Carrying Extra Oil
Matthew 25:1-13, The Message - “God’s kingdom is
like ten young virgins who took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom.
Five were silly and five were smart. The silly virgins took lamps, but no extra
oil. The smart virgins took jars of oil to feed their lamps. The bridegroom
didn’t show up when they expected him, and they all fell asleep.
“In the middle of the night someone yelled out, ‘He’s
here! The bridegroom’s here! Go out and greet him!’
“The ten virgins got up and got their lamps ready. The
silly virgins said to the smart ones, ‘Our lamps are going out; lend us some of
your oil.’
“They answered, ‘There might not be enough to go around;
go buy your own.’
“They did, but while they were out buying oil, the bridegroom
arrived. When everyone who was there to greet him had gone into the wedding
feast, the door was locked.
“Much later, the other virgins, the silly ones, showed up
and knocked on the door, saying, ‘Master, we’re here. Let us in.’
“He answered, ‘Do I know you? I don’t think I know you.’
“So stay alert. You have no idea when he might arrive.
One way
to see this passage is to simply take this weird story about smart and silly
virgins as Jesus reinforcing His teaching on readiness in chapter 24 of Matthew’s
gospel. The smart young ladies were prepared
and the silly young ladies were not. However,
we would be missing something important if we did that. This story is not just about readiness; it’s
about complacency.
You
see, all ten ladies were prepared to do what they were supposed to do. These bridesmaids job was to go out and wait
for the bridegroom and when he arrived, they would form a lighted welcome line to
welcome him and usher him into the wedding ceremony. All ten ladies had their lamps and were
prepared to do their job – if everything went according to plan. But Jesus introduces an unexpected
twist. What if the bridegroom was
delayed and didn’t arrive until much later than expected? This unexpected problem is what separates the
smart from the silly. The smart virgins
knew that things could go wrong and they might need more oil than they
thought. However, the others were
complacent and thought they had oil all they needed. They were overly confident in their resources and
when the unexpected happened, it kept them from fulfilling their responsibility
and participating in the great celebration.
I’m a
guy who likes to play golf from time to time, but by no stretch of the
imagination do I consider myself a golfer.
Anyone who has seen me play would probably agree. When I hit the ball, only God knows where it’s
headed. For that reason, I never set
foot on the first tee without several extra golf balls. I’m pretty sure that in the course of 18
holes, I will lose at least a couple but more than likely more than a
couple. I am not overly confident about
my golf game, so I expect the unexpected.
Unfortunately,
when it comes to my faith life, I haven’t always had the same humility. At times, I will confess to “coasting.” I get complacent with my faith resources
being sufficient to carry me through whatever comes. I skip my spiritual disciplines. I “phone it in” as they say. Almost without exception, whenever I let that
complacency slip in, life throws something at me that leaves me coming up
short. I am unprepared and I miss opportunities. When I go through life only expecting the
expected, I will invariably be surprised (not in a good way) at some point.
Jesus calls
us to a lifestyle of preparation for the unexpected. Spiritual practices like regular prayer, Bible
study, worship, and others help us “store up extra oil” for our lamps. Then, when life happens, we are ready.
Questions: What practices
help you carry “some extra oil” for your lamp?
What is the current state of those practices in your routine right now?
Prayer: Lord, show us
the places in our heart and life where we have gotten complacent. We don’t want to miss the opportunities you
present when they come and we definitely don’t want to be unprepared when Jesus
returns. Show us how to store up extra “oil
for our lamps.” Amen.
Prayer Focus: Ask God
to show you something you can do to better prepare you for the unexpected.
Song: Give Me Oil in
My Lamp – Nathan Jess
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