and virtue, and also the impossibility of changing one's state of virtue after death (see Luke 16:26).  In the Orthodox Church, the Holy Week services of Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are called the Services of the Bridegroom.  The themes of its hymns come from today's parable and Christ's parable of the Wedding Feast in this reading.  

The link between "oil" and mercy is important to understand.  In the ancient world, olive oil, in its various qualities, was used for all kinds of purposes.  It was the basis for medicines, including topical medicines and unguents such as was used in the parable of the Good Samaritan, as mentioned above.  Very pure olive oil was also the basis for perfumes, such as that which was used to anoint Jesus (John 12:1-8, Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9).  In the ministry of the apostles, when they were sent out on their first mission, Jesus instructed them to anoint the sick with oil (Mark 6:13).  We see this practice continued by the early Church, as the Epistle of James instructs (James 5:14).  The connection between anointing with oil and the anointing of the Spirit is clear as St. Peter quotes from the prophecy of Joel as he preaches in Judea, and speaks of the gift of the Holy Spirit in baptism (see Acts 2:1-39).   In Greek, the word for this oil is ἔλαιον/elaion and the word for mercy is ἔλεος/eleos.  The only difference in pronunciation is in the final letter; in all other ways these two words are pronounced exactly alike.  So when we are to understand that it is this oil of mercy and compassion that fills the lamps that may burn with the light we shine to the world, we can make sense of the parable, and also out of why the prudent virgins who were prepared with oil could not share with the others.  This is one thing we must do for ourselves.  This understanding of the image and word for oil, and the linked meanings to the Holy Spirit, also gives us a picture of the fullness of the lamps as fruit of the spirit, those things which fill up who we are through the action of the Holy Spirit and our cooperation in its blessings and the manifestation of its goodness.   Jesus' choice of the image of the lamps echoes His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, that believers are the light of the world, and such light must shine so that the good works that are its product will glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16).  As my study Bible indicates, this parable teaches us to seize the day, that there is no time like the present for a prayerful life, one lived in communion and faith, and -- moment to moment -- one in which we remember who we are and who we're supposed to be.  In this way we are the "wise virgins."  Again, the Greek of the text tells us something.  The word for "wise" here is the same word that Jesus used when He taught the disciples to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves."  It means shrewd, prudent, a practical understanding of what's sensible and wise in conduct.  Let us make good choices with the time we have in our lives, and think of the fullness of our lamps.

Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!

 

 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

 

- Matthew 25:1-13 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been teaching about end times, and His Second Coming.  In yesterday's reading, He said to the disciples, "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

 

 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."  Jesus teaches a parable which illustrates what we are to be about while we await His return; that is, the return of the Bridegroom.  My study Bible says that this parable illustrates the need for being spiritually prepared while the bridegroom -- Christ -- is delayed in His return.  The Kingdom is often portrayed as a marriage (Matthew 22:1-14) between Christ and His Church.  This is a marriage which will be consummated at the end of the age, when the Bridegroom returns to escort His Bride, the Church, into the eternal wedding banquet.  This is made very clear in the imagery of the Revelation, and the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-2, 9-10).   My study Bible comments that this parable is primarily about the virtue of charity and almsgiving -- as oil and "mercy" have the same root in Greek, and the words sound identical.  The wise virgins are those who practice charity and mercy in this life, while the foolish are those who squander God's gifts on themselves.  The fact that all of the virgins slumbered and slept gives an indication of death:  in our world, the virtuous will die alongside the wicked, my study Bible says.  But the cry at midnight is the Second Coming, when the wicked will arise together with the righteous for judgment.  The righteous cannot share their oil in the parable, and not from a lack of generosity.  Rather, it shows the impossibility of entering heaven without one's own faith and virtue, and the impossibility of changing one's state of virtue after death (see Luke 16:26).  

 

 The imagery of the Bridegroom is important, and it tells us so much about who we are as faithful.  If Christ is to be united to His Bride, the Church, then we also should understand this union on a smaller scale.  In each of our lives, as we pray, we seek to be in communion, united with the One to whom we pray.  This includes the saints to whom we pray for help and assistance, and the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Spirit.   Of course, all of these persons -- the saints and angels, and the whole of the Holy Trinity -- are present in and with Jesus Christ.  Even symbolically, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ is in itself a unification of heaven and earth.  And we who are human beings, who seek to live our faith, effectively seek through prayer and worship, and all the ways in which we "remember God" in our lives, this union of our lives with the holy, the guidance by which Christ teaches us to live, the holiness and beauty which may permeate through even the evil and the pain which we experience in a world that is also corrupted with selfishness in all its forms and outcomes.  Even the seeking of that union itself is the opposite of "selfishness," in the sense that if we seek only our own guidance, and nothing beyond ourselves, we are simply stuck within ourselves, like the Pharisee who "prayed with himself" in this parable.  To be unified with the Bridegroom should be our deepest desire.  It is the profound goal of the Church, and part and parcel of Christ's Second Coming.  In the Revelation, the merging of the heavenly New Jerusalem with the Bridegroom means that there is no need for a temple or a church, for Christ is everywhere dwelling with all (Revelation 21:1-4).  But when we pray, when we seek God, when we worship, when we turn for help and guidance for our lives, so we are also seeking the same, in real time, as we live in the here and now, today.  We seek that union, no matter how fleetingly or ephemeral, so that the fullness of the images of the Second Coming are just that:  the fullness of what we seek here and what we learn now through the practice of our faith.  This is not a "pie in the sky" kind of teaching, but rather just the opposite.  It is the power of our true lives in Christ, participating in His life, and merging worldly identity while we bear His image, and seek to live the love He taught us as we make our choices and decisions.  We seek His "righteous judgment" (John 7:24), discernment (Philippians 1:9), and even His discipline and correction (Hebrews 12:3-11).  For each of these are a part of His love, just as is His compassion and mercy (Romans 9:15).  The endurance and victory He asks of us takes place in this world, as we seek the union of all of these things within ourselves, for this is the real work of faith.  This is how we fill our lamps.

 

 

Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!

Oil lamps at Lenten Vespers Service, Cathedral of St. James, Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem

 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

- Matthew 25:1-13

In recent readings, Jesus has been describing end times and the time of His second coming, in a discussion which has also included a prediction of the destruction that is to come in Jerusalem and to the temple.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus said, "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

  "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."  My study bible says that this parable illustrates the need for being spiritually prepared while the bridegroom (who is Christ) is delayed in His return.  So, the parable illustrates the place of the Church while we await His return.  The Kingdom, my study bible says, is frequently portrayed as a marriage between Christ and His Church (see 22:1-14).  The marriage will be consummated at the end of the age when the Bridegroom returns to escort His Bride -- the Church -- into the eternal wedding banquet.  But the parable, similar to the one about the Wedding Banquet in 22:1-14, gives us a sense of the weighty matters of our own practice of virtue and our preparation for this time.  It's important that we understand that the word for "oil" in Greek, ἔλαιον/elaion (meaning olive oil) and the word for "mercy" ἔλεος/eleos sound alike.  Moreover, olive oil was the basis for all healing balm and medicine of Christ's time.  It was also used for anointing at feasts.  So when we hear this word oil, we should understand it as akin to the mercy of God which we can also receive and share with others in our own practice of faith and virtue.  My study bible says that the wise virgins are those who practice charity and mercy in their earthly lives, and the foolish are those who squander God's gifts upon themselves alone.  Moreover, the fact that all the virgins slumbered and slept is traditionally seen as a metaphor for death; in our world the virtuous will die together with the wicked.  The cry at midnight is the Second Coming, when all will rise together for judgment.  My study bible adds that the inability of the righteous to share their oil isn't to be interpreted as a lack of generosity.  Instead, it teaches us that, like the one without the wedding garment in that parable,  one will not be able to enter without one's own faith and virtue.  And secondly, the nature of life in this world is one given with time; that is, time for repentance and change.  At the very least, it seems, we are required to at least have begun or become capacity of the process of repentance toward the practice of mercy and virtue before earthly death (see verse 26 in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus found in Luke's Gospel).  

It seems to me that there is another obvious point to the parable of today's reading, which is given in the context of the Second Coming.  Jesus finishes with a warning:  "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."   In the previous verses, in the story of the Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant (see yesterday's reading, above), Jesus warned that "the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites."  All of this tells us that Jesus' warnings are repeatedly given in the context of the sense in which His Return will mean an end to the possibility of faithful practice of virtue and charity.  There will be no time left as we know it for change and repentance.  From the earliest times of the Church, Church Fathers, schooled and steeped in classical philosophy, have wondered about the nature of time in our world, especially as it relates to our capacity for repentance and for salvation.  In modern times, theologians continue to debate the nature of repentance and possibilities of universal salvation (called Universalism).  I myself could not possibly weigh in on such a subject, except to suggest that Jesus gives us many warnings about the need to at least begin the practice of the capacity for repentance.  Repentance, by its very nature, means that we are willing to give up something of ourselves, to reduce and change our practices of selfishness and self-centeredness.  As Jesus has given us metaphors for such change that illustrate even a removal of a precious body part (hand or eye or foot), we know that overall in His ministry the nature of sacrifice is one that we must learn to embrace as part of the process of following Him.  Christ's vivid illustrations of giving up even what seems precious and necessary in order to remove from ourselves self-centered impulses which harm others or cause sin teach us in somewhat drastic terms how necessary it is to learn what change is for.  Over the course of our past readings, and in the context of the end times and His return, He gives us again warnings that our time in this world is limited, and meant to be used for something.  When we forget what we are to be about, then we squander our time -- this time meant to give us the capacity to reflect and turn again and reconsider, and literally "change out minds" (the meaning of the Greek word for repentance).  But how do we get there?  In today's parable, it seems, we could consider our "work" of mercy and faith; that is, through the practices of our faith we learn of God's mercy and love for us, and we seek in exchange to allow that to work in us.   Here is an essential practice of our faith:  as we experience God's love, so we are prepared to practice it.  How else may we experience that love except by turning to God in faith for guidance in our lives, correction of our errors, and recognizing our need for that love?  In this way, we fill our lamps through the work of faith, and, as today's parable illustrates, no one else can do this for us.  Moreover, in recent readings we are repeatedly reminded of the practice of prayer, a necessary part of establishing communion with God, exchanging and learning love, and being capable of sharing that into the world.  We may "burn the midnight oil" by our prayers at any time.  In the image above we see the traditional practice of the use of oil lamps in the Church.  In Orthodox practice, oil lamps are frequently suspended before icons of Christ and the saints, but as we see, they also illuminate the Church.  In keeping with our parable given today, olive oil is used as the fuel for illumination, while the flame symbolizes God's light, our prayers, and the ways in which we may follow Christ's instructions to "let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (5:16).  These types of "candles" burning olive oil also stand as an offering to God.  They teach us that in our communion with God, we offer back all of our lives -- even the sad and the bitter --  for God's grace and illumination.  Let us keep in mind that prayer and worship help to keep our lamps full, so that we may shine that light and reflect the true Light born into the world.  His is the light that shines in the darkness, and we are His followers so that we reflect that light as well.  Let us always be ready to meet Him.

Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom

 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

- Matthew 25:1-13

 Om Saturday, we read that Jesus taught His disciples, "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two men will be in the field:  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill:  one will be taken and the other left.  Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

  "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."  My study bible says that this parable illustrates the need for being spiritually prepared while the bridegroom -- Christ -- is delayed in His return.  The Kingdom is frequently portrayed as a marriage (22:1-14) between Christ and His Church.  This marriage will be consummated at the end of the age (the subject of Christ's discussion with His disciples over the past several readings, beginning with Thursday's).  It is then that the Bridegroom returns to escort His Bride, that is, the Church, to the eternal wedding banquet.  My study bible adds that this parable is primarily about the virtue of charity and almsgiving.  In Greek the words for olive oil and mercy sound alike and have the same root.  The wise virgins therefore, with lamps full of this oil, are those who practice charity and mercy in life; the foolish are those who squander God's gifts on themselves.    All the virgins slumbered and slept; this is symbolic of death -- the virtuous and wicked will both die in our world.  The cry at midnight is language symbolic of the Second Coming, when all will arise together for judgment.  That the righteous are unable to share their oil is an illustration of first of all the inability to enter the Kingdom without one's own faith and virtue, and secondly, my study bible says, the impossibility of changing one's state of virtue after death (see Luke 16:26).

 Whatever way we look at this parable, one thing is clear:  Jesus is telling this to us in preparation for the time in which we now live, in which we are to be faithful servants (see Saturday's reading, above) while we await His return.  As disciples, we are like virgins awaiting the Bridegroom; our goal is to remain "acceptable" and in good order for the wedding feast.  What exactly does this mean?  Acceptable in this context would belong to the sense in which St. Paul uses it in Romans 12:1-2:  "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."   In this case, acceptable means well-pleasing.   Jesus has prepared us for this understanding with the parable of the Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant in Saturday's reading, above, in which it is clear that what He seeks is our following of His commandments, and in particular those commandments to treat one another well -- to love God with all one's heart and mind and soul, and one's neighbor as oneself.  In that parable, Jesus stressed that the one He's made ruler of His household while He's away has to be one who gives food to the servants in due season.  In today's parable He indicates that a part of that food is mercy, grace.  The oil of the lamp is the balm of mercy, healing, grace.  All of these things become synonymous in both language and symbol, as the same olive oil was the base for all healing unguents and even for the fragrant oil with which Christ was anointed in love and gratitude before burial in this passage.  To love God with all our heart and mind and soul is to seek to be like God, to reflect and grow in God's character of love.  We're given a panoply of illustrations through Jesus' words what that means through this simple symbol of oil that means so much.  This practice of grace, mercy, love is the fuel with which our lamps shine as His disciples, through which we may find our way to the Bridegroom.  Let us pay attention!

Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom

 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

- Matthew 25:1-13

In our recent readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem.  It is what we know as Holy Week, the final week of Jesus' earthly lifetime, and Passover Week.   In the past few readings, Jesus has been prophesying the destruction of the temple to come, the wars in Jerusalem, and also speaking of end times and His Second Coming.  In yesterday's reading, He gave a parable of the times in which we live, and how we are to live as His servants:  "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."  My study bible tells us that this parable illustrates the need for being spiritually prepared while the bridegroom -- Christ -- is delayed in His return.   The Kingdom is frequently portrayed as a marriage between Christ and His Church (22:1-14).  The marriage is to be consummated at the end of the age, when the Bridegroom returns to escort His Bride -- the Church -- into the eternal wedding banquet.  My study bible explains that this parable is mainly about the virtue of the practice of mercy.  In Greek, the words for oil and mercy have the same root and sound the same.  The wise virgins are those who practice charity and mercy, while the foolish are those who squander God's gifts.   The fact that all the virgins slumbered and slept indicates death:  in this world the virtuous will die alongside the wicked.  The cry at midnight is the announcement of the Second Coming, when both wicked and righteous arise for judgment.  My study bible adds that the inability of the righteous to share their oil is not due to a lack of generosity.   But it rather illustrates (1) the impossibility of entering heaven without one's own faith and virtue, and (2) the impossibility of changing one's state of virtue after death (see Luke 16:26). 

The ancient lamps mentioned in today's parable were oil lamps.  A small vessel held a "pool" of oil, in which floated a wick.  The lamp would burn until the oil ran out.  These are the lamps of the virgins in the parable, who would go out to meet the bridegroom.  Clearly the Bridegroom is Christ.  In the Greek, the sound of the word for oil is identical to mercy, and so the fuel for our own burning light is the oil of mercy.  Adding another meaning, oil was used as the base for healing balms in the ancient world (see the parable of the Good Samaritan), and so the idea of mercy is intertwined with the use of "oil" in Jesus' parables.   There is another Greek word to study in terms of today's parable, and that is the word for grace.  It is charis/χαρις, from which we derive the word charisma.  The original meaning for charisma in Greek is a gift of grace.  That is, the various God-given gifts each of us has for use, either selfishly or service-oriented -- whether we allow the dictates of mercy to guide us, or we squander those gifts, is really what today's parable is all about.  It's as if Christ is saying that we are each given the opportunity to build that pool of grace and mercy in our own lives through our own considerations and priorities, through the way in which we each live our own life.  This is the fuel that truly burns the lamp with a bright flame, so that we may go out to meet our Bridegroom.  All of Jesus' teachings for preparation of the life to come at His Second Coming regard the practice of mercy as the true key to that life.  The faithful and wise servant cares for the other servants and all in the master's household in order to "give them food in due season" (see yesterday's reading, above).  In today's parable, it is that pool or well, our own supply of mercy and grace, that allows us to "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).   This is the place where we connect our God-given gifts with the ways in which we choose to live -- and that we know that faithfulness is in how we live, not simply what we think or believe.  Can we live within His model of mercy and grace, using our own time and talents for His work and purpose?  How is the pool of grace made deeper and wider by your choices and works?  How is the fuel for the fire of Christ's light made bright through your choices?  This is how we are prepared and awake for His return.  It's how we are to meet Him.