Reference Passage:
Mathew 25:1 (NIV)
At that time the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
(Read the entire parable here) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The parable takes us to the excited-and-tense settings of an impending Jewish marriage. Ten girls were chosen to form the welcoming party, with the primary aim of greeting the Groom upon his arrival. Those were the days when society still moved on words and promises, and not necessarily on clockwork. The Groom's promise was the backbone of the arrangement, and no precise data was available as to when he would actually make an appearance.
As darkness fell, they gathered their lamps, and the vigil began. However, only five of them carried sufficient oil to last them through the night. Christian life is essentially a vigil for the fulfilment of the Heavenly Groom's promise, and the major distinction between wise and foolish Christians is the persistence of their oil supply through the night of mortal life, or until His arrival. There are at least two possibilities for the ill-preparedness of the foolish virgins. Firstly, its easy to think that the Groom would appear in time for dinner, but those who prepared thus, will soon discover their folly. Our humanist approach to religion makes us think that God's plan can be flexed to fit our time-tables since our welfare and convenience are apparently of paramount priority. On the contrary, life will demonstrate that God never limits Himself to our plans, and the only way out is to stretch ourselves to satisfy His designs.
There's another hidden assumption, on the part of those who may have discovered their deficiencies in good time. Surely the friend next door would chip in, in case of emergency - didn't she always pack a little extra? So runs our perceptions of spirituality, wherein we find strength and comfort within the budgets of others, and not our own. Here again, there are unpleasant surprises that'll spring up to meet us along life's way, as we will shortly see.
As the night dragged on with no sign of the Groom, the welcoming party snoozed off until suddenly at midnight, the air rang with the awaited announcement. The darkness was pierced by the awakening lamps of the girls in haste. In those vital moments, when short-changed by time, the foolish announced, "Our lamps are going out!" Life has so often checkmated us using time as its masterpiece, that we'll no longer find the plight of the foolish virgins a comedy. Priorities take the backseat when we're caught up in our own fancies, while something inside says that we're running out of time. Its only when the situation has spun out of control, that we finally pause and regret.
For long, our exploration of God and His ways has been dormant, and a subtle breeze is sweeping our person, effectively snuffing out the passion that once burned for the Almighty. At the end of each day, we excuse ourselves from the burden of prayer. There is now little time for private worship and meditation, even though we could have easily made space on our schedule. Talk of the Second Coming incites hope or joy no more, but indifference. The lamp is dimming out, little by little, but are we paying attention?
For their part, the foolish sincerely believe that spirituality can be outsourced, and that the easy way out is to catch hold of an 'intermediary', as an eleventh-hour remedy for oil shortages. There are husbands who think that their faith life can progress only if their praying wives are nearby. Some youth feel that the strictness of their parents will keep them in the way of right. Many count themselves secure in the prayers of a devout family at home. Sadly, the logical conclusion of a third-party Christianity, is to make the perceived sources, the scapegoats, if nothing goes according to plan. Now, we understand why believers give up faith, citing the shortcomings of others.
Remarkably, the wise virgins did not jump to help their friends in distress. Having known the necessity of good preparation, they would not part with their oil and risk meeting the Groom with a half-hearted flame. Five well-prepared Christians far excel ten spluttering, confused, reluctant believers, even though human mathematics suggest that five full lamps and ten half-full lamps are one and the same. Moreover, the wise knew that they could not assume the role of source, just because someone was appealing for help. This is precisely the reason why few ministers manage to sustain the authenticity of their ministry all their lives. They've grasped the fundamental truth that their job is to point to the Source of Life, and not to get in the way, directing seekers (and their money!) to themselves.
Come to think of it, every Sunday, in its purest sense, would have been a dress rehearsal of that bright and cloudless morning when the angelic herald would proclaim the wedding of the Lamb of God. Although there are a lot of ideas and theories that we associate with the first day of the week, preparation of the heart is rarely one among them. The Groom who promised to be present where two or three gathered in His name, is greeted by a host of flickering lamps, and the worshipers desperate to generate instant excitement that can, in some way, endure till the final 'Amen' – history repeats itself.
When its all said and done, the door is shut in our faces and a Voice, with a coldness that matches the state of our hearts, declares with finality, “Begone! I never knew you.”
