[Propertalk] Fwd: GoodPreacher.com Preaching Resource - Preaching Matthew 25:1-13

Wed Nov 2 00:37:22 EDT 2011

PreachingMatthew25:1-13 (along with All Saints Day resources) at      Quick Access      

Then the kingdom of heaven will be likethis. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went out to meet thebridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five of them were wise. Whenthe foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wisetook flasks of oil with their lamps.

Let me first say that I standcorrected: I thought this passage wasn’t in the lectionary. I’ve even preachedthat this passage isn’t in the lectionary. I don’t know how I everreached such a conclusion (I’m sure idiocy figured in there, somehow),but I do have a theory. I think this parable scares the hell out ofmost of us. 

The story of the wise andfoolish bridesmaids is not a text for the faint-hearted. It’s scary anddamning and irrevocable, as stories about the end of the world have atendency to be. It has terrible characters (those smarmy bridesmaids!)and disturbing plot developments (Jesus the gate-keeping troll?!).Worst of all, it has a history of atrocious and abusiveinterpretation—and all the collateral damage that goes with that. Morepeople than you might think have some seriously bad memories of thistext. (One example: a man in Nashville told me that when he was in highschool, his teacher took great pleasure in slamming the classroom dooras soon as the bell rang, and then saying with relish to every latestudent who knocked at the door, "Truly I tell you, I do not knowyou.") Preach this parable, and you have to be ready to rehabilitateit; you might even have to cast out some demons. I suspect that is whymany of us choose not to preach it, and others of us (me) forget thatit really is in the lectionary. 

So let me suggest one approachfor preaching this text that is not intended to beat up, dumb down orlock out the listener (or the preacher, for that matter). Take a lookat the oil in those lamps. What kind of oil are we talking about?

Something we hoard and keeponly for ourselves? Something we sell to others for profit? Somethingwe earn with faith and good behavior, as the Prayer of Jabez suggests? 

I’m not so sure. The parabledoesn’t say a word about whether the bridesmaids had any oil at home.It doesn’t tell us if the wise ones were hoarding it, or the foolishones hadn’t had time to get to the store yet. It doesn’t tell us whatthey had in their savings accounts, or how generous they were withtheir worldly goods. For all we know, the wise bridesmaids were down totheir last flask of oil, and the foolish bridesmaids were sitting onbarrels of the stuff; the parable doesn’t tell us. Its only concern iswhat they brought with them when they left the house. That’ssignificant, I think. 

Maybe this is not a story abouthow much oil you have. Maybe this is a story about the oil you carrywith you. The parable is very clear: all ten bridesmaids had lamps, butfive of them were foolish, and five of them were wise. The wise onesbrought flasks of oil with their lamps when it’s time to wait for thebridegroom. The foolish ones showed up with lamps, and nothing to keepthem going. When your lamp goes out, you may have gallons of oilsitting at home, but it’s not going to do you any good there. 

So what does that look like,the kind of oil you carry with you? What does that look like, if it’snot a commodity that we buy and sell?

Maybe it depends on the kind ofoil we’re talking about. 

A friend of mine, the ReverendLiz Forney, once gave a lecture to our students at Columbia about thespiritual life of the preacher. She brought an oil lamp, the kind witha wick and real oil in the bottom, and talked about how the role of thepastor is to be a light for others—"the light of the world." Then shelit the wick, and we watched the lamp burn. But (and here was therigged part), because there was only a tiny bit of oil in that lamp, itonly burned for a few moments. She asked the students: what happenswhen the oil runs out? Well, then your light goes out, and you havenothing to give. A pastor with no oil, a Christian with no oil, can’tbe the light of the world for anybody, no matter how much they want tobe. 

What fills you up spirituallywhen you run dry? What replenishes your oil? Where do you find God, andhow can you make sure that you get enough of that oil for your lamp, sothat God can fill you up again? Because you will run dry.When you do, you can’t be a light for anybody. Remember the safetyspeech we hear on airplanes? "In the event of an emergency, oxygenmasks will drop from the ceiling; however, be sure to secure your ownoxygen mask first before assisting others."

Filling your lamp:it’s not really negotiable. You have to do it. There are some kinds ofoil you can’t borrow from anyone else, as the bridesmaids learned. Youcan borrow your friend’s homework, but not the hours they put instudying for the test. You can borrow your neighbor’s lawnmower, butnot their peace of mind. There are some kinds of preparation we canonly do for ourselves, reserves that no one else can build up for us.We have to figure out what fills us up, spiritually, and then make surewe have some to carry with us, every single minute of the day, becausethat’s how often you’ll need it.

I think those preachers who usethis parable as a way to scare us all straight are missing the point.You don’t fill your lamp because you’re afraid you’re going to getlocked out of the Kingdom of Heaven. You don’t stockpile oil becauseyou then can turn everybody else away. No; you just stop at the fillingstation, and fill your flask, and take it with you, because you can’twait to meet the bridegroom. You fill it out of joy. That’s the onlyprice of oil, when you think about it: the desire to meet Jesus when hecomes. Which he will. Soon. 

Anna Carter Florence

      Goodpreacher.com

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