The Way Of Fools: Denying The Reality Of Death And Unprepared For The End
Text: Matthew 25:1-13
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Five bridesmaids were fools. Five bridesmaids were wise. The reason being? The foolish bridesmaids failed to take extra oil for their oil lamps. As a result, they missed out on the great wedding banquet.
And so, the point of Jesus’ parable, from the reading in the Gospel of Matthew, is quite clear: don’t be like the foolish bridesmaids. Don’t be a fool; Jesus is coming back someday, and if you are not careful, you will miss out on the great glory of eternal life.
But, you and I are not fools, are we? Unfortunately, we often are.
You see, it is important to understand that being foolish is not necessarily about having a low IQ, having bad grades, or having a low mark on the ACT. The bridesmaids were not foolish because they were dumb hicks, or uneducated country peasants, or backwards blue-collar workers. But instead, they were foolish because they were not prepared, or alert to the fact that the groom was coming.
What this means is that it is quite possible to have a high IQ and still be a fool. It is possible to be a city slicker or a white-collar worker and still be a fool. The reason being, a fool is someone who does not have oil for his lamp. They do not recognize that the groom is coming and the wedding feast is at hand.
And so, fools are everywhere. You and I, we are more often than not, among the fools.
For example, consider all the energy that we spend by trying to avoid the coming of death. Now, please do not deceive yourself. Each and every one of us tries to avoid the idea of the end – death itself. For example, young people in America spend a tremendous amount of time avoiding anything associated with death. They often avoid funerals. And the funerals that they do attend, well… they are not funerals but are often peppy celebrations of life. Furthermore, the movies of young people always have a hero that avoids death. And if the hero does die, well… the next movie they will be back because they somehow defied death. And, in video games, the gaming characters die, but with a press of a button, the character gets a bonus life to complete the mission. Indeed, when young individuals go the way of foolishness, they live as if there is no end, and death is put off as something that they can consider later on when they get old.
But that is the problem; nobody is getting old anymore. 40 is the new 30, and 60 is the new 40. Age is being redefined so that nobody is old anymore. Everyone is apparently young, even if they are old.
As a result, those older in age live just as much in foolishness as youth do. I cannot count the number of conversations that I have had in the last 20 years with older individuals worrying if they will have enough money to make it, while at the very same time, death is right around the corner from them. For example, if a person has $200,000 in the bank, is collecting a pension and social security, and is 82 years old with below-average health, there is no way that they will run out of money. Considering that life expectancy is 79 years old in America, this person has already beat the odds of death by living an extra three years. However, the fact remains that they will die before they ever have to worry about running out of money. But when foolishness sets in, older individuals believe they are going to live forever. They function as if there is no end, which is the reason why they worry that their money won’t last. Sure, if they live to be 130 years old, they might run out of money. But clearly, this is not reality.
To the point, a fool lives in a fake world. A fool denies the reality of death. Regardless, though, death comes for us all, whether we are young or old. We cannot escape it; that is… unless Jesus comes back first.
And that brings us to the second area of foolishness. In our parable from the reading in the Gospel of Matthew, it is clear that Groom-Jesus is going to come back. In fact, we confess this every Sunday when we say,
“[Jesus] will come to judge the living and the dead.”
Dear friends, if we do not die first, there will be an end to this life under the sun with Christ’s second coming.
Hear this loud and clear! The fat lady will sing, the music will stop, we will not pass go, the game will end – things will not go on forever. There are only two outcomes: either everything ends for you and me in our death, or Jesus ends everything by coming back again. And if you do not comprehend this reality, well… you are a fool to be pitied. You are acting like one of those silly bridesmaids that have a lamp with no oil. Your foolishness will result in you missing the heavenly banquet.
---
Please know that it is hard to say these words. They are hard words because Jesus’ parable is a very sobering parable. Jesus intends to tell this parable as if to say,
“Stay alert. Don’t be a blind and stupid fool. You have no idea when I might come back.”
And so, if we do not want to be a fool, we obviously want to be wise, like those five other bridesmaids.
Perhaps you and I might think that being wise is to have a superior intellect or a high IQ. But no, that is not the case. Being wise is nothing more than being alert, attentive, and aware. In fact, Jesus uses this same word ‘wise’ numerous other times in the Bible. Remember when Jesus talks about the man who built his house upon the rocks? Yes, that man was wise because he knew that storms would come. Remember that manager who lost his job and made a bunch of friends? Yes, that manager was wise. He knew in the future that he would be unemployed. And so, the point of being wise is not being book-smart or some sort of sage but simply being prepared not only for death but also for Jesus’ second coming.
Now, is Jesus calling us to be preppers? In a way, this is exactly what Jesus is stating to you and me. However, we are not to be preppers – people who prepare for dangers such as natural disasters, societal collapse, or nuclear war by stockpiling a bunch of supplies. Instead, we are to be prepared with having oil for our lamps, oil being the forgiveness of sin… the grace of God for sinners such as you and me.
But here is the catch. Here is the kicker. Here is what is so incredibly powerful for you and me to consider right now: the fool is one who thinks he does not need the forgiveness of sins, the grace of God, which is why his lamp is always empty. But the wise will always have their lamps full of oil – the forgiveness of sins - not because they have somehow acquired the grace of God by their own reason and strength, but instead, they have this oil because they have simply received it as a free gift.
Hear this loud and clear! The very thing needed to be admitted to the heavenly banquet is the very thing that the groom – Jesus Christ – gives you as a free gift. My friends, look upon Jesus and His gifts for you. In Christ, you not only have wisdom, but you have oil for your lamps; that oil which is the divine favor, forgiveness, and righteousness of the Lord – all for you!
Wise saints! Remember your baptisms. You were snatched from darkness to light. God places His name upon you. The Lord claimed you as His own, to prepare you for the end.
Wise saints! Hear the Absolution. You are not condemned; no matter what the world says, the devil says, or your old Adam says. Christ’s word is stronger than the condemning whispers of evil, to hold you through the end.
Wise saints! Receive Christ’s body and blood, and in so doing, know that you kneel at a heavenly banquet that is a foretaste of the eternal banquet to come, where there is no death, no suffering, and no fear.
Wise saints, you and I do not know the last day of our life when we will be tucked into our graves. And we do not know the last day when Jesus will return to us to take us home. But we do know now that oil – the Word and Sacraments – are here for us today. And the Word and Sacraments will be here for us tomorrow, the day after that, and the day after that. This means that we will never be low on oil.
May God preserve us and keep us full of His forgiveness until that day when He awakes us and takes us to that great wedding banquet.
Amen.
Comments