Matthew: Who will be ready? (25:1-13)

This sermon was preached to Grace Church Guildford on 3 November 2024. The audio recording of the sermon can be found below along with the transcript.

Well, it is probably something most of us regularly do, usually on our phone or iPad. However, in the past you would have listened out for it on the radio, or caught it at the end of the news on TV. What am I talking about? Well, of course it is the weather forecast. We check it a little less often here in the south of England. However, certainly where I grew up  in NI, before you decided to go anywhere, you always checked what the weather was going to be. Before you packed up the car to go to the beach, or even headed out into the countryside for a walk, it was usually best to look up the weather forecast first, so you could work out what you should wear, and if it was worth going at all.

And that is really what the weather forecast is for. It gives us a glimpse of what will happen in the future, so we can get ready for it now in the present. If we know what the weather will be then, we can prepare for it now. And you know, I think that that is exactly what Jesus is also doing here in Matthew 24-25. In these two chapters, Jesus acts as a kind-of weather man. He tells us what is on the horizon, coming in the future, so we can get ready for it now in the present. 

We’ve been looking together at these two chapters for a few weeks now. And so far we have seen that they contain the final of Jesus’ five great sermons in the book of Matthew. He is preaching this, his last sermon, to his disciples as he sits on the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem. Which is why these chapters are often called the Olivet Discourse, for they are set on the Mount of Olives.

We’ve already heard how the disciples ask Jesus two questions at the start of Matthew 24. They ask him what will happen […] and when will it happen […]. And like a good weather man, Jesus had given them a forecast, points out what is up ahead and when they should expect it. In Matthew 24, he speaks of signs of the end of the age: the suffering his people should expect, he predicts the destruction of Jerusalem, the future coming of a similar sign of another abomination of desolation, as well as time of final and great tribulation. If Jesus is a weather man, then he is telling us here that a great storm is on its way.

However, having told us all about this storm that is coming in chapter 24, here in chapter 25 Jesus tells us how we can prepare for it. If Matthew 24 is Jesus describing what will happen in the future, Matthew 25 is Jesus explaining what we must do here and now in the present as a result. Over the next three weeks, we will see that to achieve this, Jesus tells us two parables and a prophecy. We are looking at this first parable this evening, this parable of the ten bridesmaids.

Which we shall see tonight both make a very simple point, and asks a very significant question. The simple point our parable makes is: Christ is coming. And as a result, it goes on to ask each of us a very significant question, for it asks each of us: are you ready? (1) Christ is coming; (2) Are you ready? [...]

1.     CHRIST IS COMING

This is not just the main point of this parable, but it is really the main point of this entire sermon Jesus is preaching. From the very beginning of it in chapter 24, Jesus tells us about all kinds of things that will happen in the future. As we have heard, he speaks to us of signs that include the abomination of desolation, the destruction of Jerusalem, a time of great tribulation. Those are just some of the details that he gives us as part of this great weather forecast. However, the main thing, central thing, that he tells again and again is that he is coming back.

Cast your eye down through chapter 24, and you will see this again and again. There in the disciple’s question at the very start in 24:3, they ask about this future coming. And so, Jesus tells them about it in the rest of his sermon. In 24:27, he declares everyone on earth will see “the coming of the Son of Man.” In 24:30, he tells them “the Son of Man [will come] on the clouds of heaven.” In 24:37, he explains he will come when the days are like those of Noah. In 20:44, he says “the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Again and again, amidst all the other details Jesus discloses about the future, the main message, the primary point that Matthew 24 makes, is that Christ is coming.

And brothers and sisters, I think that emphasis is important for us to stop and really grasp together this evening. For when it comes to this subject of Christ’s return, it can be so easy to lose our way. It can be easy to be so intrigued and interested by all of the many other incredible details that Jesus shares (about the abomination of desolation, destruction of Jerusalem, great tribulation) that they start to overshadow the main thing Jesus tells us. We can spend so much time talking about the events surrounding the return of Christ, that we begin to overlook the main event, the fact that Christ himself is coming, he will return.

I’m not sure when the last time you went to a wedding was […] imagine what it would be like to go to a wedding, and get so caught up in the little details, focus so much on the venue, that you forget to go in for the service. Spend so much time admiring the seating plan, that you never actually get round to going in and enjoying the reception. How foolish would it be to be so caught up in admiring all the little details (dress, cake, venue) that you end up forgetting all about the couple you came to celebrate. And we must be careful not to do that, when it comes to this area of the second coming. To become so focussed and fascinated by all the wonderful details, that we allow them to overshadow the main event itself, lead us to overlook the person at the very centre of them all.

As in all areas of Christian teaching, we must maintain the right balance. Yes, consider closely what Jesus says about the events running up to his return in Matthew 24, and other passages, try to interpret those details as best as we can. After all when you go to a wedding, I hope you do notice all the little details. Look at the dress, admire the venue, taste the cake. We should consider and study what Jesus says about his return, for he tells us these things for a reason. And yet, we must take care not to get bogged down in the details so that we fail to actually celebrate the one who is coming.

The great emphasis of all our eschatology (teaching about the end times), must always be, not on the exact details of Christ’s coming (over which we can disagree), nor the specific time of his coming (for none of us can know that), our great emphasis must always be the central simple fact of Christ’s coming. The reality that one day Jesus really will return. And we must be ready for him. Or if you want to put it another way, we should be far less concerned with the what or when questions, than we are with the who, how and where questions.

Here in this parable, in Matthew 25, we see that Christ’s coming is pictured as an approaching wedding day. There in 25:1, the story begins with the expectation that the bridegroom is on his way. And it ends from 25:10, with this great wedding feast, as all his guests celebrate his arrival together. And if you know your Bibles, you will know that this idea of Christ’s coming being likened to a wedding, is a common theme throughout Scripture. And that is because Christ’s coming is something we should look forward to, be excited for. After all, wedding are occasions of great celebration, of joy and gladness, a day that we can remember for the rest of our lives. […] And yet even the best wedding you have ever been to can never come close to describing the joy that Christians will experience when we see our Saviour. When Christ comes it will be something to celebrate! It will be a great day that we will never forget! As the one who loved us and gave himself for us, comes to take us home. As the one who died on the cross to purchase a people for himself, comes now to claim them. As the one who shed his own blood to deal with sin for us, finally finishes his work in us. And the long engagement of this life, finally comes to an end, and 1000s and 1000s of years of history culminate in a single moment, as Christ appears in the clouds, like a groom coming to be with his bride. And that event is the first very simple point our parable makes, that one day Christ is coming.

I wonder, do you believe that this evening? You are here in church, and so I assume you believe at least some of truths of Christianity. What about this one? Do you believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who walked here on earth in the first century, will one day return again? Friend, if that seems somewhat fanciful or a little unrealistic to you tonight, then do you see here in Matthew, that Jesus himself clearly taught that this was true. Again and again, Jesus himself told us that he would come back. I wonder, do you believe him tonight?

Not only has Christ say it, but Christians have always said it. Oh yes, Christians have often disagreed over the precise details (what and when), but that central truth of Christ coming again has always been a central part of Christianity. It is included in the statement of faith that our church affirms. Here at Grace Church, we believe Christ is coming. And we are not alone in believing that, for that is exactly what all true churches have confessed for 2000 years. Indeed, as part of one of the very earliest statements of faith, the Apostle’s Creed, which comes from the first centuries of the church, Christians used to say these very words together, used to say, ‘I believe in Jesus Christ [who] will come to judge the living and the dead.’ I wonder can you truly say those words this evening? [...] That is what Jesus taught. That is what the church has always believed. What about you this evening? Do you believe that Christ is coming?

2.     ARE YOU READY?

After Jesus gives us a divine weather forecast, tells us he is coming in the future, he asks us if we are ready for that in the present. And we ready for this wedding day? Or to return to the weather analogy, do we have the right clothes on for the storm that is ahead? You know, here in the UK, if you fail to check the weather before you set off, the worst that is likely to happen to you is that you forget your coat, get a bit wet and maybe have to come home early. However, in other parts of the world, the consequences can be far more serious. A few years ago, when Sarah and I were in the US while when I was studying there, we spent spent time in the state of Kentucky, which occasionally has tornadoes. And so, every building on the seminary campus had a storm shelter assigned to it. And if a tornado was on its way, sirens would sounds all around the campus, so that you get run for cover and keep yourself safe. If you heard a tornado was coming, you needed to get ready. And Jesus says something similar here. He not only tells us that a storm is coming in the future, but he also tells us that we really do need to get ready for that right now in the present.

The way he does this is to tell us about ten bridesmaids who are invited to this great wedding. We are introduced to them there in 25:1, where we read of ‘ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.’ These are young unmarried women, probably in their teens. They are sent out from the bride’s home to meet the bridegroom as he travels there. They are a kind of welcome party, there to greet and guide the groom back to the bride. They were usually close friends or family members of the bride herself, and so in our modern-day weddings, their roles are much like that of a bridesmaid. All ten of them go out to meet the bridegroom in 25:1, and because it is evening, and it is starting to get dark, they all bring oil lamps with them to light their way. And yet in 25:2, Jesus tells us a key piece of information about these ten young women. For there we read that: [READ]. And he goes on to explain that this was because five of them wisely took plenty of oil with them for their lamps, while the remaining five foolishly failed to bring any spare oil with them.

Now don’t worry if this detail goes over your head, for I imagine there are only a few people here tonight who have ever used an oil lamp for light! However, if you are trying to get your head around what this means, imagine going away for an overnight trip, but forgetting to bring your phone charger with you. Sure, you will have a bit of battery to get you through the first evening, but by the time you get into the second day, your phone will be useless, completely out of charge. And that is what happened to these young women in our parable. This is the first century version of forgetting your phone charger. These foolish virgins had enough oil in their lamps for the first few hours, but when the groom took longer to come than they initially expected, their oil soon ran out.

And so, we read in 25:6, when the groom finally draws near to where they were to meet, the five wise bridesmaids all lit up their lamps again with the spare oil, but the five foolish bridesmaids have nothing left to light their lamps with. They start to panic, for without their lamps they will not be able to meet the groom and follow him to the wedding. And so, they quickly run off to the nearby store to try and buy some, and yet by the time they get back to the spot they were to meet the groom, he has already been and gone to the wedding feast. They rush to the wedding venue, but in 25:11 we are told that they are not permitted to enter, for the groom does not recognise them from the road, doesn’t remember seeing them there waiting for him when he arrived. And so, these five foolish bridesmaids are all left outside alone in the dark, unable to join in with the celebrations, unable to enjoy the marriage supper that is spread out inside for all those who were ready when the groom came.

It is a simple story. And Jesus leaves us in no doubt of its main lesson, for in 25:13, he closes it with this command, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” That is get yourself ready, be on constant alert. Do not get so caught up in the things of the present, the things of this life, that you forget to prepare for the future. Don’t be spiritually sleepwalking. That is what happened to the five foolish virgins, isn’t it? They weren’t thinking ahead, looking beyond a few hours. They were living for the present, in the moment.

I wonder if that is describing how you are living your life right now? Perhaps you are young, distracted by all the pleasures and possibilities that the world can offer you. You haven’t given much thought to your life in eternity, because your mind is so taken up with your life here on earth. Maybeyou are just busy, overwhelmed by the pressures of life. You barely have time to you think about next week, never mind eternity. Friend, do you see now how foolish that is? For if Christ is coming, surely you need to be ready? If this wedding is going to start someday, could start any day, surely you need to prepare for it properly?

You can see here in our story that you won’t be able to rely on others to get you ready. You can no more borrow the faith of a friend or a family member, than these foolish virgins could borrow oil from the five wise ones. No, you yourself need to be ready. You need to be personally prepared for this day.

And we see here there is real urgency in this lesson Jesus wants us to learn, for he tells us there in 25:13 that we know neither the day nor hour. We do not know the exact timing of this bridegrooms return. Yes, we know he is coming, we know he is on his way, and yet we do not know the day, the exact moment when this marriage will be celebrated, and the eternal wedding feast will begin.

Friends, we know that Christ is coming. I wonder, if he came today, would you be prepared? If this eternal wedding were to start tonight, would you be there? Jesus said we are to watch for we know neither the day nor hour. What if it is this very day? What if it is this very hour? Would you be ready for him? Friend, if not, don’t go home this evening without getting ready, getting right with your  God! Come to him to confess your sins and plead for his forgiveness. […]

However, as we close, I want to push this question a little further, and ask not only are you ready now, but will you be ready then. I think that is one of her most fascinating features of this parable. For these five foolish bridesmaid were ready at one point, thought that they were prepared to meet the groom when they first went out to meet him. And yet, when he was delayed, we learn this was a short term readiness, a shallow faith. They said they were coming to the wedding, but they didn’t stick around long enough to make it inside. Yes they responded to the invitation, sent in their RSVP in advance, but lost interested before the day arrived, and didn’t turn up like they said they would. And so, friends, this parable is not merely a call to prepare, but it is also, perhaps even more so, a call to persevere. To not only get ready, but to stay ready. Remember Jesus is teaching this parable to his disciples, the crowds are not here anymore, he is speaking to his followers, those who claim to be part of his kingdom, and so in this parable, Jesus is calling those first disciples, and all future disciples, to keep watch not just for a few days or weeks, or even years. But for the church to stay on alert, remain ever watchful, for 2000 years now (and still counting).

If Jesus were to return tonight, will you be ready? I hope so. However, if he was to be delayed, 10, 20, 50, years, will you still be ready then? If your groom takes longer to arrive, than you currently expect, will you still be waiting for him? Still following Jesus, still waiting and watching for him? Is your faith a short term thing, or are you in it for the long haul? Do you see following Jesus as a casual add on, or is it a lifelong commitment? Will you just come along here to church for a season, for a while, or have you committed yourself be here for good? Have you determined that you will be here, worshipping Jesus, working for Jesus, waiting for Jesus, until either he comes for you, or you go to him? Until he either comes to the earth, or they put your body into the earth.

Friend, Christ is coming, are you ready? Are you ready now? And if he is delayed, will you be ready then? Waiting and watching for Jesus until he returns, however short or long that may be?