Sermon - The Rev. Leah D. Schade
Reformation Lutheran Church, Media, PA
July 30, 2006
“Filling Your Oil Lamp” - The Parable of the Ten Maidens
Text:  Matthew 25:1-13

This parable of the Ten Maidens is what’s known in some cultures as a “shiver story.”  When you hear it, it sends a little shiver through you.  Because it doesn’t have a happy ending.  It has a very harsh ending.  In fact, it’s a little shocking that Jesus would tell this kind of parable.  I wonder what his intent was? 

Well, what is the context in which he tells this story?  It comes near the end of the Gospel of Matthew, just after Jesus enters Jerusalem for the last time on his way to Calvary.  This parable is part of what’s called the “apocalyptic discourse,” which means that it’s part of a series of parables and sayings about the end times.  It’s a parable about the coming of the Son of Man, what’s called the “parousia,” in Greek.

According to some scholars, this story is an allegory that’s full of symbolism which is meant to be a description of the kingdom of heaven.  Each character or element in the story represents something else.  But before we get to what the symbolism means, we need to understand a little bit about the cultural setting of this parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, including the matrimonial customs in the ancient Middle East.

First, let me ask you, how many of you have ever been to a wedding - either your own or somebody else’s?  Then you know that the typical wedding in our time and culture happens when the couple comes together in a specific location, like a church or a park, or somebody’s home.  They get married, and then there is the reception, and then the couple goes off on their honeymoon.

It happened a little differently back in ancient times.  When a man wanted to marry a woman, he didn’t just pop the question to her.  There had to be a whole set of arrangements and negotiations between the groom’s family and the bride’s family.   If both parties were agreeable to the match, the groom would go to the bride’s house on the wedding day and offer to make a payment for her - the bride price or dowry. 

In the meantime, the bride’s maids waited for the announcement that the negotiations were all settled and that the groom was ready to take the bride to his home.  There was a wedding processional with the bride’s maids accompanying the couple to their new home.  Once they were at the house, there was a wedding ceremony and huge feast for both families.

Here’s where we come to our parable.  There were ten bride’s maids.  Five of them were prepared for the wedding procssional with extra oil for their lamps.  Five of them were not.   Now it may seem strange to us that they had to wait so long for the bridegroom to appear.  Because weddings are never delayed because of waiting for the bride or groom today, are they?  And couple always show up right away for the reception so the festivities can begin, right? (wink, wink).

Well, it was even more of a wait back then.  The negotiations with the bride’s family could sometimes take hours.  You never knew when the couple would actually be ready.  But when the call comes that they are on their way, there’s no hesitating.  Either you’re ready or you’re not.  By then it was midnight, and they needed their lamps to light the way for the couple.  But five of those bridesmaids had not made the proper preparations, and their lamps began to sputter and burn out.

Those five maidens turned to their counterparts for extra oil, but were told in a very straightforward manner that there was simply not enough for them and for the other five.  They were told to go buy more oil for themselves, which they did.  But by the time they returned, the door to the house was shut.  This was also a custom back then.  If you weren’t part of the processional, you were out of luck.  Once the wedding party was inside the house, it became a very private and intimate celebration.  The doors were shut, and that was it.  So when the bridesmaids finally returned, they found the doors closed, and heard those ominous words of the bridegroom:  “I do not know  you.”

You see what I mean by  a “shiver story”?  It’s a story that’s “meant to cause listeners to experience a shiver of awareness that leads to thoughtfulness, contemplation and action,” (Estes, 302).  It has a harsh ending because it’s supposed to teach us what not to do, and how to find a way to make different choices in order to avoid this unfortunate fate.

So what is it that we’re supposed to see and learn?  What does all this symbolism mean?  Well, as I studied and meditated on this text in the last few days, it seems that this parable works on two levels.  On one level, some scholars say this was meant to be a warning to the churches to be prepared for Christ’s second coming.  The bridesmaids represent the churches, some of which are prepared, some of which are not.  The bridegroom is Jesus.  And the wedding banquet is a symbol for the celebration of heaven. 

But there is a deeper, much more personal level to this parable.  The reason it makes us shiver is because it makes us ask ourselves, “Which type of bridesmaid am I?  Am I prepared?  Do I have enough oil for my lamp?  Or am I foolishly unprepared, to the point where I am going to irrevocably miss out, and the door is going to be shut in my face?”

You see, this parable is about a deeply personal, deeply spiritual issue.  Because the key symbols in this parable are the lamp and the oil.  The lamp is, universally, a symbol of light, enlightenment, creativity, passion, wisdom. But a lamp will not work without the oil.  The oil is what’s inside the lamp that makes it work.  It’s that hidden but necessary fuel within our souls that allows our spirits to stay alight.  And it’s a very personal thing - having enough oil for your lamp.  When you have no oil, you have no capacity for “responding to the unexpected that God sends our way,” (Swenson, 70). 

So what is this oil that we’re talking about?  What does the oil symbolize?  While it’s difficult to define, it has something to do with energy.  It can be your physical energy, your emotional energy, or even your time energy.  It’s different for different people.  It’s whatever allows you to to keep your internal fire lit.

You may not have heard it described in these terms before.  But I can demonstrate to you that you have it.  Because everyone knows what it feels like when you don’t have enough.  You feel depleted.  Exhausted - like you have nothing left in the tank.  Like those five foolish maidens you literally experience “burn out.” 

I would argue that this parable has incredible significance for our day and age.  Because modern day living has us all running around like those foolish maidens, desperate, because we realize that we do not have enough oil or energy to keep our lamps lit.  It’s that feeling you get when you realize that the fire in your soul is dying.  You experience panic and exhaustion at the same time, just like those maidens.

And we are so like those foolish ones.  When they finally realized their mistake, they went to the wise and begged for some of their oil.  But they didn’t admit they’d made a mistake.  They didn’t apologize for their lack of preparation.  In fact, they didn’t accept any personal responsibility at all.  One translation of the text has them saying, “Our lamps are extinguishing themselves.”  As if it’s the lamp’s fault that it’s burning out!

And isn’t this characteristic of us?  We realize that our fire has gone out because we have not tended to it.  We may try to blame others, but really, we have no one but ourselves to blame.  We realize that we do this our to ourselves, out of neglect.  We let other things distract us from the most necessary work - keeping our lamps filled and lit.  We get distracted by too much work, too much overscheduling, too much tiredness, too many responsibilities, demands and expectations, and not nearly enough time to meet them all. 

It’s easy to overlook, easy to think you can do without that extra oil.  But here’s the thing --  the amount of energy within us is finite.  There is a limited supply.  You have to take the time and effort to ensure there is enough oil for your lamp, and you have to fill it up from other reserves.  When we don’t, it’s no wonder we’re like those foolish maidens.  “We feel ashamed admitting that our spirit is exhausted and collapsing within us,” (Swenson, 82).

We don’t know why those foolish maidens failed to prepare.  Maybe they were making excuses for themselves.  “Oh, I’ll get around to it one of these days.  But you know, the house, the kids, the spouse, the cat, the job all need my consummate attention.  I’m going to get around to it, but right now I just don’t have the time, just don’t have the money.  I just, I just I just . . .” (Estes, 306).  Sound familiar? 

I know it rings true for me.  This is definitely a “shiver story” for me, because I recognize myself in those five foolish maidens.  I’m very short-sighted when it comes to having enough oil for my lamp.  It seems I’m living in the middle of a dust storm of activity all the time, which severely limits my ability to envision what I need for my interior life.

But then the calls rings out that the bridegroom is coming.  Christ is coming to meet us -- in that needy person, in that service project at church, in a conversation that will take a little extra focus, in the sudden death of someone we love.  And we realize with alarm that we have no energy for God.  The opportunity to encounter God is lost through a tragic lack of self-preparation.  It’s what’s known as a spiritual crisis.  

And the five wise maidens tell them that they cannot help them.  It’s not said sarcastically or in a berating way.  It’s a matter of fact.  It’s a deeply personal thing.  It’s an interior process.  You can’t get your oil from someone else’s supply.  You have to get your  own.  The five wise ones can only tell the foolish ones where to go to restock their supply.  And by the time they get back, it’s too late.  The bridegroom has come and gone, and the door is closed.

So how are we going to ensure that we have enough oil, enough energy for God?  How can we avoid the mistakes of those five foolish maidens?   Again, it’s a very personal thing, and everyone has their own type of oil and their own way of getting it.  But involves 4 basic steps.  First, you have to be honest with yourself about your energy level and what you really need.  Don’t assume that you have enough, like the five foolish ones did.  That would be your first mistake.  Always assume you need more oil than you have right now.

Step 2:  You have to take the time and initiative to go and get your oil.  Stop making excuses for not tending to your inner life.  You know, “if we were to abuse our children, Social Services would show up at our doors.  If we were to abuse our pets, the Humane Society would come to take us away.  But there is no [Self-Care] Patrol or Soul Police to intervene if we insist on starving our own souls.  There is just us.  We are the only ones to watch over our [lamps and make sure we have enough oil for them],” (Estes, 317-8). 

You have to protect your soul and insist on finding the oil for your inner fire.  How do you do that?  Step 3:  By defining and then defending your boundaries.  When a thousand different things and people are pulling at your attention, put up your hand and say, “Wait.  I’m going to go fill up my oil lamp.”  And then go.  Jesus didn’t give us this parable for nothing.  Now you know that God is not only giving you permission to find the oil, but is, in fact, issuing a stern warning to do it or else! 

And that leads to the final step:  Do whatever it is you do to get your oil back.  Go to a museum.  Take a walk in your favorite place.  Get yourself to church.  Read poetry.  Write poetry.  Find a good devotional book and read it.  Whatever it is that restores your oil supply, do it now. 

For me, it’s meditating and praying, writing in my journal, and spending time with people who fill up my oil well.  Anything that sparks your imagination, feeds your inner hunger, reignites your passion, gets you to laugh with joy, and helps you to reconnect with the Holy Spirit - that’s the oil you need in your lamp.

And it’s not something you can do once a month, or a few times a year.  Modern day living is constantly depleting us, burning up our oil, distracting us from filling up.  We need to keep an eye on the oil gauge daily to make sure that it’s filled.  You need to stock up, so that when the bridegroom comes, you’re ready. 

And then the occasion for God’s unexpected arrival can be met with joy and confidence, knowing that you have prepared your heart and your soul for this.  You can happily join the wedding procession and light the way for Christ in our midst, your inner flame burning brightly, illuminating the world around you.  Amen.


Sources:
Estes, Clarissa Pinkola, Women Who Run With the Wolves, 1992, 1995, Ballantine Books, New York

Jeremias, Joachim, The Parables of Jesus, 1963, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York

Swenson, Richard, Margin, 2004, NavPress, Colorado