Less than two weeks to go before Christmas… Not even a fortnight to get the tree and decorations up, do all the food shopping, write and post all your cards, devise your plan to keep the kids occupied, get those last minute presents wrapped and psyche yourself up for the in-laws. How are you coping with the pressure?
But what if Christmas this year didn’t happen? Jesus said that the coming of the Son of Man will be when you least expect it. What if he were to return in power and glory when we were all stressing out over stuffing the turkey? What if he were to come back tonight? Never mind being ready for Christmas, are you ready for Christ?
As we approach Christmas and as we start to think back about what it means that Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth, we are thinking ahead as well to his return.
The first time Jesus came as the Prince of Peace, wearing a crown of thorns. When he returns as King of kings he will wear a crown of glory. The first time Jesus came his mission was to save the world. When he returns his mission is to judge it.
There are at least 45 specific and distinct prophecies in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah. For example he will be born in Bethlehem, he will speak in parables, he will be betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver (not 29.99!), he will be hated for no reason, his hands and feet will be pierced, he will be buried with the rich and he will rise from the dead. These and dozens of other precise predictions were all fulfilled to the last detail in Jesus of Nazareth.
But for every prophecy about his first coming there are 8 concerning his second. One in every 30 verses of the New Testament is about the sudden and dramatic return of Jesus Christ.
God’s track record on prophecy fulfilment is flawless. This is why we must take seriously his promise to return in power and glory and take note of what he says about our being ready for it.
And my question to you this morning is simply this; if Jesus appears tonight in glory and majesty and might – and one day he certainly will - will you be found ready or caught unawares?
Context
This morning’s gospel reading is about a wedding, but not a wedding like any of us have been to, I’m sure. Every culture has its time-honoured wedding customs which appear curious, even bizarre, to those from other countries.
In China the groom’s family offer the gift of a whole roast pig to the bride’s family as an engagement gift and the bride wears red, not white.
In Finland the bride-to-be to walks from house to house with a pillowcase to collect her wedding presents.
In India the bride’s parents wash the couple’s feet with milk and water.
In Bulgaria the bride tosses a dish filled with wheat, coins and a raw egg over her head.
In Fiji the groom presents his bride’s father with a gift of a whale’s tooth.
In Greece they smash dishes on the floor for good luck and throw money at the musicians.
And in Venezuela the newlyweds sneak away from their own wedding reception without saying good-bye to anyone.
So it’s not surprising that, in Bible times, marriage etiquette was very different to ours today. I guess if they could observe an average British wedding they’d say to us “Why are they blowing - in one day - £20,000 they don’t have when they should be setting up home together?” And “Why does the bride’s father make a total lemon of himself dancing like an idiot after the reception?”
Let me tell you what a typical 1st Century Jewish wedding would look like. First of all, no white limousine; the bride, meticulously and beautifully adorned, would walk from her parents’ home to her future parents in laws’ home. That would save you a bob or two… There would be no online wedding lists; the bride would have wedding gifts carried in front of her on a sheet by friends and family members. When she arrived at her fiancé’s house, she would be welcomed in by her future in-laws.
But, unlike a Western wedding with the bridegroom waiting nervously at the altar, he is nowhere to be seen. He has already left with his mates to eat his last meal as a single man (so we’re talking steak and chips and plenty of beer). Finally, when his stag party is over, between 11 o’clock and 3 in the morning, he sets out with the lads to get back to his home where his bride-to-be and half the village are waiting.
The custom is that he can come back at any time of the night he wants. (Well, might as well start as you mean to go on)! Seriously, it’s the groom’s prerogative to be behind schedule, not the bride’s. And because it’s usually so late in the evening, the route to his home has to be lit up by bridesmaids holding oil lamps.
As soon as they hear the commotion of the bridegroom and his pals a few hundred yards down the road they light their lamps, greet him as he arrives and join in the procession.
The moment they all get to the groom’s house the doors are shut and the wedding starts straight away. If you’re late you miss it. The bride and groom sit down on two thrones and the groom’s father presides over the festivities.
In the story Jesus told, the groom took much longer than expected - in fact he and the lads were having such a great evening that no one could stay awake. And while they were all asleep five of the ten lamps ran out of oil and had to run off to fetch some more.
Perhaps the nearest equivalent in our culture would be a bridesmaid who discovered half an hour before the wedding that left her dress at home two hours drive away. What can she do? She can’t really follow the bride up the aisle in a lime green t-shirt and jeans can she?
The Point of the Story
So that is the background to this story. But Jesus didn’t say these words to tell us about someone’s nuptials.
It’s a story with a meaning. Jesus is the bridegroom who is late arriving. In fact, the Church has been waiting for his return since he ascended to heaven in about 33AD - that’s about 1,980 years now which is, let’s be honest, a long time to wait.
The point is very simple; the wise bridesmaids had anticipated the possible delay so they brought with them an adequate reserve of oil. The foolish bridesmaids were unprepared; their oil ran dry, their lamps went out, they were taken by surprise and so blew their chances of getting to the party.
10 bridesmaids were waiting. 10 were dressed up and looking their best. 10 fell asleep when the groom was late. 10 had lamps. 10 wanted to attend the celebration. But only 5 did because only 5 were ready when the bridegroom came.
Jesus will come again one day, perhaps in 10 years, maybe in 100 years, it could be tonight. The thing is are you ready?
That’s the shocking point of this story – it’s a warning. If Jesus comes tonight only those who are ready are getting in to the party of eternal life.
1) Knowing Jesus
Let me be absolutely clear about all this. Who do these bridesmaids represent? The wise ones stand for authentic followers of Jesus, who have encountered Christ and are now filled with the Holy Spirit (that’s what the oil is all about).
The foolish ones are casual believers if you like; they might even be churchgoers, but they have never really been converted to Christ. They’re lukewarm about Jesus, they’re embarrassed to talk about their beliefs such as they are. They are indifferent to the gospel.
5 bridesmaids dozed off in complete peace knowing that they would be ready in a flash. Jesus called them “wise.” And 5 went to sleep indifferent to the urgency of their situation. Jesus called them “foolish.” They were just negligent and lazy.
My friends, do not put off till later the most important thing in life. The more we approach the return in glory of the Lord Jesus the more pressing it is for us all to be ready for it.
2) Do It Now
I have a secret ambition that I’d like to share with you. I have a dream, one day, to jump out of an aeroplane with a parachute. For me, that is the thrill of adventure. Kathie, who usually likes my company, is nonetheless unwilling to be anywhere near me on this particular journey. By the way, if anyone here has a private plane and a second-hand parachute (in good condition) please see me after the service…
But one of the most terrifying nightmares imaginable is surely the one when you jump out of a plane, pull the parachute cord – and nothing happens. Feel the panic and anxiety as you plunge towards the earth watching everybody else above you descend gently down as, one by one, their canopies open normally. They can do nothing for you. They can’t carry a parachute for you. It’s too late.
Jesus means to say with this story that there’s no emergency parachute. Nobody can believe in your place. There comes a time when a toddler has to let go of the furniture and walk alone. There comes a time when the stabilisers have to come off a child’s bike so he can learn to balance on two wheels. There comes a time when a bird has to leave its nest and fly. There comes a time when an adult has to stop coming home to mummy. There comes a time when you have to believe for yourself and not lean on someone else’s faith.
The foolish bridesmaids saw - in alarm - that their oil had run dry so they asked the others if they could borrow some but that isn’t possible. The wise bridesmaids said in v9, “No. There won’t be enough for both of us.”
Someone else’s faith is not enough for you. If you were brought up in a Christian home that’s great (well, usually!) but that doesn’t make you a Christian. If you have Christian friends, that’s a good thing (well, usually!) but that doesn’t make you a Christian either. You can’t borrow salvation from a friend and you can’t inherit it from your parents.
What do we need to do then? The wise bridesmaids say in v9 “Go… and buy some for yourselves.”
Christ is the source of light and grace. John 1.9 calls him “The true light that gives light to everyone.” Come to him before it’s too late! Oh, how I pray that for each person here today the moment of death will not be the time to realise that we have no oil, that we are spiritually bankrupt!
There comes a point when it is too late. The return of Jesus Christ will be abrupt, sudden and unexpected. The Bible says he will return at a time when people least expect him. He will come in royal power and unparalleled glory. Before anyone realises what is happening it will be done. The king will have appeared in all his splendour. And when he is here there will be no time for the doubters, the sceptics and those who will get round to spiritual things later.
Listen to the panic in the voices of the foolish bridesmaids in v11: “While they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’”
There comes a point when it is too late. Listen to the sober finality in the voice of the bridegroom: “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you” Jesus will say. There comes a point when it is too late.
Ending
It would be a big mistake if I were to end my address now saying, “Well folks, that’s all for today, let’s pray as we close.” That would be grossly negligent. So I return to my question at the beginning of this talk; “If Jesus comes back tonight will you be ready?”
If you know Jesus Christ personally – and you know that this faith is not just borrowed from somebody else – and you understand that this is not the kind of question you can put off indefinitely well, you are ready. Your lamp is burning brightly and you have plenty of oil.
But if you cannot honestly say “Yes” to that question, I want to invite you to make a step of faith this morning.
There is nothing more exciting, more wonderful, more marvellous than meeting the Jesus Christ, the Lord of lords, and sealing your eternal destiny. It is a considerable step to make but it is simple to do. You basically need to say three things; “sorry, thank you and please.”
Sorry; “Almighty God, I am sorry for everything I have ever done and thought and said that is wrong. I want to leave behind me today everything that is not right in my life - the whole lot.”
Thank you: “Almighty God, thank you for sending Jesus to earth. Thank you for the gracious gift of forgiveness and new life that spring from the cross he died on in my place. I accept that gift now. I receive all this from you freely today.”
Please; Almighty God, please by the Holy Spirit come and live in my heart from this day on and forever. Fill my life with you. Let heaven be in my heart. Amen.”
If anyone here today has said that prayer in their hearts I’d like to meet with you after the service. I have a little booklet I’d like to give you and I’d like to pray with you and say a few words of encouragement.
Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 12th December 2010
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