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.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest

Christ the True Vine, 2004, icon commissioned by Orthodox Recovering Addicts, Moscow (link)

 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

- Matthew 11:25-30

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His defense of John the Baptist:   "But to what shall I liken this generation?  It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying:  'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.'  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by all her children."  Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:  "Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  My study bible cites Theophylact's commentary, that God has hidden the mysteries from the wise of the world, not out of malice toward human beings, but rather because of their own unworthiness in trusting their fallen wisdom and judgment, rather than God.  Moreover, it is out of love that God withholds this revelation from those who would scorn it, so that they do not receive a greater condemnation.   To understand such mysteries, we have to know that they are not obscure intellectual concepts, but rather the presence of the Kingdom of God, which my study bible says cannot be defined.  One must accept this Kingdom in the heart in order to grasp the mystery.  This mystery of the Kingdom is revealed through the Son.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  My study bible comments that Jesus' yoke is submission to the Kingdom of God.  Generally speaking, yoke can be understood as a sign of hardship, burdens, and responsibilities (1 Kings 12:1-11, Jeremiah 27:1-11, Sirach 40:1).  But in Christ, the yoke is easy, as the power of God works in each person.  Moreover, it says, there is a reward to this which is infinitely greater than any effort which human beings put forth.  Gentle here in the Greek is somewhat akin to "meek," but it denotes a strength under control, or having the capacity for power but using it without undue harshness.  Lowly in heart denotes humility that comes from putting God first before self.

In today's reading, Jesus puts two things together that might not normally be seen to go together.  There is first of all knowledge and understanding of His disciples, who are simple people, and not the highly educated or those who form part of the formal religious establishment and its schools.  This is a gift of great wisdom and knowledge that has been given to His followers, whom He refers to as "babes," while the "wise and prudent" are those in exalted offices of authority and social status.  This power of knowledge and understanding is coupled with the authority of Christ the Son, to whom God has granted the authority to reveal God to those to whom He will.   So this wisdom and understanding, knowledge of great mysteries, has behind it the greatest power in the universe, that of God.   But Jesus qualifies the power of God, and His personal power, by teaching that He does not exercise it with harshness.  He rather encourages all those who labor and are heavy laden to come to Him.  In chapter 23, when Jesus criticizes the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, He says that they "bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers" (23:4).  But about Himself He says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  Rather than being a harsh and punitive taskmaster, He offers rest to the same people about whom it was said earlier that they were "weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd" (9:36).  In today's reading, Christ champions those who do have faith, after He has harshly criticized the cities in which He is rejected, despite having done "great works" there of healing.  Those who are the "wise and prudent" have rejected His ministry, in which the "babes" have received wisdom through faith.  He speaks of the hidden power of Creator behind these mysteries, and His own connection to the Father through which all things have been given to Him, including the power of revelation and of the Kingdom hidden to those who cannot receive it.  But the powerful statements in today's reading remain His characterization of that supreme power and authority, as offering a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light, and rest to the heavy laden and those who labor.  It should be remembered, in this context, that the definitions of the Greek word for "evil" or "evil one" (as in the prayer given by Christ, in which we pray to God to "deliver us from evil" or from "the evil one" -- see 6:13), include a sense of toil and tedious hardship.  In this sense, we must also see Christ's characterization of His power as that which is contrasted with what is evil and seeks to lay heavy (and unjust) burdens upon human beings, a harsh power which imposes toil and unnecessary agony.   Moreover, this yoke is rewarding, and the labor for the kingdom a way of sharing in His ministry.  His exercise of His power and authority invites trust, and there we really get to the root of the message.  It all comes down to this question of trust, and where we will place our trust.  We may compare the "wisdom of this age" with the "wisdom among those who are mature" (1 Corinthians 2:6-8).  But Christ's ultimate qualifier of what He offers, in which we may put our trust, is Himself.  That is, the One who is gentle and lowly of heart, in whom we find rest for our souls.  It is He in whom we choose to rest (John 15:9).

The sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light

He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

- Luke 16:1-9

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gives us the parable of the Prodigal Son. This parable, so paramount in expressing the love of God - and the joy in heaven - for those who return to Him, is found only in Luke's Gospel. We remember that Jesus is speaking as He has sat at table with sinners and tax collectors, for which the Pharisees and scribes have criticized Him.

He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'" My study bible notes, "Steward: a manager of a wealthy man's household and property. He is called to give an account (v. 2) because he is being dismissed, as his master no longer trusts him." Jesus begins a new parable. This time it's not addressed to the Pharisees and scribes, but to His disciples, those who would follow Him.

"Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. " My study bible notes here: "The steward is unjust in his actions, which are not condoned, but his shrewdness is praised. This is meant as a lesson for the sons of light, the Christian believers, who ought to be as shrewd about their pursuit of godliness as unbelievers are about their businesses." I confess that this parable often has me stumped. But on the other hand, we do see the steward doing something smart (shrewd) - he is coming to terms with the people who owe his master, and settling, which is far better than unpaid debt on the books. Elsewhere in Luke's Gospel, Jesus says, "When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison." By coming to terms with what is owed, the steward settles accounts and he does so mercifully. My study bible suggests that this is a parable for the disciples to understand how to pursue righteousness, with what effort, spirit, creativity and seriousness or single-mindedness. So, if debts are like sins (as in "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors"), then how does this analogy of the unjust steward teach us something about our own conduct in pursuit of righteousness? What does the law of balance teach us then?

"And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home." My study bible notes here: "The reference to unrighteous mammon is a warning about the dangers of money, which can corrupt. The right use of wealth is to make friends among the poor and needy by sharing it with them. At death, these poor friends will be the first to welcome their benefactor into the eternal Kingdom." I think it's important that we understand the personal nature of the steward's actions. Yes, he's shrewd - but on the other hand, it is he who deals, in the end, creatively and wisely with others in order to settle accounts, cut his master's losses, and creatively find a way to remove the debt from the books as his master would like.

How do we think of money? Jesus refers to it as "unrighteous mammon." How do we use money? If you think about it, the whole of the notion of forgiveness is a change upon the ways in which our common notions of money would lead us to think. But any banker may understand the wisdom - the shrewdness - of this steward. The Greek word for "shrewd" may also be translated as "prudent" or "wise" -- that is, the steward uses a worldly wisdom here. As we understand that He has sat at table with tax collectors and sinners who have gathered to Him, perhaps there is a moral teaching here for both those among these sinners who would follow Him and for those who are already His disciples (among whom there are tax collectors, such as Matthew, Evangelist and one of the Twelve Apostles). How do we deal wisely and prudently in seeking salvation and merciful behavior, making peace and settling accounts? Neither for the worldly in this example, nor for the spiritual "sons of light" is it "wise and prudent" to stick to the bottom line, a rigid text, an inflexible demand. I read on another commentary that "the children of this world" - that is, those whose concern is for worldly things alone - is a phrase by which Jews would designate Gentiles. So perhaps we may understand this parable as an opening door to the Gentiles and outsiders, and the sinners and tax collectors, who come to Christ. Their pursuit of worldly understanding can be claimed and used by the kingdom, as those who turn their allegiance to God and to the pursuit of godly things and the kingdom of heaven. I picture it as a kind of double-door, that swings to and fro, giving in to the world of the kingdom a place for the Gentiles and sinners, and for their vehemence and shrewdness in pursuit of that which is truly valuable. And they have something to teach the sons of light: that we may settle accounts along the way, and thus claim converts for the kingdom, alliances, and merciful behavior toward those who cannot pay more. Just as in yesterday's reading, in the parable of the Prodigal Son, we learn of the father's over-the-top, boundless love, so in this parable we are taught to go over those boundaries into mercy in pursuit of this kingdom. This is more shrewd than sticking to the bottom line, because it forms bonds and alliances and settles accounts mercifully. How do you settle accounts? What do you give up for the kingdom? What does prudence, shrewdness, mean to you?