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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Foolish Virgins: the End

Matthew 25:10 "...and the door was shut."

The image of the door closing in the face of a person desperate to enter is chilling. Being left outside, banging and begging, is horrible. It is also an image which Jesus employs more often than I like to think.

Most of us live in a world dominated by images of Grace and Forgiveness. The people who populate our churches do not believe in Hell. Most of them cannot imagine God ever saying, "Too late." This theological position has major impact on how we live our lives. Many of us are seduced into sin because we do not fear consequences. There is an assumption, "it isn't that big a deal." There is also a corollary, "God will forgive me."

Praying over the text of the ten virgins, one can almost hear the door slam and one can feel the terror of the women left out. The five wise virgins were taken, the other five were left behind. Many of us can well imagine that we are as similar to the fools as we are to the wise!

As originally spoken by Jesus, the parable makes sense as a challenge. The Bride Groom is here, will you be ready for Him? By the time Matthew wrote it in his Gospel, the initial call to the Jews and the initial warning to Jerusalem have passed. Now a church full of believers is reading and listening to the message. What subtle changes occur in hearing, again, this summons from the previous generation?

The door did close on those who rejected Jesus in 70AD. Jerusalem was conquered. Today, the same reality confronts us. What if there comes a time when the door is closed? Firmly and finally shut? What if "too late" is a real possibility? The summons is every bit as urgent today as it was then. The failure of the church to heed the call has been the downfall of many. The warning is given: "Watch, for you know neither the day nor the hour." The wise stand ready and prepared.

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