Watching with Encouragement

The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

November 12, 2023

Matthew 25:1-13

“Watching with Encouragement”  

In these closing days of the church year, in the appointed Scripture readings for the next several Sundays we find an emphasis on being ready and prepared for the coming of Christ our Savior. It’s never a question of if he will come, but when. Although no one knows when that will be, not the angels in heaven or even the Son, but only the Father (Matthew 24:36), we want to be ready and prepared for it. This is a call for us to live in this world in such a way that we may always be ready to leave it whenever Christ will come. The Gospel lessons for these final three Sundays of the church year all come from Matthew 25, each following where the previous one left off. Today we hear of Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). Next Sunday, we will hear Jesus’ parable of the talents entrusted to three servants until their master returned (Matthew 25:14-30). In two weeks’ time on Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of the church year, we will hear of Jesus’ return in power and great glory (Matthew 25:31-36). As his angels separate the sheep from the goats, Jesus reminds all that “as much as you did it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you did it unto me” (Matthew 25:40).  I encourage you to read through all of Matthew 25 several times in the days ahead to grasp what the Lord Jesus is telling us. Today we consider Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish virgins under the theme, “Watching with Encouragement.” May the Lord’s rich and abundant blessing rest upon the preaching, the hearing, and the living of his Word for Jesus’ sake.

Having conducted many weddings over the years, I can attest that some weddings do start on time, but many do not. There are lots of variables here – guests arriving at the last minute, family members who still haven’t shown up, terrible traffic, etc. That’s the situation in Jesus’ parable. The bridal attendants, the bridesmaids (παρθένοις, “virgins”) are in limbo until the bridegroom gets there. They’ve got their lamps all ready – mostly. Weddings are a big deal, and many of you know this from first-hand experience, both your own as well as that of your children. If we think weddings are a big deal now, they were more so in Jesus’ time when they were days-long celebrations. The setting of Jesus’ parable is the home of the groom, but the groom isn’t there. He’s gone off with his own attendants to the home of the bride’s father because that’s where the bride is. The betrothal of the couple had already taken place, legally binding them together, but the marriage contract had yet to be determined and signed. The contract was between the groom and the father of the bride. It concerned how much money or goods the groom was going to pay the bride’s father to marry his daughter, as well as what goods the bride would bring to the marriage. As much as everyone wanted the wedding festivities to begin, these might not start for quite a while as negotiations between the two parties got ironed out. There could be some long delays until everything was settled. When at last all the details of the marriage contract were agreed upon and it was duly signed, the groom was free to take his bride in procession to his home so the wedding celebration could begin. No one knew when this was going to be; they only knew that it would be. Waiting is never easy, is it? Time just seems to drag by. But then all of a sudden, the cry goes up: “Here they come! Here comes the bridegroom with the bride! It’s time!” That’s when we find out who is ready and prepared, and who is not.

So how do we watch with encouragement? Watching with encouragement means that not only are we ready and prepared for Christ’s coming, but we’re also ready and prepared for a delay in his coming. We look around us and see the world in turmoil. Things seem to go from bad to worse, and we wonder why Jesus is delaying so long. Where is he? What’s taking so long? Why doesn’t he hurry up and get here to intervene in this sorry, messed-up world? That’s what it looks like and feels like from our perspective. But we need to bear in mind that Jesus’ delay is due precisely to his patient love for all people. He tells us: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). Linguistic experts tell us that there are 7394 languages in the world at present, and of these, 3658 have at least some of the Scriptures available to them. This represents almost 97% of the world’s population who have some exposure to the Word of God, but that still leaves millions of people – the remaining 3% - who do not. The blessed and saving truth is that God’s love is for all people; that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish,but have everlasting life (John 3:16). There remains a large chunk of people groups and languages who do not yet have the good news of Jesus available to them. All of this means that there is work remaining to tell the story of salvation in Jesus so that the Gospel can be proclaimed to all nations (2023 Global Scripture Access - Wycliffe Global Alliance). And we know the Lord’s desire is that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). And so, we support and pray for translators of Scripture. We support and pray for evangelists and missionaries throughout the world. We wait and watch with encouragement for the day of Christ’s coming.

Watching with encouragement doesn’t happen by accident. It involves planning and thinking ahead, just like those five wise virgins did in the Gospel lesson. They brought extra oil with them, just in case – a very wise thing to do. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Whether it’s a hand-held oil lamp from the first century, or our modern lamp – the flashlight on our smart phone – backup is needed so you don’t run out of oil or battery. The truth is that we don’t always do well with the waiting thing. We get discouraged and impatient; we become tired and frustrated. We need encouragement and strength from the Lord in our waiting and watching for his promised coming. That is why it’s so important for us to do exactly what we are doing here today: coming together as the Body of Christ in this time and place, gathering around God’s gifts of Word and Sacrament in the fellowship of believers. There is encouragement here! There is strength here! This is where our dwindling supply of oil for our lamp is replenished. This is how we keep our lamp of faith trimmed and burning as we wait for him who loves us and gave his life for us on the cross. The same Lord Jesus Christ who lived, died and rose again for us is coming again to take us to his wedding feast. How terrible to be shut out of that wedding feast, and to hear those awful words: “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you” (Matthew 25:12). The Word of God reminds us of the importance and immediacy of being ready to meet the Lord: “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Let us then prepare our hearts and minds in repentant faith so that we may watch with encouragement for the day of Christ’s coming.

Today’s Epistle lesson (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) is often read at Christian funerals, and for good reason. It gives blessed hope to those who grieve the death of a loved one. It points ahead to what is yet to come when our Bridegroom will come again on that great and final day, raising the dead to everlasting life as we meet the Lord in the air and are with him always. Until that day, let us do what the final verse says: “Therefore, encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Amen.