Title Is Oil Ready? (Mt 25:1-13)
Contents
It is very important to check and check again for safety in every case. Most of the major accidents that occur around us are human resources that would not have occurred if there had been sufficient safety checks in advance. The Sampoong Department Store collapse and the Seongsu Bridge collapse that occurred many years ago were terrifying and shameful events like a nightmare for all of us. It was an accident that could have been prevented. But this is also true of our faith.
In today's text, the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25, the ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom symbolize believers who waited for Jesus' return in their own way. In the days of Jesus, Israelis often got married, and on the day before the wedding, the groom first prepared a seat at his house and invited his friends to a banquet. And the next day, on the day of the wedding, the groom and his friends form a line and march to the bride's house. In most cases, it is said that the wedding was held in the middle of the night to avoid midday due to the hot weather in the area. Then, in the bride's house, the bride's father invited close friends of the bride to appoint bridesmaids, and it is often said that the number was ten. And the ten virgins had one important task, and that was to go out with a lamp and greet the groom's party as they arrived at the bride's house in the middle of the night.
The bride's friends therefore needed a preparation, which was enough oil to light the lamp. But in this parable, it is said that ten virgins, friends of the bride, were waiting for the bridegroom to arrive, but when the groom's party was delayed, they fell asleep for a while. Then, when the groom arrived, he went out to meet the groom's party, and there was no problem because the five virgins had enough oil, but the five virgins were running out of oil. So they asked their friends to borrow some oil, but when they heard that there was not enough oil to share, they had no choice but to rush out to buy oil. When they returned, the groom's party had already entered the bride's house. It was only after the gate was firmly closed. So, in the end, these five virgins wore nice clothes, decorated, and prepared to attend the wedding feast in their own way, but because they did not check beforehand that there was no oil, they could not enter the bride's house and were embarrassed. It's a story.
What was Jesus trying to say through the story of this parable? It means that not all of us believers today know and believe about the Second Coming of Jesus, but we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. In this parable of the ten virgins, the five virgins who did not prepare oil were waiting for the bridegroom to come in their own way. They also expected to participate in the wedding feast and enjoy the joy and joy of the feast. However, as a result of not checking whether sufficient oil was prepared for them, they were refused entry to the wedding banquet. Likewise, Jesus said that even if they go to church, confess Jesus as their Savior and believe in the Second Coming of Jesus, they will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven if they do not prepare the oil they should have.
In Matthew 25:5 of today's text, it is said, “The bridegroom is delayed, so they all slept and slept”, but I can't help but think that this description is probably not a description of the age in which we live today. 2000 years have already passed since the Lord ascended to heaven with a promise that He would come soon. Moreover, today, like the early church, we are living in a time of peace where there is no tribulation or persecution. As a result, most of the members of the modern church have an easygoing and indolent attitude like sleeping. The most dangerous of these is the possibility that we may mistakenly believe that we are going to heaven because we attend church and confess Jesus as our Savior. In the midst of this, we must check whether our faith is truly worthy of salvation. That is the attitude of a wise saint.
How is it? Are you like the wise virgins who prepared the oil well today? Or do you think of me as a foolish virgin who was dozing off vaguely waiting for the bridegroom with no oil prepared? As we approach the end of the year, when we have to settle the year, we pray that we can become wise believers who look at themselves to see if they are the ones who have prepared the oil.