Doing the inconvenient thing
Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps”
Matthew 25:3-4
There lines in our text are from one of those parables of Jesus where the main message is readily apparent, yet the scenario for the story seems too stretched and unreal, especially if we look at it with the eyes colored with modern western civilization. If you are not familiar, let me quickly take a moment to fill you in. Jesus relates this parable about the five foolish and the five wise virgins waiting for the bridegroom to come. All ten are ready in every way except the five foolish ones have come without oil for their lamps. Of course, in a day without cell phones and such, no one could accurately predict when the bridegroom would arrive. Not only was the communication limited, weddings were a big event (they still are in my birth country of India), and the culture put a lot of emphasis on propriety, going to great lengths to avoid what might be considered as an insult. The bridegroom shows up at a late hour and the bridesmaids are sleeping. The five foolish ones suddenly realize they have no time to get oil to fill their lamps. The five wise were ready and were welcomed, the five foolish were not ready and locked out, and Jesus makes the application of the importance of being ready. “Watch therefore” is the keyword he leaves for his disciples.
The only noticeable difference between the wise and the foolish is the lack of oil for the lamps. They were all invited, they all went, they all had lamps, they all slept, they all heard the cry, they all rushed to meet the bridegroom, except five of them had not brought oil with them. They had everything but oil! Apart from the very important lesson of readiness, I would venture to suggest a couple of other lessons that the foolish women teach us. I can only conjecture here, but it is not unreasonable to say that they did not carry oil because it was inconvenient and impractical. Carrying oil can tend to slow one down. It is messy, and can get quite cumbersome. They perhaps reasoned, “Are we really required to bring oil with us? We are not sure of when the bridegroom may come. It is a very practical and smart idea to not bog us down with oil – we can always buy it when the time comes! After all the most important thing is to be there when the bridegroom arrives, isn’t it?"
Following God is not always the practical thing to do. Nor is it always the easiest thing to do. It is sometimes very messy. Sometimes it slows you down. Sometimes it puts you at odds with the more practical thinking people. It is often practically expeditious to cover the truth. Remember, the decision to crucify Christ, when viewed from a purely human perspective, was made for the sake of expediency.
In that exciting book of Exodus where we read of some of the most dramatic works of God, we also encounter some of the most tedious reading. It is that page after page of God’s instruction manual, the excruciatingly detailed blueprint of tabernacle construction. Build it this tall, this wide, this length, and using that material. Use so much wood overlaid with so much gold. Now build the altar – this high and no more, and on and on it goes. As I read through this, the first thought that occurrs to me is, ”Lord this is highly impractical, not to mention very inconvenient! They are in the wilderness and they have to carry this around.” Why not just let them simply worship you in their hearts? Why add more time to their transit? Why not wait till they get to the promised land? I suggest it is because when it comes to following God, we do not do what will bring us the greatest pleasure, but we do what will bring Him the greatest glory. We do not worship to get an emotional high, but we worship because He is worthy of worship.
The New Testament too is filled with very impractical commands. Consider Jesus’ words in Matthew 5. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”.
It is certainly not convenient to walk the extra mile, and very impractical to turn the other cheek. To be ready for God means to sometimes do what seems very inconvenient at the moment. The rich man in the Bible, the saddest figure in history in my opinion, walked away from Jesus because of the inconvenience of having to give up his wealth. Others walked away when they did not like or understand the message of the cross. May we ask ourselves are we taking the easy route? Are we doing what is practical and convenient in our pursuit of God? We cannot meet God on our terms, it must be on His terms. And that includes the, sometimes very impractical business of keeping the lamps trimmed and full of oil even when the bridegroom is not in sight. It includes the inconvenience of carrying of the cross! May we be found ready when He comes!
Danesh Manik
____________________________________
"A Soul’s Anchor” is a daily inspirational message prepared to challenge your mind, inspire your heart, and motivate you to anchor your soul in the person of Jesus Christ. If you know a friend who would enjoy receiving "A Soul’s Anchor" in their email box each day, tell them they can sign up by emailing us at subscribe@asoulsanchor.org . The messages may also be read at our website, http://www.asoulsanchor.org. To unsubscribe, please email, unsubscribe@asoulsanchor.org with your email in the subject line. To change to a weekly instead of a daily subscription, email weekly@asoulsanchor.org with your email in the subject line. For receiving messages by mail, please write to us at A Soul’s Anchor, India International Church, 3654 Okemos Rd., Okemos, MI 48864
Matthew 25:3-4
There lines in our text are from one of those parables of Jesus where the main message is readily apparent, yet the scenario for the story seems too stretched and unreal, especially if we look at it with the eyes colored with modern western civilization. If you are not familiar, let me quickly take a moment to fill you in. Jesus relates this parable about the five foolish and the five wise virgins waiting for the bridegroom to come. All ten are ready in every way except the five foolish ones have come without oil for their lamps. Of course, in a day without cell phones and such, no one could accurately predict when the bridegroom would arrive. Not only was the communication limited, weddings were a big event (they still are in my birth country of India), and the culture put a lot of emphasis on propriety, going to great lengths to avoid what might be considered as an insult. The bridegroom shows up at a late hour and the bridesmaids are sleeping. The five foolish ones suddenly realize they have no time to get oil to fill their lamps. The five wise were ready and were welcomed, the five foolish were not ready and locked out, and Jesus makes the application of the importance of being ready. “Watch therefore” is the keyword he leaves for his disciples.
The only noticeable difference between the wise and the foolish is the lack of oil for the lamps. They were all invited, they all went, they all had lamps, they all slept, they all heard the cry, they all rushed to meet the bridegroom, except five of them had not brought oil with them. They had everything but oil! Apart from the very important lesson of readiness, I would venture to suggest a couple of other lessons that the foolish women teach us. I can only conjecture here, but it is not unreasonable to say that they did not carry oil because it was inconvenient and impractical. Carrying oil can tend to slow one down. It is messy, and can get quite cumbersome. They perhaps reasoned, “Are we really required to bring oil with us? We are not sure of when the bridegroom may come. It is a very practical and smart idea to not bog us down with oil – we can always buy it when the time comes! After all the most important thing is to be there when the bridegroom arrives, isn’t it?"
Following God is not always the practical thing to do. Nor is it always the easiest thing to do. It is sometimes very messy. Sometimes it slows you down. Sometimes it puts you at odds with the more practical thinking people. It is often practically expeditious to cover the truth. Remember, the decision to crucify Christ, when viewed from a purely human perspective, was made for the sake of expediency.
In that exciting book of Exodus where we read of some of the most dramatic works of God, we also encounter some of the most tedious reading. It is that page after page of God’s instruction manual, the excruciatingly detailed blueprint of tabernacle construction. Build it this tall, this wide, this length, and using that material. Use so much wood overlaid with so much gold. Now build the altar – this high and no more, and on and on it goes. As I read through this, the first thought that occurrs to me is, ”Lord this is highly impractical, not to mention very inconvenient! They are in the wilderness and they have to carry this around.” Why not just let them simply worship you in their hearts? Why add more time to their transit? Why not wait till they get to the promised land? I suggest it is because when it comes to following God, we do not do what will bring us the greatest pleasure, but we do what will bring Him the greatest glory. We do not worship to get an emotional high, but we worship because He is worthy of worship.
The New Testament too is filled with very impractical commands. Consider Jesus’ words in Matthew 5. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”.
It is certainly not convenient to walk the extra mile, and very impractical to turn the other cheek. To be ready for God means to sometimes do what seems very inconvenient at the moment. The rich man in the Bible, the saddest figure in history in my opinion, walked away from Jesus because of the inconvenience of having to give up his wealth. Others walked away when they did not like or understand the message of the cross. May we ask ourselves are we taking the easy route? Are we doing what is practical and convenient in our pursuit of God? We cannot meet God on our terms, it must be on His terms. And that includes the, sometimes very impractical business of keeping the lamps trimmed and full of oil even when the bridegroom is not in sight. It includes the inconvenience of carrying of the cross! May we be found ready when He comes!
Danesh Manik
____________________________________
"A Soul’s Anchor” is a daily inspirational message prepared to challenge your mind, inspire your heart, and motivate you to anchor your soul in the person of Jesus Christ. If you know a friend who would enjoy receiving "A Soul’s Anchor" in their email box each day, tell them they can sign up by emailing us at subscribe@asoulsanchor.org . The messages may also be read at our website, http://www.asoulsanchor.org. To unsubscribe, please email, unsubscribe@asoulsanchor.org with your email in the subject line. To change to a weekly instead of a daily subscription, email weekly@asoulsanchor.org with your email in the subject line. For receiving messages by mail, please write to us at A Soul’s Anchor, India International Church, 3654 Okemos Rd., Okemos, MI 48864
posted by Danesh Manik | 3:12 PM
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