11072020 – Matthew 25. 1-13
The Parable of the “WISE and FOOLISH Virgins,” has to do with the activities LEADING-UP-TO a typical Jewish wedding in Jesus’ day.
This particular story is ONLY TO BE FOUND in the gospel of Matthew.
It is just ANOTHER ONE of the countless stories that Jesus told, taking examples out of EVERYDAY LIFE and LIVING.
Weddings were MAJOR EVENTS.
The WHOLE village normally turned out.
The weddings lasted for days…
Or, until the wine RAN OUT…
They were MAJOR public occasions…and brought much honor to the families involved.
Everybody could RELATE to going TO and being a part OF a “village wedding.”
Palestinian weddings were occasions for GREAT festivity! EVERYONE turned out!
There was a lot of pageantry and tradition involved with every single aspect.
Among the rituals was “a quaint little game” played by the bridegroom on the bride and on the bridal party.
On the day of the wedding, the Bride would wait for the bridegroom at the home of her parents.
The reason being, it was ONE LAST OCCASION to “haggle over the Bridal price or the dowry.”
Can I give you, two female donkeys and three sheep, instead of a male and a female donkey and two sheep? What do you think?
If I have to get a male donkey I would have to travel three days’ journey away and then back again, before we could officially begin the wedding feast.
So, are two female donkeys acceptable or not?
Half of the fun was IN the dickering back and forth…All of this HAGGLING and DICKERING could temporarily delay the actual ceremony…
Once an agreement WAS secured, the wedding festivities could then proceed.
The bride was ALWAYS accompanied by a host of maidens. They usually consisted of the sisters and the cousins of the groom.
Prior to the Bridegroom’s final arrival, a herald would walk down the CENTER of the road, crying in a loud voice for all to hear, “Behold, the Bridegroom is coming, the bridegroom is coming!”
The whole village was thus ALERTED and sometimes even AWAKENED!
The trick was NO ONE KNEW precisely when the bridegroom would arrive. And that was the point: He might come EARLY in the morning or sometime DURING the day, or he might get there in the MIDDLE of the night. WHO KNEW?
The fun was to catch the bridal party off-guard.
When the bridesmaids heard the announcement, they would rush out to greet the bridegroom.
The bride would make her appearance and join her husband-to-be and they’d process to where the wedding was to take place…usually at the home of the Bridegroom’s parents.
All of the townspeople would follow along…and join in the cheering and the excitement.
Since the bridesmaids had no idea when the bridegroom would come, they had to be ready, on a moment’s notice, to do their part. To further complicate matters, no one was allowed on the streets after dark without a lamp.
Finally, once the bride and groom had entered the home where the wedding was to take place, the door was bolted.
Latecomers were not allowed IN.
It was ALL a part of the custom and the tradition of the time.
It was about being ready…
It was about the anticipation…
It is about making sure you get IN.
NO ONE wants to be left standing out in the cold and in the dark.
Everyone WANTS TO BE included.
Everyone desired to JOIN IN the festivities…and the fun. No one SERIOUSLY wanted to miss out.
These ceremonies were EPIC and talked about sometimes for MONTHS and even for YEARS after the fact…Clearly, NO ONE wanted to be on the OUTSIDE LOOKING IN…And certainly no one wants to be EXCLUDED.
And Jesus was suggesting the Kingdom of Heaven would be the same way. So what are YOU DOING to make sure that you get in?
Faith?
Prayer life?
Relationship with God?
Check, check, and check. Amen.