From the Daily Lectionary for Monday in the Sixth Week after Pentecost
Matthew 25:1-13
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
I’ve always wrestled with this parable. It smacks of exclusivity. The ones who are “prepared” get into the eschatological banquet (God’s kingdom come); while the ones who are not prepared get locked out. Commentators have wrestled with this parable as well. They opine that keeping one’s lamp burning is likened to keeping the faith; serving the light of justice; seeking enlightenment; loving one’s neighbor; that one is to be about the practice of the faith anticipating, however delayed, the advent of God’s egalitarian and just reign in earth.
Augustine of Hippo in the late fourth century of the Common Era wrote a treatise on salvation entitled The City of God. In this extensive theological work, Augustine argues that there are two types of people, two “cities” on earth: those who live in the city of God, and those who live in the city of the world. The ones who live in the city of God are the “saved.” Those of the city of the world are at the end of time cast off as ballast. Augustine implies that one does not have a choice as to which city one belongs. His argument is where Calvin got his theology of predestination. Both Calvin and Augustine use this passage to justify this exclusionary theology. And to be sure, the church has, over the centuries, bought in to the exclusivity of hierarchy as well.
Remember, parables may have more than one meaning, sometimes contradictory meanings. Sometimes the point of the parable is left unsaid, and the audience has to make conclusions on their own. So here’s what troubles me about this parable: If one takes into account the overall context in Matthew, one has to recognize the relentless critique Matthew has towards the elite and powerful of his world. This parable feels like a repeat of the wedding banquet story earlier in this Gospel in which an improperly dressed guest is thrown out into the streets. God is not that way. There is something “wrong” here.
So here’s my interpretation: Yes, be prepared; persist in the faith, for we know not when the decisive time for action will come. We can’t know when or how the inflection point of history will descend upon us. Practice mercy, compassion, and do justice; serve the greater good of the community. If one is prepared, then when the apocalyptic clock strikes twelve, one can be of use. But life is not so simple. We have to account for our tendencies towards foolishness. Moreover, the art of welcome is also at the heart of Jesus’ teaching. Who, in God’s name, would not be welcome to God’s abundant table, foolishness notwithstanding?
I think this is a further critique of the exclusive nature of the rigid social structure of Matthew’s world. The “prepared” wedding attendants lament that there isn’t enough oil to go around for the lamps; but in God’s world there is always enough. Scarcity is an illusion propounded by the status quo in opposition to the way God sees the world. After all, at Hanukah, Jews still celebrate the lamps burning for nine days with not enough oil at the restoration of Israel from the brutal rule of the Assyrians.
In God’s world no one is locked out. No one is unknown to the host. No one will miss out on the celebration of Love’s triumph. Remember, the last will be first in God’s economy, and that includes those of us who are unprepared fools. Our call is to welcome all who would enter, knowing there is enough… and we’re not checking credentials.
A Prayer of Self-dedication (BCP p. 832)
Eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use us, we pray, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
