“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.” (Matthew 25:1-2 NLT)
As a Jesus follower, do you consider yourself foolish or wise? What is the basis of your conclusion? In the parable referenced above there’s only one issue and it’s not the shortage of oil for their lamps.
Jesus told many parables, mostly for the purpose of conveying clarity to what might otherwise be very difficult to understand. Parables are not allegories where every detail has significance and meaning separate from the point of the whole story. Parables have one main point, and in the parable of the Bridesmaids, the point is this – don’t be foolish, be ready when He returns.
We tend to waste a lot of effort trying to understand what the oil represented or why only five of the bridesmaids made it into the wedding celebration when they were all invited? And why did Jesus tell the five He didn’t know them when He’s God, He’s all-knowing? These are all unnecessary questions because the parable only had one point – be prepared when He comes again.
Why is that important to understand? Because, true to his character, Satan will seek to enmesh us in the unnecessary details and miss the message of the parable, which is simply – BE PREPARED! So, the logical question then becomes: How do I do that? How do I prepare for His second coming?
How do you prepare for anything? You have a house payment due on the first. You have an appointment with the Dentist on the 23rd. You have a job interview on the 9th. You get the point – we’re almost constantly preparing for appointments, yet, unless we intentionally choose to think about it, we almost never think about the Lord’s return. How can we be prepared for something to which we give so little thought?
In this season of our lives our minds fill quickly with many things about which we have concern, many which are surrounded by uncertainty. Some, if we allow them, will rob us of incentive or motivation to do anything else. We allow ourselves to become paralyzed by fear of the unknown and uncertain. If I allowed myself, I could ponder the implications of my Alzheimer’s diagnosis ad infinitum, but of what real value would that be?
Worrying about any number of things over which we have no control, is bad enough in and of itself, but the real tragedy is we waste time thinking about things that don’t matter, to the neglect of those that do matter. It matters greatly whether we’re ready in this moment for Jesus’ return. We must intentionally think about what it means to be prepared – is our walk with the Lord up to date? Are we as close to the Lord as we can be? Should be? Must be?
Is there something the Lord has laid on my heart to do that I’ve ignored or put off? Is there a person to whom I need to apologize? Witness? Express love? Comfort? Chasten? Admonish? Encourage? Forgive? Renew contact? Reach out in friendship? Write a note? Send a card? Take out for a meal? Express my appreciation?
The list is virtually endless in terms of “accounts” we need to “balance” before the Lord returns, but the easiest way to get to the bottom line is to ask the Lord? “Lord, what am I not seeing or ignoring that is critical for me to address as I prepare for Your return?”
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 