wisdom

As the days remaining for Jesus to tarry on the earth grew short, His words must have carried an even greater urgency. Listen again to one of the last parables He shared with His disciples:

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”Matthew 25:1-13 (NIV)

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We are used to interpreting this parable as a contrast between believers and non-believers, showing their different destinations at the end of the age. But consider this: all ten had lamps. All ten had oil. All ten represent people of faith …

Ah, but what KIND of faith?

Under normal circumstances, the faith of all ten would have been adequate. Here’s the problem: these were not normal circumstances. The Bridegroom was delayed, and everyone had grown tired of waiting (if you know Jesus like I do, you’ll recognize this as an intentional pattern of His!).

When they awoke to hear of His approach, all ten had some work to do in trimming their neglected lamps. Once they did so, the contrast began to emerge: only five of them had oil in reserve with which to replenish their sputtering flames. These believers had wisely nurtured their faith in such a way that they now had more than enough to sustain them in lean times. They had cultivated trust, intimacy, abundance, in their walk with the Lord. They had no reason to fear scarcity, because they were prepared. And they could not share what they had, NOT because they were too selfish to bless their sisters, but because no one can confer the depth of her own faith upon another.

Now here we are, Church, caught in the middle of a trial we didn’t see coming. All around us is darkness; our own lights may even be starting to flicker. The time is short, but the footstep of the Bridegroom has not yet been heard in the corridor. It is not too late! If you have not already begun cultivating a faith that will sustain you through the darkness, NOW is the time. Seek the sellers of the oil, the brothers and sisters you know who have collected an abundance, and learn from them. Even better, go directly to the Source—our Lord Himself—who wants nothing more than an invitation to begin pouring His fragrant oil into you.

And if you have been in the habit of sitting at the feet of Jesus, saturating your spirit with His sweet presence, don’t stop now! Keep adding to those stores of abundance; they may be sorely tested in coming days.

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On that note, I highly recommend the book *Bridal Intercession: Authority in Prayer through Intimacy with Jesus* by Gary Wiens. His take on this parable inspired these reflections.