Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
At first glance, Sunday’s gospel (Matt 25:1-13) about bridesmaids waiting for a bridegroom seems out of step with Remembrance Sunday on several accounts. First, we are not familiar with the custom of bridesmaids waiting for the groom (where is the bride?) Second, the conclusion – the foolish bridesmaids being shut out of the banquet – feels harsh. Third, what does this gospel have to do with remembering those who served the country during wars and peacekeeping operations?
Here is a synopsis of the gospel.
Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven will be like this.
Ten bridesmaids took lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five were foolish, and five wise. The foolish took their lamps, but no extra oil; the wise took flasks of oil.
The bridegroom was delayed...but at midnight someone shouted, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come to meet him.'
Then all the bridesmaids ... 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; ... go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.'
While they were gone ... the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him to the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.
Later the other bridesmaids came, 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."
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Tackling the questions above, in order: bridesmaids is one translation of the Greek word parthenos, which is also rendered as virgin or maiden (Matthew only uses the word in one other situation, referring to Mary in Matt 1:23). It likely refers to household staff.
The bridegroom is bringing his bride from the home of her father to their shared home. (Some slightly later manuscripts read, Ten bridesmaids took lamps and went to meet the bridegroom and the bride...which makes more sense. But the oldest manuscripts do not include the bride, so that is the translation we use.)
The five foolish bridesmaids failed, specifically, by not foreseeing the possibility that the groom might be delayed. Even then, they could have used his delay to purchase some oil and still been ready, but they did not do so. They had a simple job but did not perform it when required.
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The shut door and the groom’s statement that I do not know you, echoes the sense of Matt 22:2-14, from another parable about the kingdom of heaven where the setting is also a wedding banquet.
2 The kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son....He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited ... but they would not come...5 they made light of it and went away ...8Then he told his slaves, 9Go into the streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” 10The slaves went and gathered all...both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled .... 11 When the king came in ... he noticed a man who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said, “Friend, how did you get in without a wedding robe?” And he was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’
In this parable, the invitation to the kingdom of heaven is open to all, good and bad. No gifts were required. They didn’t have to be long-time friends. They only needed to dress properly. (Presumably, such garments would have been offered to the people if they had been recruited from the streets.) To honour the wedding party and the host they only needed to put on a wedding robe. It was a simple “ask”.
In this morning’s parable, the bridesmaids only had to be ready when the groom (and bride) returned.
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The hurdle for entry into heaven is so low – whether having a lighted lamp or wearing a wedding robe – that failing to do it is a sign that the person was unwilling to do even that little bit to honour God.
Jesus had said my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matt 11:30). In other words, he does not ask much. (Though elsewhere, as in the gospel of All Saints, he tells his followers that they will be persecuted for following him. (Matt 5:1-14))
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Where does that leave us with respect to those we remember this day? They gave up their lives. That was a huge cost.
The main point that Jesus is making in this morning's gospel is Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. A paraphrase might be, ‘live as though each day would be your last.’ The soldiers, seamen and airmen who went into battle during WWI, WWII, Korea, Afghanistan and during peacekeeping operations were acutely aware of this.
Few of us have to confront this kind of possibility, yet we know that heart attacks, strokes, accidents, or random acts of violence could suddenly end our lives. The gospel calls us to walk through the world in a state of spiritual readiness for ‘being invited to the wedding banquet’ on short notice.
As we contemplate the lives of those mostly young people who died in the wars, we can also transpose Jesus’ warning to ourselves: Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
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· Do you find the parable about the bridesmaids – where they are excluded from the wedding banquet- harsh? Or do you think that they had a simple task and failed to organize themselves to perform it?
· Are Jesus’ requests easy for you to follow? Or hard? Is the point of the parable something different? (Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour?)
· Do you think you live as though you could die today? If you knew the date of your death, what would you do differently – if anything?
Peace
Michael