Proper 27 / Pentecost 25 / OT 32
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
-- Matthew 25:1
This parable has been traditionally interpreted to reinforce the Boy Scout motto: "Be Prepared." The opening line suggested that the kingdom of heaven was compared to all ten maidens and not just those who were prepared with an extra flask of oil. We all want to go to the marriage feast. As we begin to take charge of our life, we intend it to be a happy life. But some of us are not as prepared for the unexpected as others are. The wise maidens were prepared for the unexpected delay of the bridegroom, but they did not seem very sensitive to their neighbors' needs. Can you imagine that Jesus would commend as a loving response the answer of the five prepared maidens to the unprepared: "No! There will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves." Is that not the stereotypical response of the "haves" to the "have nots" of this world? Does it not fly in the face of Jesus' example of sacrificial love for the sinners of our world? It is easy to say to those in need, "Go and find your own resources."
But the kingdom of heaven in the parable included both the prepared and the unprepared. Even the bridegroom of this parable seemed harsh. If we identify with the wise maidens, we conclude with the rest of the world that those who are in need have only themselves to blame. The image hardly corresponds to the image we have of Jesus. This parable does come after a series of warnings to be watchful because we do not know when the master will come. It is instructive, however, that this parable was included in the same chapter with the parable of the judgment of the nations that is interpreted as saying, "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." Is there a danger that we could enter the wedding feast only to find our Master is locked outside with the foolish that had been unprepared?
-- Matthew 25:1
This parable has been traditionally interpreted to reinforce the Boy Scout motto: "Be Prepared." The opening line suggested that the kingdom of heaven was compared to all ten maidens and not just those who were prepared with an extra flask of oil. We all want to go to the marriage feast. As we begin to take charge of our life, we intend it to be a happy life. But some of us are not as prepared for the unexpected as others are. The wise maidens were prepared for the unexpected delay of the bridegroom, but they did not seem very sensitive to their neighbors' needs. Can you imagine that Jesus would commend as a loving response the answer of the five prepared maidens to the unprepared: "No! There will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves." Is that not the stereotypical response of the "haves" to the "have nots" of this world? Does it not fly in the face of Jesus' example of sacrificial love for the sinners of our world? It is easy to say to those in need, "Go and find your own resources."
But the kingdom of heaven in the parable included both the prepared and the unprepared. Even the bridegroom of this parable seemed harsh. If we identify with the wise maidens, we conclude with the rest of the world that those who are in need have only themselves to blame. The image hardly corresponds to the image we have of Jesus. This parable does come after a series of warnings to be watchful because we do not know when the master will come. It is instructive, however, that this parable was included in the same chapter with the parable of the judgment of the nations that is interpreted as saying, "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." Is there a danger that we could enter the wedding feast only to find our Master is locked outside with the foolish that had been unprepared?
