Sermon - Last Sunday of the Church Year 2022 - Matthew 25:1-13

Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, 1616, Hieronymous Francken II

The readiness of faith while awaiting Jesus’ return

1. We must always be ready for Jesus to return by having faith

2. Jesus’ return is joyful and hopeful news for the faithful

We mentioned this last week, but it happens again this week; at the end of a long project we need two things: encouragement and sobriety. Last week the encouragement was a reminder of God’s abundant forgiveness, and the sober warning was a reminder that we must also abundantly forgive each other. Last week was about God’s abundant grace, this week is about the readiness of faith while we’re awaiting Jesus’ return. So the joyful and hopeful encouragement is that Jesus is returning. The sober warning is that we must always be ready for Jesus to return by having faith.

In St. Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica it appears as if the Thessalonians understood quite well that Jesus’ return was imminent. “You yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” Based upon the fact that St. Paul admonishes them against idleness in both of his letters, this seems to imply that the Thessalonians were so convinced of Jesus’ immediate return that they weren’t even working anymore! Jesus is certainly coming soon, but we still don’t know when, which means we can’t just check out of this world, like the Thessalonians were wanting to do, but we must continue living albeit in a state of constant readiness.

The temptation for us today is the opposite of the Thessalonians. In the past Christians were sometimes so convinced of Jesus’ immediate return that they neglected this life. In these latter days that we live in now, we rarely consider Jesus’ return to be immediate or imminent. We are much more like those people who think “there’s peace and security” and then will be surprised when Jesus returns like a thief in the night. Rarely do people live today as if Jesus is coming back tomorrow. We’re like those people who sleep and get drunk at night, assuming there’s nothing happening for which we have to be prepared.

Think about that, if you’re soundly sleeping at night, you’re not concerned about a thief coming to rob you. But if you knew a thief was coming you’d stay awake and ready your guns to defend your house. Or someone who stays up all night getting drunk is obviously not planning on doing anything in the morning, since they’ll be exhausted and probably still drunk when the sun rises. Such is the way we often live today: we live and behave as if judgment day and Jesus are never coming, or at least not for a very long time. So we live in sin, we neglect religious practices, and we generally live as if God did not exist. We figure that we can get things right with God later, we can go to church or read our Bibles later, we can reconcile with each other some other day. Today we eat, drink, and are merry, assuming we have all the time in the world; no need to be prepared.

This is the same mistake of unreadiness that the foolish virgins made when they didn’t bring extra oil for their lamps. It’s obvious that this is a stupid mistake which is why Jesus uses this as an example in the parable and bluntly calls these five virgins fools. Their one job is to give light for the bridegroom with their lamps, and their lamps need oil to work, so not bringing a flask of oil is comically foolish. It’d be like a farmer going out to plant the crops and not bringing any seeds. He’s driving around the field in his planter without planting anything. It’s such a foolish image that it’s humorous! 

But this humorous image quickly gives way to an eternally serious image. “While [the foolish virgins] were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’” Such is it for those who are not ready for Jesus, our heavenly Bridegroom, to return. If you’re not ready when Jesus comes back, it’s too late to get ready, and you won’t be welcomed into heaven.

I suppose the foolish virgins either thought the wait wouldn’t be long or that they could get ready later. Many Christians make the same mistakes in regards to their faith. The ten virgins are the visible church on earth; all of them look alike, all of them are carrying lamps, all of them are called virgins, all of them are waiting for the Bridegroom. So too the visible church on earth: the Christians look alike, gather in the same place, call themselves Christians, have been baptized, confirmed,  and are waiting for Jesus. But many Christians think that the wait won’t be long or difficult, so they don’t come prepared for a long wait. They figure they can get right with God when He comes back. But by then it’s too late.

The sober warning is that we need to be ready for Jesus to come back at any time. The oil that we need to be prepared with is faith. Let us “put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” Faith, hope, and love are the things Christians need in order to be ready for Jesus to come back. There won’t be time to get faith when Jesus comes back, the time to go to the dealers and get it is now. If you’re living in sin, then repent and amend your life today, don’t wait. Those grudges you’re holding onto have to be reconciled right now. Don’t wait for the new year to stop bad habits or practice your religion, begin today. Don’t tell yourself that you’ll read the Bible later, but do it first thing. Don’t be an unreadied foolish virgin, rather be a faith-filled wise virgin.

I know that the wait is long, and the Christian life is difficult and tiring. The Bridegroom is delaying out of mercy for us and giving us time to get ready, but in His delay we’re all becoming drowsy and falling asleep. But take heart! Don’t give up hope! Remember: “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him.” Jesus has already been crucified for you and forgiven your sins. God wants you to enter with Him into the eternal wedding feast. Even if you’re drowsy and nodding off, God wants you to be filled with faith and hope in Him so that when He returns you can go with Him.

And He will return! The Bridegroom, Jesus, is going to come back and we faithful Christians will enter into the marriage feast with Him! The door is going to be shut. A shut and locked door is terrifying for those not ready and who get locked outside. But a shut and locked door is a great comfort for faithful Christians on the inside. For one thing, it means that once you’re inside you don’t have to be worried about going back outside; once you reach paradise you’re there forever. Another thing, a shut door means that you’re safe from the evil outside of the door. All of the misery, darkness, and suffering that we experience in this life can’t come inside of the wedding hall. All of that sadness is shut out.

Jesus’ return is  joyful and hopeful news for you faithful Christians! “The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” We have such incredible hope in the promise of everlasting life and redemption from this dark world trapped in night. The aches and pains; the disabilities; the grief and guilt; the frustration and constant warfare against temptation, the devil and the world; all those things shall flee away when the Lord returns. We who have been ransomed by Jesus from slavery to sin will not flee, but enter into God’s kingdom with singing! We will be crowned with everlasting joy!

Seeing what kind of hope and salvation we have, let’s be sure to remind one another to be watchful and ready, to be filled with faith, lest the day of the Lord find us unprepared. Let us also encourage one another and build one another up, joyfully being filled with faith, hope and love. While we still have time let us always fill up one another’s oil flasks and seek it out ourselves. Afterall, the oil of faith is not a burden, but a gift and a joy. Faith in Jesus is the fuel that shines light in dark places.