Matthew 25:1-13
Whatever the situation behind the parable of the “wise & foolish virgins,” it’s a story with disturbing implications. We need to remember that Matthew is presenting to his church & to us, a picture of what the Church looks like.
The dynamic implication that Jesus draws for us, is not so much that there are an equal amount of wise & foolish within the Church, but rather, that there are times when we individually are sometimes wise, but more often than not, foolish. We need to remember also, that in the Biblical world, wisdom & foolishness are not matters of intelligence, but are practical dimensions of our being aware of God’s presence in our lives & our intention to live according to God’s will.
There are times when we are wise & there are times when we are foolish. There are times when we are aware & open to God’s will, when we translate that into our everyday living; & times when we’re foolish, insensitive & closed to God’s promptings, when we don’t translate our faith into action.
A second implication of the parable stems from the fact that it wasn’t the case that the five didn’t have the oil – the resources – it was that they didn’t bring enough for the situation. In effect, what the parable is saying at this level is that if we are not prepared for more than what is average & predictable, then we’re the foolish ones. Too often we hold back on our resources. We’ll bring or invest only that which is necessary for “just getting by”.
Too often, the parable says, we live minimal existences, we live at a maintenance level, just trying to keep the status quo, especially in our relationships with others – we’ll give or invest just what we think is necessary to get by. It’s not surprising, therefore, that only when its too late do we realize what we should have said but didn’t, what we should have done but didn’t. The love we should have expressed to a spouse, the time we should have spent with our children. We learn too late, just like the five foolish maidens, that we can’t borrow someone else’s time to spend with our families; nor can we, at the last hour, purchase the love we should have given.
