MATTHEW 25: 1-13 NRSV
A
little girl asked her father if he was afraid of the dark. He told her he was
not. She asked if he was afraid of snakes. He told her he was not. The little
girl then asked him if he was afraid of long slimy worms. Her father again told
her he was not afraid, even of long, slimy worms.
The
girl thought for a moment and then concluded, “Then the only thing you’re
afraid of is mom!” If we look around there are lots of things to be afraid of,
aren’t there?
There’s
a lot of buzz in the world today about the end of the world, what with the rise
of ISIS, Ebola arriving in America, the new “entro-virus” striking children,
the increase in racial hatred and violence, the increasing split of partisan
politics, and the declining American identity and patriotism.
Some
people are very afraid of the lack of privacy we have; that retail businesses
snoop on us, media outlets monitor what news we see and hear, the TSA strip or
electronically search us before we get on airplanes, and even our government
won’t admit to the level of information gathering the various alphabet agencies
collect on the average person each day.
A
young woman was waiting for a bus in a slum area one evening when a rookie
policeman approached her. “Want me to wait with you?” he asked.
She
replied, “Thank you, but that’s not necessary. I am not afraid.” “Well, then,”
he grinned, “would you mind waiting with me?” All of us need to use the buddy
system just to go to the corner market.
If
you’ve noticed, I haven’t even began to talk about Biblical prophecy and the
signs that the end is near: The threat of ideological and religious warfare; the
increasing physical calamities such as earthquakes, floods, storms, famines, large
fish and bird deaths, the increasing godlessness, and the almost constant demand
of freedom from religion, and the persecution of believers…I could go on for a
while.
Jesus
knew we would face tough times and would have to wait, even come to long for,
the time of His return. The signs of the times, He said, would tell us when the
time is near. It would be “as in the days of Noah.”
He
also said we were not to worry, but that we were to be prepared for His return:
Lots
of money and time are spent each year trying to figure it out. If just half
that energy were spent on preparing as much an on when, we’ve be in good shape.
Let’s
see what Jesus said in Matthew 25: 1-13: "Then
the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and
went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
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, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight
there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'
Then all those bridesmaids got up and
trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be
enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for
yourselves.'
And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.'
Keep awake therefore, for you know
neither the day nor the hour.”
A
Bible study group was discussing the unforeseen possibility of their sudden
death. The leader of the discussion said, “We will all die some day, and none
of us really know when, but if we did we would all do a better job of preparing
ourselves for that inevitable event.” Everybody shook their heads in agreement
with this comment.
Then
the leader said to the group, “What would you do if you knew you only had 4
weeks of life remaining before your death, and then the Great Judgment Day?”
One
man said, ” I would go out into my community and minister the Gospel to those
that have not yet accepted the Lord into their lives.” “Very good!” said the
group leader, and all the group members agreed, that would be a very good thing
to do.
One
lady then spoke up and said enthusiastically, “I would dedicate all of my
remaining time to serving God, my family, my church, and my fellow man with a
greater conviction.” “That’s wonderful!” the group leader commented, and all
the group members agreed, that too would be a very good thing to do.
But
one man in the back finally spoke up loudly and said, “I would go to my
mother-in-laws house for the 4 weeks.” Everyone was puzzled by this answer, and
the group leader ask, “Why your mother-in-law’s home?” “Because that will make
it the longest 4 weeks of my life!”
So
our question comes down to this: Is it better to not worry about when Jesus is
coming, or is it better to be ready when He comes?
One argument seems to require the usual “out of touch” scenario of standing on the street corner crying out, “Repent, the end is near!” while the other suggests making do and surviving each day until we hear Jesus yell, “Come up here!”
Farmers
Fred and Luke were fishing on the side of the road. They made a sign saying
"The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it's too late!" and
waved it at each passing car.
One
driver that passed didn't appreciate the sign and shouted, "Leave us alone
you religious nuts!" All of a sudden they heard a big splash. Fred grinned
at Luke. "Do you think we should just put up a sign that says: 'Bridge
Out' instead?"
But
what do you think is a better option – going totally doomsday “prepper” and
concentrating only on preparing for the coming judgment? Or following Jesus’
advice to be prepared while continuing to work toward showing yourselves as an approved
disciple of Christ?
When
I worked for the Army in the 1980’s I managed the computer programs that took
care of the world wide stock of “War Reserve” materials that were
“pre-positioned” in case of a sudden war somewhere. The government was prepared
to respond quickly if/when needed. But it took a lot of time and effort to
manage effectively.
Veterans
of military service will tell you just how much material, manpower, and
management is required to keep units supplied at a level that boosts efficiency
and maintains morale enough to fight or perform a mission. It is time consuming
and expensive.
But
consider the alternative? It costs lives when military units are not ready.
Preparing
for Jesus’ return and staying ready requires effort as well. Effort that needs
to start in the family and become a daily habit of both walking and talking in
faith. Knowing everything about Jesus must start early in life, if possible.
Talking
about and preparing for Jesus’ return with children will help them learn and
overcome the natural fears and questions humans have when facing any kind of
life changes.
It’s
our natural inclination to avoid discussing such topics, but avoiding it will
alsol also cost human souls who aren’t prepared like the bridesmaids in our
Gospel.
The
cold and flu season had come to a little girl’s school. The first grader had
missed a day of school and was asked by the teacher if she was felling better.
She responded to the teacher in a proud voice, “Yes, I’m all better now, but
Daddy and I had to go to the doctor.”
The
sensed there might be more to the story she asked, “And what did you think
about visiting the doctor?” The little girl answered with a small, sad voice,
“I didn’t like it very much. I had to get a shot, and it hurt.”
Before
the teacher could offer any words of comfort the little girl got a big smile on
her face and continued, “Yep. I had to get a shot, but my daddy had to get two
shots, and that made me feel much better!”
Preparing
for Jesus’ return is necessary, and will require inoculation against the trials
and tribulations of this world so that its temptations and viral infestations
of sin will not catch.
After
church, where she had been taught about the Second Coming, a little girl was
quizzing her mother. "Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?"
"Yes." "Today?" "Yes." "In a few
minutes?" "Yes, dear." "Mommy, would you comb my
hair?"
2
Timothy 2: 15 (HCSB) reads “Be diligent
to present yourself approved to God, a worker who
doesn't need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.” The
Greek word used for approved, “dokimos”
means being accepted and pleasing. The text tells us to work at being accepted
by, and being pleasing to God.
I
always remember with fondness the age –old adage that mothers would remind their
children to wear clean underwear while on a trip just in case you ended up in
the hospital. Isn’t it the same when we remind others to be ready when/if Jesus
comes? It won’t be just our underwear that has to be clean!
As believers in Christ it is our duty to warn and equip others in the saving faith and hope of eternal life in our Lord and Savior. Let us commit ourselves and efforts in being prepared and assisting others in being ready as well. Amen.
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