The Difference is the Oil
Matthew 25:1-13
November 24, 2019 anno Domini
You couldn’t tell the difference between the ten virgins. They all wore the same navy blue dresses with burgundy accessories. They all were honorable in that they were not married yet they were still virgins. They all failed in the same way. They did not keep vigil for the bridegroom. They became drowsy and they all fell asleep. You could not tell who was wise or who was foolish until the cry went out at midnight, “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” (Matthew 25:6, ESV) Only then was there a visible difference – five lamps were lit and five lamps were dark. The wise virgins with lamps burning brightly went in with the bridegroom to the feast. The foolish virgins were locked out.
It’s the last Sunday of the church year and you are the ten virgins. This is what the Church on earth looks like. There is no visible difference among us this morning. Outwardly everyone who attends church looks the same. You appear no worse than me and I appear no better than you. On Sundays we probably look and behave better than we do during the week – after all we’re in church. Some of us might even dress up in navy blue with burgundy accents. We have all failed the bridegroom. We have all slept. We have grown weary waiting for Jesus to return. We have not been vigilant or sober, but slothful in sin and have drunk too much of our pleasures and passed out from our worldly indulgences. On the last day some of you will be in and some of you might be out. You cannot tell the difference by outward appearance – showing up on Sundays does not equal salvation.
So this parable begs each of us to ask some hard questions – am I in or out? Am I waiting for the bridegroom or sleeping in? Is there oil in my lamp? What exactly is that oil and where do I get it?
Are you waiting for the bridegroom? Did you once in the last week think about Jesus returning to judge the living and the dead? He promised that He would come to take His bride home with Him. The wedding will definitely take place. Do you believe it?
Weddings take over your calendar – even if you are only a guest, but even more so if you are a participant. You get measured for your dress or tux. Book your tickets, plan your route, and make reservations at the hotel. On the actual day it’s all wedding, all the time – dressing, eating, pictures, the ceremony, the celebration and the consummation.
But what if you didn’t know the day? Christ promised to return for His bride. It could be today or tomorrow or November 24, 3032. He has delayed His coming for almost 2000 years. We haven’t seen Him at all and if we cannot see Him we assume He cannot see us – so our faith dozes off and we sin. We act like He isn’t coming back at all. We’re tempted to believe that He lied or changed His plans, or He’s impotent and cannot do what He promised.
All ten virgins dozed, but there was a difference. Five were wise. They were those who planned for every contingency. They didn’t just have duct tape in their purses and a snack to munch on if they got hungry; they had extra oil for their lamps. When they were getting all their accessories ready they thought, “But what if the bridegroom is delayed?” For the wise it was all about the bridegroom. Whatever is necessary, whatever gets in the way, I must be ready. I want to go in to the feast.
The foolish never asked the question. They were happy to be dressed up, to look good, to fit in, but the bridegroom didn’t really cross their minds. They were excited for the party, but mostly it was about them and not about Him.
The difference was the oil. What is that oil? Most likely it is faith, because faith cannot be seen. No one could tell by looking at the Virgins which ones had oil in their lamps and which ones did not – until the end. They were all faithful attenders at church. They all knew how to make large pots of coffee. They all used envelopes or gave regularly online. But in the end five lamps burned brightly and five were dark as night. It is possible for you to attend church, to recite the creed, to receive the Lord’s Supper, and not believe. It’s hard for us to imagine that, but it is possible. Jesus says so.
The question for you this morning is not “Do I have faith?” because that would be looking at you, like those foolish virgins. Rather you should ask, “Is Jesus coming back? Is His Word true? Is He able to do what He says? Did He die on the cross for the sins of the world and rise again three days later? Did He die for me? Are my sins forgiven? Is the heavenly bridegroom faithful?” Those are the questions that will fill your lamp with oil and your heart with God’s grace because the answer from God’s Word is “Amen, Amen, yes, yes, truly, truly it is so.”
This parable raises a few other questions to teach our faith. Why did the wise virgins not share their oil with the foolish? Is this support for the world’s accusation that Christians are mean and hateful? No. You cannot share your faith with another person. You can share the faith in Christ, but not your saving faith, the trust in your heart. You cannot believe for another person. Also the foolish virgins asked the wrong people for help. They asked the wise, not the bridegroom. They prayed to the saints, not to the Christ and Christ alone saves. Your Lutheran grandmother cannot save you. Being a Lutheran or a Roman Catholic or a member of a local congregation cannot save you. Jesus Christ alone saves you. He is faithful. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
The other oddity is “Where’s the bride?” How can you have a wedding without a bride? Sadly, most weddings today, even Christian weddings, are all about the bride – whatever the bride wants, all the focus is on her, it’s her day. In this parable of a wedding feast Jesus teaches us (by not even mentioning the bride) that it isn’t about the bride. The Kingdom of Heaven is not about you. The Kingdom of heaven is Jesus for you and Jesus with you. The bride isn’t mentioned because you are the bride. In one of those parable surprises the five wise virgins – those who believe in the groom are His bride.
Finally where is this oil to be found? “The Holy Spirit works faith when and where it pleases God, in those who hear the good news.” (Augsburg Confession) It has pleased God to work faith through His Word and His Sacraments. There is one source of faith – faith comes by hearing, but there are several spigots to pour this oil into your lamp. The oil of faith was poured out on your head in baptism with water and the Word. The oil of faith fills your heart through your ears as you hear God’s Word, the Absolution, and the sermons of your pastor. The oil of faith fills your flesh through your mouth as you eat and drink the Lord’s body and blood. Note this; there was no one in wedding feast who was not among the virgins. There is no one in heaven who is not in church because there is no faith in Jesus apart from His Word and Sacraments. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour, but you do know the day and the hour when your faith can be given what it needs to be awakened and brightly burning to go into the wedding feast in the name of Jesus. Amen.