Title: Faith Without Regret / Matthew 25:1-13
Contents
Faith Without Regret / Matthew 25:1-13
Every time I get on the subway there is always something I regret. Sometimes when I go to get on the train, it feels good that the train has just arrived. I think, “I think that something is going to go well today because the train is coming as soon as I arrive.” However, it is unfortunate that the train leaves as soon as it enters after buying a ticket at the ticket gate. Those who haven't experienced it will find it difficult to understand the regret of running down the stairs frantically and then leaving. What do you think of as you stare at the departing train? “If only I had come from there a little sooner… ”. “If only I had done it sooner… ”.
Sometimes we live our lives with regrets from small things like this. No one will live a life with no regrets. It was the same with the heroes of the Bible. Abraham, a man of faith, also disobeyed God's word because of the famine and went to Egypt. “I regretted it. Moses, the leader of the nation, also got angry and struck the rock with his staff, then said, “I should have been more patient then… ” he regretted.
Even the great king David, after taking Uriah's wife, wept bitterly in his bed and regretted it. “I should have been more patient then… ”. Solomon even built a splendid temple to please God, but in the end he was corrupted by his wealth and idolatry. The country was split in two after fighting between brothers. He regretted writing Ecclesiastes. “It was all in vain. Wealth and glory are nothing. I should have feared God to the end.”
In the New Testament, Peter's regrets are clearly recorded. As soon as the dawn rooster crowed, he lamented himself for not keeping his promise not to deny the Lord, and laid his face against the wall, weeping and crying tears of regret. If we look at the words of the text we read together today, we see five virgins having irreparable regrets. He went out to meet the groom and could not meet him. So, in the end, he met the tragic reality of not being able to participate in the wedding feast.
The Lord compared us to ten virgins. He said that among them there are five virgins who regret, and there are five virgins who participate in the heavenly banquet. Where should we belong? In order to become five wise virgins who do not regret, I would like to share with you the characteristics and meaning of the parable the Lord spoke today.
1. God has given us all the grace to wait.
The Gospel of Matthew is made up of five sermons of Jesus. The five sermons were first the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:27), the second sermon on sending disciples (Matthew 10:5-42), and the third sermon on the parable about heaven ( Matthew 13:1-52), the fourth sermon on church order and discipline (Matthew 18:1-35), and the fifth sermon on the judgment in the end times (Matthew 23:1-25:46). have.
And between these sermons, the healing event and other events are inserted. Also, after Jesus gave this sermon, certain idioms appear in common. It was after the sermon that “Jesus . . . when he had finished”, Matthew 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1.
The parable of the ten virgins we seek to receive grace is found in Matthew 24-25, which is called the last chapter. So this parable is structurally known as the parable about the end. Before telling this parable, Jesus said that the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed. Then the disciples asked what the sign would be not only on this day, but also on the day of the Lord's coming and at the end of the world.
“When Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in silence, saying, Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3) Jesus explained in detail what would happen until the end of time. And as the concluding word, Matthew 24:44 says, “Therefore, be ready, for the Son of Man comes at an hour you do not expect. The Lord concludes by saying that we should be prepared because He will come at a time we do not expect and will judge all things.
The parable of the ten virgins shows who can enter the perfect kingdom of God on the day when the Lord returns as the Judge. This is the background to which Jesus gave this parable. So Jesus told this parable, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom” (Matt 25:1), “at that time”.
This refers to the time when the Lord will return as Judge in glory. And in this text, “… The word “like ten virgins” is in the future tense in the Greek Scriptures, “… You will be like ten virgins.” It can be seen that this parable is being used to show how to prepare and live in the world by foretelling what will happen on the day of the Lord's return in glory.
This parable is found only in the Gospel of Matthew. This parable of the ten virgins is based on a wedding at that time. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the custom of marriage at that time. Let's look at the customs of marriage at that time. At that time, when the wedding is decided, a lot of food is prepared and guests are invited. When the food is prepared and the guests arrive, the wedding feast takes place. During the wedding feast, the groom must come to the bride's house to pick up the bride. On the way for the groom to pick up the bride, a large procession and wind music are played. We can easily imagine this. The problem, however, is that when the groom arrives at the bride's house and takes the bride away, it concludes the question of the dowry, the final condition of marriage with the bride's father.
In those days, when the groom took the bride, he could only take the bride after paying the dowry required by the bride's father. At that time, transportation culture was not developed. And it takes a lot of time because of the bride's father and the last dowry issue. Therefore, the wedding was delayed and sometimes held at night. But there were ten virgins to meet the bridegroom at night. These were ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. In other words, they were for bridesmaids, not brides. The bridegroom came too late, so they all fell asleep while waiting.
There's no way you can have a wedding party in a rich family and have a maiden from a poor family as your bridesmaid. They were all chosen as virgins of good family, beautiful faces, and healthy. If you look at the Miss Korea contest held every year in our country, it selects pretty and beautiful women who are both mentally and physically healthy. Likewise, the ten virgins recorded in the Bible today were chosen under these strict conditions.
These words teach us that we have been spiritually chosen as the bride of Jesus Christ. Thank you for being chosen as the Lord's bride. Today's text must first be considered from the perspective of the Jews. The primary protagonist of the parable is the Jew. As we know them well, the people of Israel waited for the coming of the Messiah with great hope. Countless prophets cried countless times that the Messiah was coming. However, the long-awaited Messiah did not come. Gradually, the enthusiasm for waiting for the Messiah cooled. My mind became relaxed. Eventually, when the Lord came to this earth, they did not receive the Lord.
2. Opportunities always come to those who are prepared.
Each of them prepared a lantern to welcome the groom. But there was a difference between them. The wise virgins filled their lamps with oil, but the foolish virgins brought only their lamps. When the bridegroom arrived, the foolish virgins lit a dry wick, and the fire was extinguished. I couldn't afford to go out to meet the groom. However, the wise virgins were able to welcome the bridegroom in abundance because they contained oil.
A lamp without oil is of no use. No matter how stylish a car is and how well it is functionally built, it is of no use without oil. This is as if there is a form of godliness but denying the power of godliness. Not everyone who goes to church is a believer. Only those who keep their faith until the end are true believers. A true Christian is one who endures to the end even when faced with disappointment, hardship, and persecution.
do well If it's a treat, who can't? He is a true believer who must keep his faith even in the midst of suffering. For this to happen, the motives of faith must be pure and clean. Your beliefs must be right. It should be a faith centered on Jesus Christ, a harmony of faith in the cross and resurrection, a faith centered on the Word of God, and a church centered faith. You must take up your cross and follow Him.
Another important lesson is that faith can never be borrowed from others. Faith is that you can never depend on anyone else. You could never borrow oil. You cannot be saved through the faith of others. Prepare the oil as well as the back. The five wise virgins prepared oil with their lamps. If there had been a separate visible oil barrel, other virgins would have prepared it or would have taken their oil without buying it when the bridegroom came.
3. Opportunities never come to those who do not always prepare.
Verse 10 says that the door was shut and a wedding feast was held. Marriage is the fruit of love. The purpose of the Lord's love for us is to dwell with us forever. Sharing the riches and joys of the wedding feast together and praising God's grace and blessings forever. The Lord will lead us to this eternal wedding feast.
The bridegroom came, and the banquet door was closed. However, once closed, the door cannot be opened again. Even in Noah's flood, the door of the ark could never be opened after it was closed. Because God has closed it.
If we put our minds to it, it seems that we can always live a life of faith. I think I can always study the Bible, have a prayer life, and do church service. This thought makes us lazy.
However, all of this is not always possible. Of course it is possible now. But tomorrow cannot be predicted. Tomorrow may not be our time. There are opportunities in everything. There is no point in regretting if you miss the time. Let's straighten our faith right now, right now, at this time of hearing the Word.
I finish my talk today. God has given all of us a chance to welcome the Lord's return. In today's text, it is the fact that the bridegroom came when they were all dozing off. Perhaps it is a blessing for us to come slowly. It is because you can prepare yourself to meet the Lord with plenty of time. But we should remember that for those who do not prepare for the meeting with the Lord, this day is like a sudden day.
Oil should always be filled. How do you prepare the oil?
*Are you practicing godliness every day?
*Are you sacrificing every day?
*Do you live a life of evangelism every day?
* Do you look for opportunities to serve every day?