Last Sunday
Mt
25:1-13
11/22/20
When will
it be over? Isn’t that the question we
are all asking? When will this whole COVID thing finally be over? Back in the spring
we had the big lock down – the shelter in place order. Of course, we learned
that what that really meant was that lots of people went shopping at Home
Depot, Menards and Lowes to get the stuff they needed to do all of those
projects they now had time to do at home.
We’ve worn
masks and done social distancing, and only gradually seen a return of some
elements of normal life as the Governor and the State of Illinois give us
permission. Yet after all of that, what
has it gotten us? On Tuesday this past
week Gov. Pritzker announced that due to “exponential growth” in COVID-19 cases
and hospitalizations, Illinois would be moving back to “Tier 3” Restrictions on
Friday. The Governor said that, “This
is not a stay-at-home order,” but he did add that he was not ruling out that
possibility down the line if the second surge isn’t tamed. Good times.
Of course there has been some encouraging news recently
about a vaccine. We’ve heard reports
about a vaccine that is safe and 90% effective. I certainly pray that that this
is all true. But I have to say, while I
am not a doctor, and I have never played one on TV, I just don’t feel super
comfortable with idea of a vaccine that we all know has been rushed as quickly
as possible. I mean, do you really want
to be the first people they actually use this thing on?
When will the pandemic be done? We can’t say for sure. And what will things
look like when we conclude that it is “done”? We don’t know about that one
either. How much of life will be normal again?
How much of life will be different? We just don’t know.
Today is the Last Sunday of the Church Year. The church year and the lectionary – the
assigned Scripture readings – are meant to teach us the faith. And so every year at the end of the church
year we hear about the end – about the Last Day and the return of Jesus
Christ. Certainly we hear about this
during the rest of the year as well, because you cannot read God’s Word without
constantly encountering it. But on this Sunday all of the Scripture readings
deal with the Last Day, and all of the hymns do as well.
As we consider our Gospel lesson for today, we learn
three things that I want to focus upon.
First, we learn that we don’t know when our Lord Jesus will return. Second, we learn that we do know what
things will be like when he does. And
third, we learn about what we are to be doing in the present.
This morning our Lord Jesus teaches about his return
using a parable. He begins by saying, “Then the kingdom of
heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to
meet the bridegroom.” The parable
describes the practice of young women waiting to escort the bridegroom into the
wedding feast. They needed lamps that
would be lit to accompany him in to the great celebration.
We learn in the parable that the
bridegroom was delayed, and it became late in the evening. The ten virgins all
became drowsy and fell asleep. Now to many of us that may sound strange. After all, who gets drowsy and falls asleep
at 10:00 or 11:00 in the evening? But
remember, in the ancient world, for the most part, the sun determined when you
were up and doing things. At dawn – when
the sun first came up and there was light – the work day started. It basically continued all day until the sun
went down and there was no more light. Yes there were lamps that burned olive
oil and gave off light. But they didn’t
provide that much illumination, and olive oil cost money. In a world before electric lights, you got up
at dawn and you went to bed not long after sundown.
The arrival of the bridegroom had
delayed long beyond when he was expected, and the virgins had fallen asleep.
But then we learn that at midnight there was a cry, “Here is the bridegroom!
Come out to meet him.” Suddenly,
unexpectedly he was there! When the
bridegroom came, the virgins who were ready – more on that a little later - went
in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
Jesus teaches us this morning that his return will be sudden and unexpected. As the Lord says at the end of our text: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” But in this parable he also teaches, what we have found to be true – it may take longer for it to occur that we think or want. Our Lord teaches us to be ready for the long haul. And after two thousand years, that is what it has turned out to be.
However, we know that Christ’s
return will happen. We know it will
happen because God the Father sent his Son into this world as he was conceived
by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
We know it will happen because on Good Friday, Jesus Christ the Son of
God, died in our place on the cross as he received the judgment – the damnation
we deserve. We know it will happen
because on the third day – on Easter – God raised Jesus from the dead. It is
the risen Lord Jesus who made the New Testament Church come into
existence. We know that it will happen because Jesus was exalted when he
ascended. Peter tells us that Jesus
Christ is the One “who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God,
with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” And we know
it will happen because our risen and exalted Lord has declared that he will
return. He says it this morning.
And we also know what things will be
like when our Lord returns. By his death Jesus has redeemed you – he has freed
you from sin. By his resurrection he has defeated death, and has begun the
resurrection that will be yours when he returns on the Last Day. He will raise
and transform your body so that it can never die again. And he will transform
creation itself. God says through Isaiah
in our Old Testament lesson this morning, “For
behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall
not be remembered or come into mind.” He
says, “The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw
like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not
hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain.” It will be a life of joy in God’s
presence, for after all, in the parable Jesus describes the future salvation as
a wedding feast.
We know what will happen.
We don’t know when it will happen, and yes, as Jesus describes in the
parable today we find ourselves waiting for it. So it is important to listen to
our Lord as he teaches us about what we are to do as we wait. There
are ten virgins in the parable this morning. They are all waiting for the
bridegroom. This is an important detail that we often overlook. The people around us in the world who do not
believe in Christ are not expecting his return. They think the idea is silly and could care
less. So all ten virgins in this parable
describe believers.
We learn that five were wise and five were foolish. The
foolish were not prepared. The did not bring flasks with oil. When the
bridegroom arrived their lamps were going out, and they did not have enough
oil. The foolish asked the wise to
share, but this was simply not possible.
There wasn’t enough to go around. While the foolish virgins were away
buying more oil, the the bridegroom came, and those who were ready – those who
were wise - went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was
shut. Later the other virgins came
also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.”
Notice that they are calling Jesus, “Lord.” They are people who had at some point and in
some way claimed to be Christian. Yet the
Lord replied, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.”
Five virgins were wise. Five were
ready. How is one ready for the Lord’s
return? How does one keep watch? It is by keeping our life focused on Jesus
Christ. We do this first by repenting
and confessing our sins. We must listen to God’s law as it reveals the sin that
is present. The world does not want to hear this, but because you are God’s
child you know that you need to. And as the law reveals your sin – the ways you
love other things more than God; the ways you love yourself more than your
neighbor – you confess before God that yes, you are sinner who has sinned in
this way. You confess and ask for forgiveness for Jesus’ sake.
Because the old Adam will always be causing
sin, to be focused on Christ is to receive our Lords Means of Grace
continually. We need to hear his Word.
We need to believe God’s promises about our baptism. We need to hear his words of forgiveness in
Holy Absolution. And we need our Lord
who locates himself bodily in our midst in the Sacrament of the Altar where he
gives you his true body and blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of
your sins. You are ready for the Lord’s
second coming on the Last Day by weekly receiving his body and blood as he
comes to us in the Sacrament. Through these means we receive forgiveness.
Through these means Christ’s Spirit strengthens us in faith to face the
challenges of living as God’s children in a sinful, fallen world.
Remember that in the parable of the
sower, the seeds that fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil,
immediately sprang up but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since
they had no root, they withered away. The seed that fell among the thorns
grew, until the thorns choked them.
When Jesus explained this, he said, “As
for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and
immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself,
but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on
account of the word, immediately he falls away.” Only as we are focused on Jesus – only as we
receive his Means of Grace continually are we able remain believers in the face
of tribulation and persecution caused by faith in Jesus and the life God’s Word
teaches.
Our Lord went on to add: “As for what was sown
among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares
of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it
proves unfruitful.” Only as we are
focused on Christ, recognizing our sin and our need for his forgiveness, can we
find protection from the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches. It
is not enough to begin as a Christian.
We must live in Christ – we must live focused on Christ – so that we
finish as a Christian. Only in that way
are we wise. Only in that way are we
ready.
When we are focused on Jesus Christ,
then we are ready. We confess our sin.
We receive Christ’s Word as he gives it to us in his various ways through the
Means of Grace. When we are doing this,
Christ’s Spirit will cause us to stand in faith against the persecution and
tribulation; against the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of
riches. We will be regularly hearing
about our Lord’s return – just like you are this morning! We will be prepared, ready and keeping watch so
that when our Lord returns we will rejoice and say, “Blessed his he who comes
in the name of the Lord.”
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