The Unknown Hour

My name is Ed. I see some new faces, so I'm one of the pastors here at Trinity Cambridge.

We're going to continue on in our Matthew series, so if you would open up your Bibles with me.

! We're in Matthew 24, starting in verse 36, and then we'll read all the way to Matthew 25, verse 13.

Matthew 25:13

If you don't have a Bible and would like to use one, feel free to raise your hand. We'd be happy to grant you

or give you a Bible for you to use at this time. I'll be reading from the English Standard Version.

Again, starting from Matthew 24, verse 36.

Matthew 24:36

If you would bow your heads as we come before the Lord in prayer.

Heavenly Father,

Heavenly Father,

who are we

but dust

here

one day and gone tomorrow

and yet you care for us. You are mindful of us.

So much so that you give us your word.

your word that exhorts us,

addresses us,

wakes us up from our slumber.

And we pray that you would do that very thing by the power of your Holy Spirit.

The indwelling Holy Spirit would open up our eyes, unlock our ears,

so that we would hear how you are addressing us today in your word.

That we are to stay awake, to stay ready for you are coming.

You're coming soon.

So I pray that though my words are weak,

your power would manifest in cutting us to the heart

and helping us, empowering us to live transformed lives.

Lord, please do this for your glory.

Help us.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

If you are able,

please rise to honor the reading of God's word.

Again, starting from Matthew 24, 36.

But concerning that day and hour,

no one knows,

not even the angels of heaven,

nor the Son,

but the Father only.

For as were the days of Noah,

so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

For as in those days before the flood,

they were eating and drinking,

marrying and giving in marriage,

until the day when Noah entered the ark.

And they were unaware until the flood came

and swept them all away.

So will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Then two men will be in the field.

One will be taken and one left.

Two women will be grinding at the mill.

One will be taken and one left.

Therefore, stay awake.

For you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

But know this,

that if the master of the house had known

in what part of the night the thief was coming,

he would have stayed awake

and would not have let his house be broken into.

Therefore, you also must be ready,

for the Son of Man is coming at an hour

you do not expect.

Who then is the faithful and wise servant

whom his master has set over his household

to give them their food at the proper time?

Blessed is that servant whom his master

will find so doing when he comes.

Truly, I say to you,

he will set him over all his possessions.

But if that wicked servant says to himself,

my master is delayed

and begins to beat his fellow servants

and eats and drinks with drunkards,

the master of that servant will come on a day

when he does not expect him.

And at an hour he does not know

and will cut him in pieces

and put him with the hypocrites.

In that place there will be weeping

and gnashing of teeth.

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins

who took their lamps

and went to meet the bridegroom.

Five of them were foolish

and five were wise.

For when the foolish took their lamps,

they took no oil with them,

but the wise took flasks of oil

with their lamps.

As the bridegroom was delayed,

they all became drowsy and slept.

But at midnight there was a cry,

here is the bridegroom,

come out to meet him.

Then all those virgins rose

and trimmed their lamps.

And the foolish said to the wise,

give us some of your oil

for our lamps are going out.

But the wise answered saying,

since there will be not enough

for us and for you,

go rather to the dealers

and buy for yourselves.

And while they were going to buy,

the bridegroom came

and those who were ready

went in with him

into the marriage feast.

And the door was shut.

Afterward, the other virgins came

also saying,

Lord, Lord, open to us.

But he answered,

truly I say to you,

I do not know you.

Watch therefore,

for you know neither the day

nor the hour.

This is God's holy

and authoritative word.

You may be seated.

Have you ever noticed

that the substance

of your nightmares

don't really change,

but only merely

the circumstances?

It's pretty much

the same nightmare,

but they're distressed

in different clothes.

I don't have them often,

but I've had this

recurring nightmare

ever since I was little.

this recurring dream

of being caught

unprepared

by unexpected circumstances.

When I was in high school,

I had the nightmare

of walking into class

only to find out

that I have a huge major final

that I wasn't prepared for,

so I get a big fat F.

When I was working

my corporate job,

it's going into a meeting

only to find out

that I'm supposed

to give a huge presentation

in front of the corporate

bigwigs, right?

The directors

and the VPs,

so it ends up

me getting fired.

And I kid you not,

my wife and I

were in the throes

of wedding planning.

I had the nightmare

of getting married to her.

Not that kind of nightmare, right?

I wanted to get married to her,

but it was a nightmare

of going to the wedding,

finding out that

I don't have anything prepared.

Like, where are the flowers?

Where's the dress?

Where's my own suit?

I woke up in a cold sweat

that night.

But can there be anything

more terrifying

than to be prepared,

unprepared,

for the end of the world?

It seems like that fear

is in our cultural DNA, right?

Endless movies and TV shows

seem to be just harping

on that one same fear.

It's in the air.

It's in our waters.

As I was prepping

for this sermon this week,

I discovered a surprisingly

large subculture

of people who are getting ready

for the apocalypse.

Right?

Readiness,

apocalypse readiness groups,

or preppers,

as they call themselves.

Right?

They have websites,

they have Reddit threads,

they have even local chapters

that meet throughout

the United States,

which you can go

and join today.

All for the purpose

of helping one another

to get ready

for the end of the world.

They think that maybe

the sun will blow up,

or there actually will be

a zombie apocalypse.

But whatever they're preparing for,

they're packing out bug-out bags,

they're prepping

their fallout bunkers,

all to get ready

for this cataclysmic event.

It might sound ridiculous,

and certainly in our culture,

they're sometimes

the butt of our jokes,

but ironically,

these preppers

get something right.

They get something right

to get ready

to the end of the world.

Something that we all

need to get ready for.

The only problem

is that they profoundly

misunderstand

how to get ready for it.

What about you?

Are you ready

for the end of the world?

Do you know how

to get ready for it?

In this passage this morning,

Jesus tells us

that the end of the world

is in fact coming.

Why?

Because he is coming.

And he can return

at any point,

in 10 minutes,

or in 10 millennia.

You do realize,

I might not actually

get to finish this sermon.

He is coming,

and when he does,

he will judge

each and every single person,

yes,

including you,

for your readiness.

So we need

to get ready.

So that's the main point

of my sermon today.

Expect

the unexpected return

of Christ.

And in turn,

I'll talk about

four points

that this passage

addresses.

First,

the hour

that is hidden

from us,

the return

that is certain

for us,

the readiness

that is required

of us,

and finally,

the door

that is closing

on us.

By way of reminder,

we're in the middle

of the Olivet Discourse

that started

from the disciples'

question

in chapter 24,

verse 3,

which reads,

tell us,

when will these things be,

and what will be

the sign of your coming

and of the end

of the age?

Last week,

Sean preached

about how Jesus

answers this

part one

of the question

where he addresses

the beginning

of the end,

and this week,

Jesus moves on

to now part two,

the end

of the end.

And it's signified

by a clear transition,

these two words

right in the beginning

of our passage,

but concerning,

but concerning.

Right?

Earlier in the

book of Matthew,

Jesus,

and also later,

the Apostle Paul,

they use this

exact same phrase,

these exact same words

to shift topics.

So we have a clear

paragraph break here.

Jesus is moving on

now to address

the topic of the

end of the age,

or to put it

in more biblical terms,

the day of the Lord.

About this day,

Prophet Joel

proclaims,

let all the inhabitants

of the land

tremble,

for the day

of the Lord

is coming.

It is near,

a day of darkness

and gloom.

The day of the Lord

is great

and very awesome.

Who

can endure it?

So,

if this day,

the last day

of the history

of the world

as we know it,

is fast approaching,

it's understandable

that the disciples,

they ask their

respected rabbi,

when will this

fateful day be?

Because if they know

the timing,

then,

of course,

we can get ready

for it appropriately.

And during that time

in particular,

this topic

is a hot button topic.

People are talking

about it,

wrestling with it,

giving their ideas,

when it could be,

with no one being able

to give a compelling answer.

But surely Jesus,

surely Jesus would know.

But what Jesus says

must have surely

shocked his disciples.

Concerning the timing

of the day

and the hour,

not a single soul knows.

Nor will we ever know,

though many have tried.

Take Edgar Weisant,

who was a former

NASA engineer,

who wrote a book

called 88 Reasons

Why the Raptures

Will Be in 1988.

1988.

That book did not age well.

Or Harold Camping,

who predicted

that the return of Christ

will be in 2011.

His followers

were so convinced

that this is the day

that he's going to return.

So they sell

all that they have

to put up billboards

and travel the world

and tell everybody

that he's returning.

Not the wisest

financial decision.

Even the Jehovah's Witnesses,

they've predicted

the end of the world

four times already.

Already in 1914,

1918,

1925,

and 1975.

Every generation

has had people

who think

that they've cracked

the code.

And every single person

ends up getting it wrong.

Not a single person

will know the day.

Not even the glorious angels know.

Most astonishingly,

Jesus openly declares

that he doesn't even know.

The Son doesn't even know.

But only the Father knows.

This is the first

and only time

in all the Gospels

where Jesus confesses

Jesus confesses

ignorance to a question.

Let reality sink in

this miracle-performing,

death-defying,

bread-multiplying Messiah,

who has answered

every single thorny question

from the scribes

and the Pharisees

with astonishing wisdom.

He is now confessing ignorance.

That must have

floored the disciples.

Even more so,

maybe for us today,

who have a clear

theological picture

of who Jesus is.

He's not just

the Son of Man,

but he is

the eternal Son of God.

the second person

of the Trinity

who sustains

all of creation

by the mere power

of his word.

How could he be ignorant

if he really is

the tri-omni-God,

the omnipresent,

omnipotent,

and most relevant

to our discussion,

omniscient God?

Now, this verse

has ignited major debate

throughout church history

with some

landing on

the heretical belief

that Jesus,

the Son of God,

is actually a lesser God

than God the Father.

But we need not come

to that conclusion.

The answer, I think,

simply lies in the fact

that Jesus was both

miraculously

and mysteriously

fully God

and fully human.

Not 50% God,

not 50% human,

not 90-10,

but 100% God

and 100% human.

Later,

in Philippians 2,

Paul helpfully

describes the mystery

of the incarnation

like this.

Though Jesus

was in the form

of God,

he did not account

equality with God

a thing to be grasped,

but emptied himself

by taking the form

of a servant

being born

in the likeness

of men.

consider again

that Jesus is

the tri-omni God.

He really is.

But while he is

the omnipresent God,

at the same time,

human Jesus

limits himself

to one place

at one time.

While he is

the omnipotent God,

he really is.

At the same time,

in his incarnation,

human Jesus

gets tired,

hungry.

I think we maybe

tend to understand

those two

a little bit more easily,

but I think this verse

adds another dimension

just to the great

condescension of Christ.

We mustn't forget

that while he is

the omniscient God,

at the same time

in his incarnation,

Jesus is still human

with human limitations.

Jesus increased

in wisdom

and in stature,

as Luke writes

in Luke 2.52,

and in this particular

instance,

he doesn't know.

He doesn't know

the timing

of the consummation

of the kingdom.

Why did he put

these things aside?

It's because

when the eternal

word of God

became flesh,

dwelt among us,

he walked among us

not as a super-powered

demigod,

but as a genuine,

weak,

ignorant man.

All so that he can

truly sympathize

with our weaknesses.

Jesus knows

what it's like

to be tempted,

what it's like

to be saddened

by tragedy and loss,

what it's like

not knowing the future.

Ignorance

is essential

to the human experience.

To be God

is to know things.

It's to know all things.

To be human

is to not know things.

If Jesus

didn't come

as fully human,

then what

meaningful sense

would Jesus

be our genuine

representative,

be the new Adam?

If his feet

never soiled the ground

or if eyelids

never grew tired

or if he never

had to say,

I don't know.

Theologian

Donald McLeod,

he put it this way,

Jesus had learned

to obey

without knowing

all the facts

and to believe

without being

in possession

of full information.

He had to forego

the comfort

which omniscience

would sometimes

have brought.

While omniscience

was a luxury

always within

the reach

of Jesus,

he chose

not to grasp

at it,

to grasp

at equality

with God

in that moment

to be

our true

mediator

between God

and sinful man.

consider then

the amazing

humility

of Jesus

that he displays

when he declares

that he doesn't

know something

that he could know.

Consider then

the amazing

arrogance

and pride

of man

who declares

he knows something

that he could

never know.

We are

an information

obsessed

culture.

A million

Google hits

mere seconds.

Now the power

of AI

at our fingertips.

We even gossip

because we want

to know

information.

We crave

information.

All so that

we can say

we know

things,

right?

We love

the power

and the security

that information

gives us.

And God

certainly has

given us

the ability

to learn

and know

many things.

but there

are some

things that

God will

keep us

forever in

the dark

and particularly

the timing

of his return.

Why?

To keep us

humble

and to keep

us faithfully

waiting for

his return.

But here's

what God

has not

kept from

us.

Even while

the hour

of the return

is hidden

from us,

we do know

with certainty

that he will

in fact

return.

How do

we know

this?

Jesus

then points

to Noah.

In our

passage this

morning,

have you

noticed that

all the

examples that

Jesus gives

are merely

figurative?

All but

one.

Noah is

the one

historic

example that

will prove

this day

will in fact

come.

If you're

unfamiliar with

the story of

Noah in

Genesis 6,

just a few

chapters after

God creates

the world

and mankind,

his heart

breaks because

he sees that

every intention

of the thoughts

of man's

heart was

only evil

continually.

Just and

holy God

decides to

wipe out

all of

humanity as

a judgment

on the

earth,

but not

before commanding

righteous Noah

to build an

enormous ark

of wood so

that he,

his family,

and the chosen

animals would

be able to

survive the

deluge.

this ark

that stretched

one and a

half football

fields and

was as tall

as a four

story building,

it was this

titanic

jumbotron,

right,

displaying for

all to see

the warnings

of the impending

judgments of

God.

But tragically,

not a single

soul heeded

this warning.

Instead,

they continued

to live their

lives as they

saw fit,

eating,

drinking,

and marrying

right until

their watery

graves.

And just as

the flood

that wiped

out humanity

is a

historical fact,

it really

did happen,

Christ too

will in fact

return.

Yet for

all of

church history,

this unbelieving

world has

jeered and

mocked us,

have they not,

for our silly

and fanatical

beliefs.

Especially in

recent years,

right,

don't believe

me?

Then just go

to the street,

just like the

team did in

London.

Just go to the

street and tell

them that Jesus

is going to

return at any

point,

that the world

is coming to

an end.

You'll see it

written right on

their face,

they're going to

think that we're

straight up

wacko.

Maybe you even

feel a little bit

embarrassed by

those beliefs.

They'll attack us

and say,

you guys have

been saying that

Jesus is

returning for

2,000 years.

Isn't it time,

guys, to give

it up?

But these

attacks are

nothing new.

Even the

apostle Peter

and his

churches had

to deal with

it.

We read in

2 Peter 3,

they will say,

where is the

promise of his

coming?

For ever since

the fathers fell

asleep, all

things are

continuing as

they were from

the beginning

of creation.

And how does

Peter respond?

He draws on

the same piece

of evidence

that Jesus

does.

He points

to Noah.

For they

deliberately

overlook this

fact that

the world

that then

existed was

deluged with

water and

perished.

But by the

same word,

the heavens

and the

earth that

now existed

are stored

up,

fire being

kept until

the day of

judgment and

destruction of

the ungodly.

Both Jesus

and Peter

point to the

past example

of Noah

for the

future promise,

for the

assurance that

he will in

fact come and

bring judgment.

And when he

comes, we don't

know when he

will come, but

we do know how

he will come.

It will be

universal and

it will be

sudden.

Just as the

flood came and

wiped them all

away, when that

day of judgment

comes, rest

assured that not

a single soul

will miss it.

when Jesus

personally, bodily

returns on the

heavenly clouds,

every eye will

see him, even

those who

pierced him, and

all tribes of

the earth will

wail on account

of him.

From the

greatest to

the least.

Even the

seemingly

inconsequential

nameless two

men in the

field, or the

nameless women

at the mill in

verses 40 to

41, they're

just doing

normal,

ordinary,

everyday chores.

They, too, will

be judged.

What happens to

these two pairs

is representative

of what will

happen to the

whole of

humanity.

On that day,

though the two

might look

exactly the same

on the outside,

right on paper,

they're doing the

same work,

in the same

time, in the

same place,

the inner reality

is that they

are worlds

apart.

For one is

a child of

God, and

one is a

child of

Satan.

When Christ

returns, he

will reveal the

invisible spiritual

chasm that

lies between

them by taking

the one and

leaving the

other.

And when

Jesus returns,

secondly, he

will come

suddenly.

People will be

caught in the

middle of their

work day,

working in the

field, grinding

at the mill,

still dressed in

their sweaty

clothes.

They won't have

time, we don't

have time to go

home and get

ready for Jesus.

And to hammer

home that

suddenness in

which he comes,

Jesus goes as

far as to

compare it to

a thief in the

night.

What is a

thief's greatest

asset?

It's not his

strength, maybe

it's not even

his speed, but

it is simply

the element of

surprise.

Thieves come

in at the

moment you

least expect

them.

And in

America, it's

more common

for thieves to

break in and

steal during the

day than at

night because

they know that

we're all at

work.

So Jesus

compares himself

to a thief,

obviously not to

indict himself as

a lawbreaker,

but to stress

the sudden,

surprising manner

in which he

will come.

In fact, he

even explicitly

says that the

thief will come

at an hour you

do not expect.

Therefore, the

main exhortation

is to stay

awake, stay

ready at all

times, for you

never know when

the thief will

come.

During travel,

on behalf of a

Roman century back

then, a soldier,

he would keep a

certain watch in

the middle of

the night for a

couple of

hours while all

the other

soldiers would

sleep, catch

up on rest, and

he would have to

stay awake looking

out for bad

actors.

When his watch

was over, then

the next would

come to take

his place, and

they would just

rinse and repeat.

Hear this quote

from Charles

Spurgeon,

brethren, we

have succeeded a

long line of

watchmen.

Since the days of

our Lord, when he

sent out the chosen

twelve to stand

upon the citadel and

tell how the night

waxed or waved, how

have the watchers

come and gone?

Our God has

changed the watchers,

but he has kept

the watch.

He still sets

watchmen on the

walls of Zion who

must watch for the

coming of their

master.

friends, it's our

watch now.

It is our

generation's turn to

watch for the

Lord, to stay

awake and get

ready.

So heeding this

clarion call, where

must our eyes turn

then?

Upward,

heavenward.

In no way can we

properly watch for

the Lord who will

come on the

heavenly clouds

if our eyes are

earthbound and

downcast?

This is a

contradiction in

terms.

It's like looking

left and right at

the same time.

But our eyes are

cast earthbound

because we so

easily get

distracted by

competing loves

and desires here

on earth.

The lesser

things of earth

sparkle brighter

in our eyes,

do they not,

than the golden

streets of heaven?

There's too much

in this life that

you want to buy,

to see,

to do,

to taste.

Too much you want

to experience.

Hear Jesus' words in

Luke's parallel passage,

in Luke 17.

On that day,

let the one who is on

the housetop,

with his goods in the

house,

not come down,

to take them away.

And likewise,

let the one who is in

the field not turn

back.

friends,

what use are the

things that we amass

down here,

up there?

Let your eyes

leave the fleeting

glories of this

earth and turn

upward.

Or maybe your eyes

are earthbound,

they're not

heavenward,

because of our

endless earthly

worries and

anxieties and

distractions.

distractions.

I need to

progress in my

career,

I need to

save for a

house,

I need to

get ready for

retirement.

And are my

kids progressing

in the way they

should?

We forget to

consider that

Jesus can return

today because we

are so worried

about tomorrow.

Or maybe our

distractions are

more subtle than

that.

We wake up,

go to work,

come home,

sleep,

rinse and

repeat for

40 years.

Has that

monotony

lulled you to

sleep?

Has the

bright blue

hue of your

phone and

the endless

swiping lulled

you to sleep?

Brothers and

sisters,

wake up.

Take your

place at the

watch post.

It is our

time, our

turn to watch

for the Lord

now.

brothers and

sisters, how

often do you

remember that

Christ can

literally return

at any time?

I confess I

don't reflect on

it nearly

enough.

When was the

last time that

you started your

day?

Not by worrying

about your to-do

list and what you

have to get done,

but simply

remembering that

this day could

actually be the

day.

It could be

today.

It's possibly

one of the

most important

transformative

habits that we

cultivate to

remember this

regularly as we

watch and we

wait for the

Lord to return.

But watching for

the Lord is not

a mere

idleness.

Jesus' next

parable sheds

light on what

readiness actually

looks like when

he compares and

contrasts two

kinds of

servants.

The first

servant is a

model example

of readiness

for the

master return.

Notice that he

doesn't just sit

idle, twiddling

his thumbs,

sitting around

the window waiting

for the master

to return.

He doesn't

waste his time

trying to guess

when the master

will return,

obsessing over

biblical numerology,

looking at the

stars and trying

to map out

astrology.

astrology, when

he is bestowed

with a task to

provide for the

household, he

simply gets to

work.

His waiting for

the master is

expressed in

simple, ordinary

obedience to the

commands that he

has received.

He is reliable,

consistent,

trustworthy.

So when the

master of the

house returns, he

finds a thriving

household put in

order, made

possible by the

diligent work of

the servant.

As a result, the

master then grants

the servant a

major promotion,

sets him over all

his possessions.

He who is

faithful over little

will be faithful

over much.

In direct

contrast, Jesus

paints the picture

of a wicked

servant who

arrogantly assumes

that the master

is delayed.

You see exactly

what kind of man

he is, right?

For the person

you are when

nobody is

watching is

actually the

person you

are.

The man proves

his wickedness by

then taking this

opportunity without

supervision to

indulge in sin,

beating his

fellow servants,

people who are

his peers, his

equals, and

eating and drinking

with drunkards.

to this wicked

man.

The master will

come on a day

that he does

not expect,

inflict a

terrible punishment.

Using graphic

language that's

meant to shock

the sleepy

awake, Jesus

declares that

this wicked

servant will be

cut in pieces.

And as

gruesome as

that sounds,

it's not even

the worst

part.

For this

punishment

signifies so

much more

than just a

physical death.

After he's

cut in pieces,

he's thrown

into the place

with the

hypocrites,

probably the

scribes and

the Pharisees,

as we read

this in the

context of

Matthew,

where there

is weeping

and gnashing

of teeth.

How can

someone weep

and gnash

their teeth

when they've

been cut up

in pieces?

It only

makes sense

if Jesus

is not

merely speaking

about a

physical death,

but a

greater,

more fearsome

spiritual

death.

And we've

seen this

kind of

language in

Matthew before

that the

place of

weeping

and gnashing

of teeth

signifies the

eternal,

unquenchable

fire of

hell.

So by

both of

the incentive

of reward

and the

spur of

punishment,

Jesus teaches

us how we

are to get

ready,

how we're

to get ready

for the

master's

return.

And that

readiness

certainly has

nothing to

do with

irreverent

silly myths,

neither is

it frantic,

fanatic acts

like so many

cults end up

taking.

On the one

hand,

it's

positively,

it's simple,

consistent

faithfulness to

the tasks that

God has called

you to.

going to

the office

day after

day,

honoring the

Lord by

putting your

best work,

raising your

kids,

exercising

patience and

love day

after day.

And on the

other hand,

negatively put,

it's fleeing

from sin and

keeping a

close watch

over your

soul,

knowing that

the heart

is desperately

sick,

and that

we are so

prone to

forget that

he is coming.

We are so

prone to

wander.

We do

well to

commit

ourselves to

prayerful,

careful,

watchfulness.

Here's a

helpful definition

of watchfulness

by Puritan

Thomas Brooks.

Watchfulness

is a

continual,

careful

observing of

our ways

in all the

passages and

turnings of

our life

that we

still keep

close to

the written

word of

God.

In other

words,

readiness for

the end of

the world,

it looks like

godliness and

holiness.

Peter says so

in that same

chapter that we've

been reading from,

from 2 Peter 3.

Since all these

are thus to be

dissolved,

what sort of

people ought

you to be in

lives of

holiness and

godliness,

waiting for

and hastening

for the

coming of

the day of

God.

So,

watching,

watching for

the Lord's

return and

watching your

own soul,

they're not a

contradiction.

They're not

competing efforts.

In fact,

we watch for

Christ by,

by watching

our own

souls.

Here is a

simple question.

What do you

want to be caught

doing when the

Lord returns?

What do you

want to be

caught doing

when the

Lord returns?

So,

do only

those things

in the right

manner that

you'd hope to

be caught

doing,

and simply

avoid all

the rest.

So,

the servant

parable,

it shows us

what happens

when the

master arrives

sooner than

expected.

Now,

in this last

parable,

Jesus shows

us something

equally sobering.

Whatever,

what happens

is when

he arrives

later,

later than

expected.

This parable

focuses on

a group of

ten virgins

during the

wedding.

It can be

hard to place

ourselves in

this parable

because first

century Palestinian

weddings,

they're radically

different from

our weddings

today.

The limited

info that we

have,

customarily after

the legal

nuptials in

the bride's

home,

the bride

group would

then walk

over to

the great

banquet at

his home,

accompanied by

a group of

young,

unmarried

women who

are these

virgins in

this parable.

I think the

closest equivalent

might be like

our weddings

today if the

wedding ceremony

and the wedding

reception were in

two separate

places and you

have to travel

in between

them.

But unlike

our weddings,

there was no

set time that

things would

end.

Our time

obsessed culture

could never

deal with

this.

And that

culture back

then to the

question,

how long will

it take?

The only right

answer would

be as long

as it takes,

as long as

it needs to.

That meant

the group of

women needed

to prepare

well.

They needed

to prepare

well for

their one

and only job

to accompany

the bridegroom

and to light

his path

home.

But out of

the ten,

only five

are wise

enough to

prepare oil

with their

lamps,

just in

case that

the bridegroom

is delayed.

The five

foolishly neglect

to prepare

any oil

at all.

And of

course,

lo and

behold,

the bridegroom

is delayed

in verse

five.

He's so

delayed that

in fact all

ten of the

virgins

fall asleep.

It's not

just the

foolish that

sleep,

but remarkably

the wise

too.

It's a

remarkable

contrast

given the

exhortations

earlier in

our passage.

And the

wise sleep

too,

which goes

to show

that watching

for the

Lord,

it doesn't

mean that

we burn

ourselves

out,

running at

a complete

sprint at

all times.

We need

sleep and

rest too.

But these

are two

very different

kinds of

sleep.

for the

wise sleep

in readiness,

in preparation

for what's

to come,

like soldiers

sleeping in

their battle

guard.

But in

contrast,

the sleep

of the

foolish,

it exposes

not only

their

unpreparedness,

but their

laziness

too.

Shouldn't

these five

girls have

sacrificed

some sleep

to get

ready to

honor the

bridegroom?

I wonder

if

procrastination

and

laziness

might be

some of

the sins

that we

tolerate

most easily.

Does

laziness

sound as

bad as

unbridled

anger

or untamed

lust?

But make

no mistake,

spiritual

procrastination

and laziness

can lead us

to hell

just the

same.

It is

my

greatest

fear

that

there

are

some

who

go to

church

week

after

week,

maybe

even

this

own

church,

and

you

hear

the

life

changing

gospel

only

to

delay

putting

your

faith