11112020 – Matthew 25 1. 1-13
It’s a GOOD parable…
It has a good MESSAGE…
It almost seems to be like a “WISDOM writing.”
But it all depends upon, HOW SERIOUSLY WE take its message.
It teaches NOT EVERYTHING can be BORROWED.
It teaches not everything can always be PUT OFF.
We miss out on opportunities ALL THE TIME, but there are SOME opportunities that we probably need to THINK about!
Some things need MORE ATTENTION than others…
I read a cool story about the Titanic. “They said” it was a TRUE STORY!
The story was about a scared-frightened older WOMAN who actually made it to a lifeboat. Obviously, she was grateful and relieved to have FOUND a spot. Just as they were ready to lower the lifeboat into the turbulent waters she asked if she might run quickly back to her STATEROOM.
She was told she had three minutes, that was it. In 3 minutes and 1 second, they would lower the lifeboat.
So while she is running across the tilted deck and through the gambling hall…with water everywhere and rising and lots of money and chips floating in the waters…
She finally makes it to her STATEROOM, where like a MADWOMAN she was RANDOMLY THROWING diamond rings and necklaces and expensive-looking bracelets. Items were flying everywhere…money, wallets, jewelry, clothes galore…
When all of a sudden she spied and got hold of, that for which she was FEVERISHLY LOOKING.
Quickly tucking the objects into her coat, she made it back to the still waiting lifeboat.
You’d never believe what was in her pocket.
Any guesses?
She held “that whole boat of people up” for something MORE PRECIOUS than silver or gold.
Deep within her pockets were three very small oranges…or tangerines.
She endangered every person in that lifeboat for three very small pieces of fruit.
It seemed like a “selfish act.”
An “unbelievable” act.
60 minutes earlier no one would have given any thought to her fruit.
60 minutes earlier, clothes, diamonds, jewelry, money would have been of great value.
NOW, those things were nothing.
Sustenance would be everything. Would she share? Or would she hoard?
VALUES and what we hold DEAR can change.
Think about when someone dies and someone else cleans out everything.
All those priceless, precious, memory packed objects will mean nothing. Trash bins will await it all.
It is MORE than a little interesting how priceless items can become “worthless junk” in a matter of minutes…
And of course, the opposite is ALSO TRUE, worthless random items can become priceless…like 3 little pieces of fruit…it all DEPENDS on the circumstances.
Jesus’ parable about a wedding, is told NOT from the viewpoint of the bride and groom, but from the viewpoint of the ten young maidens who were part of the celebration. Five foolish, five wise.
What was the difference between them?
IT WOULD SEEM TO BE: their readiness, their preparedness.
Their thinking ahead.
Their forward-looking…
All of the young women had oil in their lamps, but five had ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.
FIVE knew what was important for the occasion.
Jesus concluded: Watch, therefore, for you know neither the DAY nor the HOUR.
So, how seriously do you take the second coming and life in the world that is to come?
And what are YOU doing about it?