In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins is about
the church. All ten are virgins, that is, they are pure. In the case of the
church, we have been made pure. We are the ones amid the great tribulation, who
have washed our robes white in the blood of the lamb. The virgins of the church
are those who have been baptized, who hear the Word of God, and who receive his
Sacraments.
However, there are five foolish virgins
and five wise virgins. The foolish virgins are those who have been baptized but
despise their baptism. The foolish virgins have heard the Word of God but
refused to be instructed. They have received the Body and Blood of Christ
without faith.
The wise virgins have been baptized and
daily return to that baptism. The wise virgins read, mark, learn, and inwardly
digest the Word of God. They receive the Body and Blood of Christ because they
know that within this Sacrament are forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
The wise virgins also submit themselves to the Will of God. They recognize
their sins for what they are – deserving of hell. The wise virgins recognize God
for who he is – God is Love. They trust that because God has said he would
forgive their sins, their sins are forgiven. Though they cannot yet see it,
eternal life belongs to the wise.
Both the foolish and the wise are
waiting outside the wedding hall. They are like the bridesmaids who have
quickly traveled from the church to the reception, only to be told to wait
outside for the Bride and Groom to finish taking pictures before they may enter.
All ten virgins have encountered the Bridegroom and are awaiting his return.
The wise brought lamps and extra flasks of oil. The foolish brought lamps but
no oil. In waiting for the Bridegroom, all ten virgins grew tired and fell
asleep.
The time between the wedding of Christ
and his Bride, the Church, and the consummation of this wedding, the Last Day,
is where we currently find ourselves. We are the virgins awaiting the return of
the Bridegroom. We are eagerly waiting for Christ to return. Like all ten of
the virgins, we have also grown tired.
The tiredness of the virgins is
temptation. “If you do not do well, sin lies at the door. Its desire is for
you, but you should rule over it.”[1] Everyone in the church experiences
temptation. No one is above temptation. This is not the specific temptation to
steal or lie, but the temptation to fall asleep. It is the temptation to ignore
God and his Word. It is the temptation to divert your attention away from God
and toward the passions of your flesh.
On the night when he was betrayed, our
Lord took three disciples to a garden on the Mount of Olives. He charged Peter,
James, and John with keeping watch while he prayed to the Father. Three times,
our Lord found the disciples asleep at the watch. “Watch and pray, lest you
enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”[2]
The sleeping disciples had sinned. By
this sin, they had not lost all faith. What they did was abandon diligence.
They “rested on their laurels.” They believed that their faith was strong
enough to carry them through and so they could give into temptation. Thanks be
to God that Jesus was near at hand to continually awaken Peter, James, and John
or else perhaps they would’ve fallen asleep for eternity, the sleep of eternal
torment.
You, like the disciples, are tired. You
come to church. You hear the Word of God. You do devotions at home. So what if
you don’t find a church while on vacation? So what if you miss a Sunday here
and there? So what if you stop giving to the church for a while because it
seems like the church is stable? So what? So what if you take a break?
Realize what this leads to – you are
taking a break from God! Skipping church on vacation soon becomes the Sunday
before vacation and the Sunday after. Sleeping in every other week soon becomes
weekly. Skipping devotion this morning or tomorrow evening soon becomes twice,
three times, seven times skipped each week. Ceasing to give leads to greed. The
occasional glance at another woman becomes freedom to flirt but not touch,
which becomes the freedom to touch, which becomes much more. Sin breeds sin, no
matter the scale of where it starts. Sin is crouching at the door of all our
houses. None is immune.
“What then,” you might say. “There is
none righteous, no, not one…There is no difference; for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”[3] This is no excuse for lack of
diligence, for falling asleep on the watch. It is true – the foolish virgins,
the wise virgins, the inner circle of Christ’s disciples, all fell asleep on
their watch and so will you. Temptation will overwhelm you and you will sin.
The difference is in the preparation.
Are you prepared for when you sin? Are you prepared for when Christ returns? Do
you diligently await the return of Christ?
To be prepared for when you sin is to
know the law of God. To be prepared for when you sin is know how to confess
your sins and how to strive against temptation. Are you tempted to sloth? Recite
Genesis 3:19, “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread, till you return
to the ground, for out of it you were taken, for dust you are and to dust you
shall return.” Then recite Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary of doing
good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Then recite the
Ten Commandments and set about your work according to your station in life.[4]
Are you tempted by ignoring God’s Word?
Recite John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.
The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” Then recite the
Ten Commandments and the Apostles’ Creed, call your pastor and set up a time
for a visit.
Are you tempted by lust? First recite 1
Corinthians 6:18-20, “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is
outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his
own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are
not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in
your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Then turn to your spouse,
tell her you love her, kiss her, and hold her tight. Do this even if you don’t
feel like it. Do this especially when you don’t feel like it.
Are you prepared for when you fall
asleep? When temptation overtakes you and you slip into spiritual
unconsciousness? When you do this, confess your sins. Call your pastor,
schedule a time, and come in for private absolution. Turn to the Word of God.
When you see your sin for what it is, confess it and have the burden of guilt
lifted from your soul.
In this way, you are also preparing for
the return of Christ. The wise virgins trimmed their lamps and prepared spare
oil. They would only bring spare oil if they believed the Bridegroom was
certain to arrive but would take longer than might be expected. They trusted
the word of the Bridegroom but also prepared for the time it would take for him
to arrive. This oil is faith. This oil is reading the Word of God and
committing it to memory. This oil is receiving the gifts of God. This oil is
what sustains you until Christ returns. You must have abundant oil because you
know neither the day nor the hour of Christ’s returning. You are tired, so be
prepared.
The foolish virgins did not bring
additional oil. They either didn’t trust the Bridegroom would actually return
or that their preparation for the Bridegroom was unimportant. “The fool
despises wisdom and instruction…Scorners delight in their scorning and fools
hat knowledge.”[5] The hypocrites in the church either
don’t believe Christ will return or that the manner in which they live has no
impact on their faith. Persisting in sin will breed more sin. More sin will
harden your heart. A hard heart will cause the Bridegroom to respond, “Amen, I
say to you, I do not know you.”[6]
The Bridegroom soon will call us. He
will return and he will return soon. The watchmen of the Lord are sent out in
the middle of the darkest night to proclaim repentance and the forgiveness of
sins. This watchman is telling you that Christ is coming soon. Be prepared by
diligent repentance and faith. Turn from sin and receive all that God has to
give you in his Word – forgiveness, a clean conscience, life, and salvation.
“The light of the righteous rejoices,
but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”[7] The just judgment of the Lord is
coming on the Last Day. There will be foolish virgins locked out of the
heavenly Wedding Hall. Just as the fools who clung to the sides of the ark wished
they had listened to the preaching of Noah, these virgins will wish they had clung
to the ark of their Baptism and listened to the preaching of the watchman. The
door is shut on both and both sent into eternal death.
But you, O wise virgins, awake, for the
night of this world is quickly flying. Awake, virgin inhabitants of Jerusalem,
arise! The Bridegroom is coming, take up the lamps of faith, God’s Word and his
Holy Sacraments with great gladness. Prepare yourselves with the care of a
virginal bride about to meet her beloved. Pray, “Come, Thou Blessed One, Lord
Jesus, God’s own Son, Hail! Hosanna! We shall enter the wedding hall to eat the
Supper at Thy call!”[8]
In
+ Jesus’ name. Amen.
[1]
Genesis 4:7.
[2]
St. Matthew 26:41.
[3]
Romans 3:10, 22-24.
[4]
The list of temptations and passages to recite are inspired by Jason Braaten, Consider
the Ant, https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/2021/8/1/bugenghagen-2021-keynote-consider-the-ant?rq=bugenhagen
[5]
Proverbs 1:7, 22.
[6]
St. Matthew 25:12.
[7]
Proverbs 13:9.
[8]
This paragraph is based on Wachet Auf as found in LSB #516.
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