"When the sun goes down,
and the lamps are lit;
The music fades,
and the maidens sit;
At the midnight hour
the groom calls out;
and those without oil
give a fearful shout."[1]

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us the story about these ten maidens who couldn’t wait for this expected wedding and banquet.[2] But when the sun went down, and the lamps were lit, the music faded, and the maidens sat. They sat, and then they dozed off and fell asleep. The painting by Jorge Cocco illustrates half of them who slept and half who remained awake, but that is not what we hear in the story. They all fell asleep.

Let us consider what this ceremony of a wedding banquet would have been like in ancient Palestine. The traditional Jewish wedding was initiated by the arrival of the groom. Sometimes he had to travel. Traffic could have been bad. There may have been hold-ups. We can relate. There were no cell phones, no manner to which the groom could announce his late arrival. The bride, in her father’s house waited patiently as one betrothed, promised to be married. The bridesmaids, youthful, pure, happy were necessary in the ritual. Since the bride did not know when the groom would show, it was the bridesmaids, who made the entrance a huge, festive announcement. Oil for their lamps was therefore essential if the wedding was after dark.
When the groom finally appears, they would flock around him, holding his cloak and lighting the path to his bride. He knocks at the front door of the bride’s home with his entourage of maidens. The door opens, the father invites them into the courtyard and leads them to his daughter’s window. The bride and groom are brought to the center of a ceremonial procession, surrounded by selected guests, and of course the gleeful maidens right beside them. The rabbi invites the bride and groom to join him under the wedding canopy. This is where they take their vows and pledge their loyalty to God and each other. There is the presentation of the rings, several blessings and the ceremonial breaking of the glass by the groom’s foot, followed by the traditional “Mazel tov”, a solemn reminder of their history, and their part in this sacred dance.

In this story, when the sun rises, they emerge, opening the doors and escort the newlyweds to their new home where they will live, have a family, and join the community. On their way, they pass by all who could hear the festivities from the outside. They are happy for the newlyweds, but some feel very sad they were not prepared and too late. There is no wonder why Jesus gave this story as it is full of expectation and drama. Everyone can relate because no one wants to be left out of a good party. In our understanding of this story, it has a broader meaning. We do not want to be left out of heaven. There is a prayer at the end of the Evening Daily Office in our Book of Common Prayer that goes, “Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep.”

The realization of Jesus as the Messiah and the expectation of Christ’s return for our salvation and for the world is central to this story. Reginald Fuller, the New Testament scholar, said there is little doubt that Jesus intended to be portrayed as the groom. How it was remembered and written could have several possibilities but, in all cases, Jesus is still the groom. The wedding represents our personal salvation, or it could be the union between Christ and the Church. The banquet is our eternal life in heaven or the perfection of the Church in the rapture.

Eventually we must ask, allegorically, “who are the ten bridesmaids?” Are they the people of God five thousand years before Christ and the people five thousand years after? The people of the Old Testament or the New? Are they the people who have some faith but not enough? Who are they? These young women apparently had good qualities and good intentions. They were virgins, undefiled and pure. They wanted to usher in joy, bring life to the party and celebrate. Perhaps they shared a similar hope, dreaming for a prospective groom for themselves. Everyone knows the tradition of the bride throwing her bouquet. The maidens all carried lamps but not all had enough oil.

“Why did we not stock up?” The five who gave up a fearful shout, were afraid they would now miss the celebration because they did not have enough oil. First thing they asked of the other five was, “could you share some with me?” “No, we cannot for there will not be enough for you and for us.” It was not that the five with oil were unkind. They simply said if we split this among all of us, then none of us will be able to complete our responsibility. It was essential to have enough oil carried throughout the event. Is it possible, Jesus is saying there is something we must have, in this life, for our purpose in the life hereafter? Is Jesus saying that the oil is our faith in God and we better have enough? Is the oil God’s word and should we read the Bible more? Is the oil our works, and should we do more good deeds? What is this essential ingredient for us to have abundance, an illumined path, or just sanctity of life?

This story looks easy to figure out, but it is not. It sounds like a familiar song, but it is not an easy dance. For the people of Israel, years have gone without the coming of the Messiah. For us, followers of Jesus, we too see the years go by. The night gets long. The music fades. We get tired. Like each of those maidens we will fall asleep. Jesus says at the end, “Keep awake, for you do not know the day or hour [I will come]”. Nobody can do that. We must sleep. Even if you are tired and weary one must rest from the preoccupations of this world. Instead, Jesus is warning, “Do not fall asleep in believing in God’s word but not keeping God’s word.” Five maidens had this oil in their lamps and flasks when the groom came, so much that they held enough for the end of the day. Five maidens did not.

The parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids is not about those who have faith and those who do not. They all had faith. Faith, however is not transferrable. You must own it. You cannot borrow it. We are all like the bridesmaids waiting for the feast, but we have wicks to trim when he comes again. We do not know the hour, so let not your faith fall asleep on the central message of this parable. Jesus is the Son of God, and He will come again. Keep watch so that,

"When the sun goes down,
and the lamps are lit;
The music fades,
and the maidens sit;
At the midnight hour
the groom calls out;
you will not be without oil
nor give a fearful shout."

[1] The Rev. Jon Roberts
[2] Matthew 25:1-13
[3] 1979 Book of Common Prayer, p.124
[4] https://www.womanalive.co.uk/the-ten-virgins-the-importance-of-being-prepared/13719.article