The Wisdom of the Wise

Matthew 25:1-13

     Ten virgins. Five wise. Five foolish. Outwardly, they look the same. They're all virgins. All dress the same. All have the same promise, “The bridegroom is coming.” All prepare to meet the bridegroom. All prepare for a delay. All bring lamps and all have oil in their lamps.

     All suffer the same delay. All try to stay awake, certain that the bridegroom could come any moment. All watch the evening turn dark. All light their lamps. All continue to encourage one another saying, “Take heart. Stay awake. The bridegroom is coming.”

     All fall asleep.

     All wake up to the cry, “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him!” All pretend that they weren't sleeping. All have lamps that are still burning and all quickly trim their burning lamps. Even the fools have burning lamps, otherwise they could not say, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.”

     The only notable difference between the wise and the fools is the oil. Much ink has been spilt over the question, “What is the oil?” Is the oil faith? Is the oil good works? It's possible the oil is just oil. However much oil the wise had, they didn't have enough to share. And, we don't even know if the wise had enough oil for their own lamps. The oil might be a distraction from the greater point in the parable.

     The foolishness of the fools is that they left the bridegroom. They went shopping for oil in the middle of a night with lamps that were going out. It's not that the fools wanted oil in order to meet the bridegroom. It's that the fools didn't believe the bridegroom was coming, or they didn't believe he was coming now, or they didn't believe he was coming in mercy and love for them. They had a promise, “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” And they left. The Psalmist says, “The fool says in his heart, 'There is no god.'” These foolish virgins lived up to the name “Fool.”

     The wisdom of the wise isn't their oil. It's that they believed the promise, “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him!” Even though the bridegroom delayed, even though He took a three day journey, was covered in blood and buried, the wise saw that His delay was to save them. Jesus is your bridegroom of blood, whose blood cleanses you from all unrighteousness.

     You are the wise. You believe that Jesus is coming. He comes in mercy and forgiveness, robes you in the wedding garment of salvation, and brings you into His wedding hall. Even though Jesus delays, even though you're tired, timid, and don't know how much more you can take, you believe He comes.

     Even now, in the Lord's house, you have a foretaste of the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which has no end. You are the wise, pure and loved by Jesus. On that glorious day you will enter with joy, your sorrow and sighing will be no more, and your joy will never end.

     Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly! Amen.