Sunday 09 November 2008
- Bible Book:
- Matthew
"As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him'." (v.5-6)
Background
At the beginning of the previous chapter of Matthew's Gospel,the disciples had asked Jesus "When will this be, and what will bethe sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (
In response Jesus gives his disciples some specific examples ofwhat to expect: wars, earthquakes, false prophets and eclipses. Inthe second half of the chapter he begins to alert them to the factthat "about that day and hour no one knows" (
The parable reflects a culture where the bridegroom would come tocollect his bride from her parents' house. The bridesmaids wouldthen escort the couple to the home of the bridegroom where thewedding would take place.
In this passage, the bridegroom symbolises Jesus and the weddingfeast symbolises the kingdom of heaven. This imagery is also usedin other parts of Matthew's Gospel (
Wise are those who are ready for the coming of the bridegroom (ieJesus), even when his arrival is delayed. Foolish are those who arenot prepared for his late appearance. All the bridesmaids wereasleep when the bridegroom finally came - but only half of them hadthought ahead and brought with them the necessary resources forthis unexpected turn of events.
The wise bridesmaids had no special intelligence about when thebridegroom would come. They were as ignorant about this as thefoolish bridesmaids were. They were 'wise' because they had theforesight to realise that the bridegroom would come in his own time- and that this would not necessarily coincide with their preferredtimetable of events. The foolish bridesmaids, on the other hand,assumed that all would go according to plan and were completelythrown when things did not go their way.
To Ponder
The foolish bridesmaids suffered because they hadforgotten something vital. On this Remembrance Sunday, what do youneed to remember?
Why do you think the bridegroom was delayed?
What sort of planning would help you in yourdiscipleship?
How helpful is it for you to picture the kingdomof heaven as a wedding feast?