3/30/25 “Ready or Not”
“Ready or Not”
Matthew 25:1-13
Awhile back, I noticed an article titled “The best road trips in America”
As some of you know - I love me a good road trip…
...so this definitely perked my interest.
The article described many scenic highways and byways that some of you might be familiar with,
….such as the ‘Blue Ridge Parkway’ out east….or ‘Going to the Sun’ Rd in Glacier National Park….or the ‘Pacific Coast Highway’ on the west coast….or Highway #1 in Florida that will take you all the way to Key West….or Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles….Beartooth Hwy in Yellowstone…
All of these are fabulous adventures.
But then the article went on to say that if you REALLY want to experience an epic road trip complete with adventure, exotic wildlife, and unparalleled scenery….combined with a good deal of crazy danger….
Drive on up to the Canadian Yukon where there is a dirt road called the Dempster Highway…
The Dempster highway will take you another 500 miles North until you find yourself standing on the banks of the Arctic Ocean.
Here’s a couple of maps showing you where in Canada this is located…
Just in case some of you want to go! 😊
(Show maps)
Has anyone here ever heard of the Dempster Highway?
So, after learning about this amazing bucket-list road trip, I called Lisa at work….and I said Lisa!....we need to drive to the Arctic Ocean on the Dempster Highway!
After I excitedly described this dream road trip….well…she did not react with the same amount of enthusiasm that I had after reading the article.
In fact…if I remember correctly…her response to my proposition included words such as ridiculous…stupid…crazy….I think ’insane’ may have been used a time or two…
….and she kept referring to it as the “Dumpster Highway”….
So…I haven’t given up….I’m still working on her.
But, for those hearty souls wanting to drive to the Arctic Ocean, the Dempster Hwy website provides a list of preparations that one must take care of before going…
These preparations are essential to staying alive in such a remote area of the world where a 911 call won’t do you any good
It mentioned the usual things like having plenty of blankets, flash lights, and water….
But it also mentioned that you need to have 2 full size spare tires…a windshield repair kit….a first-aid kit…plenty of bear spray…paper maps (No cell phone or GPS service in the arctic)….
…and last, but not least…take plenty of extra fuel tanks with you as gas stations are virtually non-existent along the route.
So….if you’re gonna drive the Dempster Hwy…you need to be prepared…because your life depends on it.
Well, our parable for today also deals with the need to be prepared…
…and, just like the Dempster Hwy – but to an infinitely greater degree – our lives depend on the preparation that Jesus teaches about in these verses.
For some context, much of Matthew chapter 24 deals with Jesus’ second coming….
…and how we as his followers ought to conduct ourselves as we interpret the signs of the times that indicate his imminent return…
Jesus provides short illustrations – short stories – using things like a fig tree…his servant Noah…two men working in a field…a watchful homeowner…wise and foolish servants…
All of these short stories & illustrations are to teach various lessons concerning the return of the savior.
Jesus continues teaching on the subject of His return in Matthew chapter 25, including our parable for today, which is generally referred to as the Parable of the ten virgins.
Look with me at verse 1 (Matthew 25:1) where Jesus says “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.”
First of all, the setting for this parable was a typical Jewish wedding ceremony.
And, the word for virgins in this parable can be used interchangeably with the word ‘bridesmaid’…
….they were young, unmarried ladies who were included in the wedding party, as it were.
In ancient Israel, as well as in many parts of the world – then and now – a wedding was the most celebrated social event that one could take part in…
…And ancient Jewish weddings contained a few unique elements…
And understanding those unique elements helps us to contextualize this parable to a greater degree…
A 1st century Jewish marriage would have consisted of 3 parts…
First, you had the engagement.
Surprisingly, the couple to be married would have had very little involvement in this procedure.
All Jewish marriages during this time were arranged marriages…
The parents of the groom – and the parents of the bride – would enter into a marital contract whereby their children would ultimately be prepared for the next stage…
The Betrothal.
The betrothal involved a marriage ceremony where the bride and groom would exchange vows in the presence of friends and family…
It would be at this point that the couple would have been considered officially married….
So, the betrothal is similar to our modern-day concept of an engagement…
but it went deeper in that the couple was considered to have the same rights and responsibilities of actual husbands and wives…
with one glaring exception.
The couple would not yet live together – and the marriage would not yet be physically consummated.
After the marriage ceremony, the bridegroom would live on his own while establishing himself in an occupation and a house that would be suitable to support his new wife….
Many times, the betrothal period would take several months, even up to a year, before the groom would be ready to come back for his new bride.
Finally, when the bridegroom was fully prepared to come back for his bride, word would be sent to have his wife and her attendants ready for his arrival…
On many occasions, the exact time of the groom’s return would not be made known…
Therefore, it would be somewhat of a surprise as to the exact time the groom would make his highly anticipated return….
…and the bridal party would need to stay alert so as to be ready to welcome the groom when he did arrive.
The typical custom was for the groom to come for his bride at night when it was dark….
…the members of the bridal party would all be carrying lamps – or, more accurately, torches…
When the groom arrived with his friends, the entire wedding party would parade through the streets of the town….inviting everyone to the 3rd and final part of the marriage, which was – - the Wedding Feast.
The wedding feast was a week-long celebration where the couple would host well-wishers and accept presents from numerous people at their new home.
…Imagine having guests over at your house – day & night - for an entire week!
That’s a lot of wedding cake!
If you’re an introvert, that may sound like a nightmare! 😊
Then…at the end of the week…a good friend of the groom – his, ‘best-man’ if you will, places the bride’s hand into that of the groom’s…and then he leaves.
…The house is finally quiet.
This will be the first time that the couple will actually be alone together…
..And this will be when the marriage is consummated sexually as well.
So….Knowing the context of 1st century Jewish marriages makes this parable really come to life –
as we now can understand the significance of the lamps…and the oil…and the preparedness…
Jesus continues describing the bridesmaids in verses 2 through 4 (Matthew 25:2-4) “Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.”
Again, these lamps (gr. lampas) would actually resemble more of a torch than a lamp…
They would have consisted of tightly wrapped cloth attached to long poles.
The cloth would periodically need oil poured on it in order to initially catch fire – and to keep them lit.
Jesus is telling his listeners that 5 of the virgins were wise in remembering to keep oil in their jars, while the other 5 were foolish because they didn’t give a thought to keeping enough oil on hand.
In verse 6 (Matthew 25:6) Jesus begins to tell of how – when the groom was arriving – the 5 wise bridesmaids trim their lamps…
..this would have meant cutting off the burnt edges of the wrapped cloth and adding oil in order to keep them lit for the upcoming procession through the streets.
The foolish bridesmaids were not able to reinvigorate their lamps because they had no oil…their lamps were going out – and there was nothing they could do about it.
…and obtaining oil from the wise bridesmaids was really not an option…as each bridesmaid had just enough oil for her own lamp.
The idea of purchasing more oil really wasn’t feasible either…after all, this was in the middle of the night…and time was getting very short…and the bridegroom was just around the corner.
In verse 10 (Matthew 25:10) the bridegroom arrives.
He takes the five wise bridesmaids with him to the wedding feast…and the door is shut.
Later, the five foolish bridesmaids show up at the banquet house and request admittance…to which the groom replies in verse 12 (Matthew 25:12)
“I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.”
Jesus ends the parable with these words in verse 13 (Matthew 25:13) “Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”
…and this is the central lesson of this parable – be ready for the return of the King!
It’s a parable that forces us to examine our own hearts…
Like the apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?
…Are you like the five wise virgins?....have you come to God in repentance, asking for the forgiveness of your sins through the atoning sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ?
….In other words, do you have the oil of genuine, saving faith in your jar?...are you living in the light of His word…and His truth…and His righteousness?
OR, when you take an honest inventory of your life, does it more resemble the five foolish virgins?...
….have you been reluctant to completely surrender your entire life to God?
Are you living in the darkness of pride, selfishness, and unrepentance?
Is your spiritual torch nothing more than a smoldering cloth of religiosity starving for the oil of genuine faith….but you have none to ignite it.
Brothers & Sisters…In my opinion, this parable is one of the scariest passages in all of scripture.
Why do I say that?
Because – if you look at what is going on here in this story – Jesus is teaching that within the bridal party itself…or, in other words, within the church…
there are both those who are genuinely saved – and those who are not.
There are the believers – and there are the make-believers.
There is wheat…and there are weeds.
There are sheep…and there are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Keep in mind that – from an outside perspective – all of the bridesmaids looked alike, didn’t they.
They all dressed alike…they all professed to be excited about the groom’s immanent return…they all carried lamps…they all seemed to get along really well together….
….the only difference was something that was unseen.
It was the level of oil in their unseen jars…
The wise virgins had the oil they needed…the foolish virgins had none.
They all had an outward identity that was appropriate for meeting the groom, but only half of them were actually prepared to meet him.
This tells me that there will be a certain percentage of people associated with Christianity who will be doing work for God’s kingdom…
who will be attending Bible studies…
who will memorize scripture…
who will be singing hymns and praise songs…
who will be providing wonderful testimonies…
who will be praying eloquent prayers…
who will be sharing posts about Jesus on social media…
who will be going on mission trips and Christian conferences…
who will even be standing behind pulpits….
….Who will also be heading for an eternal place of torment called Hell because they never truly gave their life over to Jesus Christ…
They knew all about Him…but they never Knew Him!
..And folks, I don’t know about you, but that scares me.
…Because, I know as healthy as we are here at LACC, that – by shear percentages alone - not everyone here this morning has truly repented of their sins and accepted Jesus into their heart.
A torch without fuel is worthless – and a profession of faith in Jesus Christ without a saving relationship to Him is infinitely more worthless…because one is left in spiritual darkness.
Earlier in Matthew, in the sermon on the mount, we hear a similar warning from the lips of the savior:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord’, did we not prophecy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
For 2,000 years, these words have sent shivers down the spines of multitudes….because these words remind us that only genuine faith is saving faith.
Anything less than salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone…is not genuine faith.
But the good news….
Brothers & Sisters, we are living in the betrothal period of spiritual history…
We are still waiting for the return of the bridegroom….who will come for the genuine church – His bride.
And, as scary as it might be to realize that one’s jar is out of oil…there is still time to fill it up!
The spiritual store of God’s grace where the oil of faith is sold….It’s still open for business!
As long as you have breath in your lungs…you are welcome to purchase that oil today…right now!
Now…. the oil of faith does cost something…
You will be required to give all of yourself to your savior…
Like the man who found the treasure in the field, it will cost you all that you have…
…and the world will tell you that it’s not a good deal.
…culture will tell you that you’re giving up too much.
…some of your close friends & family will tell you that “you’re taking this Jesus thing way too far.”
…even the voice inside your head will whisper “Hey…take Jesus in moderation…don’t give him - everything!”
……It’ll say: “That secret sin that we love so much....that needs to stay here with us…don’t give that up…after all, you work hard, you deserve a little break from all that righteous living!”
Brothers and sisters, when you walk into God’s retail store of grace…
And you pick up that flask that reads: lamp oil of genuine faith
You look at the price tag.
You notice that the price tag has only one number on it: 100%
God requires all of us…not 90%...not 95%...not 99.9%
But, if you decide to purchase that oil…
If you buy in to making Jesus the all-consuming centerpiece of your life… and establish a relationship with Him.
….in whom you trust completely for your salvation - through what He did for you on the cross
…It will be the best decision you have – or will – ever make…for all eternity.
You will experience peace like you’ve never known…
You will experience joy regardless of what is happening in your life
You will experience love to a degree that will completely fill that empty hole in your soul.
..And - you will inherit eternal salvation through the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Folks….Jesus paid the cost for your sins on the cross….
…and that’s worth so much more than 100%
Be prepared…because the bridegroom – the Messiah – the Savior…
He’s coming back…make sure that your lamp is lit.
Let’s Pray.