The End of Time: A Reminder From Jesus

Even a cursory reading of the gospels will impress one with the concept of judgment which was so prominent in the teachings of Jesus. Many of the parables were built around a judgment theme. The discussion of the wheat and tares culminates with an affirmation that a separation would come, and the tares would be burned. Or, the kingdom of heaven is likened to a net cast into the sea, which gathered fish of every kind. At last, however, the fish would be separated and some would be cast out. Jesus often spoke of humanity in terms of a two-fold division: the wheat and chaff, the sheep and goats, the wise and foolish builders, the prepared and unprepared wedding guests.

In the latter part of Matthew's gospel (chapters 24 - 25), we find what is perhaps the longest recorded discourse of Jesus on this topic of judgment. Unfortunately, we sometimes expend all of our energies scrutinizing each individual "tree" in this text, and consequently fail to step back to get a full view of the "forest." The discussion of judgment begins in Matthew 24 as a result of a visit to the temple. The disciples are awed by the magnificence of the physical edifice, but Jesus is quick to remind them that "judgment is coming," and not one stone will be left upon another. It's all coming down! What follows is a lengthy teaching about the reality of judgment. Understood in its context, Matthew 25 belongs to this judgment discussion.

Wedding Traditions (Matthew 25:1-13)

Jesus wanted to impress upon the minds of His disciples the importance of maintaining an attitude of readiness. To illustrate His lesson, Jesus told a story which reflected the culture and customs of the times. Even in the first century, there were many traditions associated with a wedding. The father of the bride would often have "open house" for family and friends to celebrate the marriage of his daughter. However, this party was not held on a Saturday afternoon from two until four o'clock. Instead, it would be held the second week of October from Monday until Thursday. The bride would gather her closest friends (ten virgins) to have a special part in the celebration. One of the fun activities was for the guests to meet the groom in the streets as he approached, and then parade with him through the streets, shouting and singing and announcing to the whole world that he was about to be married. His part of the game was to try to quietly slip in before he was discovered. In order to prevent him from arriving unannounced, the festive group would appoint somebody to stay up and watch for him, and then awaken the group if he was coming.

Ready Or Not: Here I Come!

In the story Jesus told, the bridesmaids (ten virgins) were careful to appoint someone to stay awake and watch for the groom while the others were sleeping. It was a smart move on their part, for at midnight the watchman cried aloud (25:6), "Here's the bridegroom. Come out to meet him!" Immediately the ten virgins woke up and began lighting their lamps to go out into the streets and meet the bridegroom. Five of these bridesmaids, however, were not adequately prepared for the groom to arrive in the night, and they did not have sufficient oil for their lamps. They tried to borrow from the others, but finally had to leave to find some oil for their lamps. While they were away looking for oil to put in their lamps, the bridegroom arrived and the wedding feast began without them. According to Jesus, those who were "ready" went in with him to the wedding feast. And the door was shut. Sometime later, the others returned and tried to enter the house, but it was too late. The groom had already come, the festivities were underway, and they had missed the whole thing because they had not made adequate preparation.

Always Be Prepared, Because You Don't Know!

This is one of those parables that is not difficult to understand, because at the end of the story, Jesus says in so many words: This is what it means. What is the lesson of this wedding story? "Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour" (25:13). One of the most important factors for the disciples to remember about the coming judgment was its surprise element. No one would know when it was coming! For this reason, it was essential that they always be prepared. Jesus well understood human nature. It is extremely difficult to maintain a constant attitude of preparedness. This is the reason the military constantly drills its troops. This is the reason thousands of school children have fire drills. It is difficult to be prepared all the time.

Jesus knew something about us that we desperately need to understand. We just don't think about the coming of the Lord as often as we should. When you woke up this morning and your feet hit the floor, did you have even a fleeting thought that today might be the day that Jesus will come? Although the Thessalonians obviously misunderstood some basic facts about the Lord's return and the resurrection from the dead (cf. 1 Thess.4), they were nonetheless consumed with expectancy of His coming. Two thousand years later, we are comfortably settled into our daily rituals and routines, and our danger is that we will be more like the foolish bridesmaids. Caught off guard. Unprepared.

Watch, therefore, for no one knows the day nor the hour! Are you watching?