Matthew 25:1-13

Rocky: Man, that sounds good. I mean goooooood.

All I have is this: it's a parable of the kingdom. That's what I'm going to be playing with, because I preached in about 16 months ago and analyzed all the parts of the parable narrative. This time I'm struck by verse 1--"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this." If you look at the rest of Matthew, these "kingdom" statements are all over the place, and they generally fall into two categories: 1)the kingdom of heaven is like this or that, or 2)the kingdom of heaven may be compared to this or that. Both of these make sense in light of Jesus' thematic pronouncement that "the kingdom of heaven has come near."

However, the intro to the parable of the bridesmaids says that then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. This catches our attention, because it's the first true reference to the kingdom as something future and not something already present. It's the ground of the "Thy kingdom come" petition in the Lord's Prayer. So my outline may look something like this:

Move 1: Hear the good news--the kingdom of heaven has come near!

Move 2: But wait. The bridegroom's been delayed; there's more kingdom still to come.

Move 3: So we'd better be prepared for it, or we'll be left out.

Move 4: Well, being prepared means we're the only bridesmaids lugging flasks of oil; preparing for the future means taking on an awkward present.

Take it for what it is, a re-hashing of earlier exegesis. I'm sorta ashamed.

Landon: All right, Hoss - after several weeks of dismal preaching I'm getting excited over this one.

I decided to pair our text with the lectionary's advice: Amos 5:18-24.

Here's my sermon outline:

Sermon title: “Big Oil”

Introduction – This is more of an allegory than a parable.

1. The Bridegroom We talking about Christ here.

2. The Bridesmaids The church – notice there were ten bridesmaids.

3. The Wedding The “marriage” of Christ and the church. This would also be the place to reference Matthew 18:20 - “Where two or three are gathered...”

4. Oil What is it? How much should we have? What if our friends and neighbors run out? What happens if we run out? This passage is one in the Bible that emphasizes personal responsibility.

First Move – wise/foolish

Biblical – This is but the latest installment of Jesus dividing folks into categories of “wise” and “foolish.” The discussion throughout the book of Matthew enables us to link being wise or foolish to having enough oil. This distinction also occurs at the beginning of the passage – they are named and then we watch their actions, not vice versa.

Theological –

Thematic - Disposition (in this case) is a precursor of action. The oil is what enables the lamps to keep burning.

Cultural - “If it looks like a duck..” Matthew reverses this.

Second Move - “No” is a good answer

Biblical – vv. 8 & 9: The text is very clear - Five of the bridesmaids deny the others' request for their oil.

Theological – a la Bonhoeffer: “Grace is costly”

Thematic – “No” is a good answer. We should guard ourselves when someone tries to convince us “help them out” when they are not prepared.

Cultural - “A screw up on your part...”

Third Move - “I don't know you”

Biblical – vv. 11&12. Also draw on Amos – particularly vv 21-24

Theological – The shepherd knows his sheep. You cannot fool the shepherd. You cannot hope to trick God into letting you into the wedding.

Thematic – You can't just show up to the wedding and expect to be let in. “Showing up and saying 'I'm here!' like it matters. Jesus is saying 'I don't care.'”

Cultural – Discussion with Bri regarding her take on the notion that Christ is the Head of the Church: “It pays, in our work life, to be in good relationship and communication with our employer. We need to be in good relationship with Christ.”

Fourth Move - Be Prepared

Biblical – Usually gregoreo is translated “keep awake” or “stay alert” but the text clearly indicates that all were asleep – both the wise and the foolish. A better (more symbolic) translation would be “be prepared.”

Theological -

Thematic - This is not a text about frantically watching and waiting (although there are some texts that make a similar point using that language), this is about “being prepared.”

Cultural – The scouts spend there entire careers learning to “be prepared.” (use excerpt from Scout's Handbook)