In Matthew 25, Jesus tells two parables about our preparations for His return.
The first parable is about the ten maidens who wait for the bridegroom to come and the ensuing wedding celebrations. Five are prepared and bring extra oil for their lamps, but the other five are not ready for the bridegroom’s arrival, and by the time they arrive at the wedding - having taken a detour to the shops - they are too late and are denied entrance.
I have found it difficult to reconcile between this parable and the assurance that Jesus will hold us fast despite our weak and shaky faith. In Matthew 12:20, Matthew shows us how Jesus fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming Messiah, describing him: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.”
So then, what is the purpose of this parable? Clearly, all ten maidens thought they would be attending the feast. Could this happen to me? Am I deluded for believing I will go to heaven? What if I’m denied entrance when I get there? How can I be sure that I am ready?
In Revelation 3:15-16, Jesus says to the church in Laodicea: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” I used to understand this to mean that there is no middle ground in following Jesus - you’re either following Him wholeheartedly or not at all. To an extent, I suppose, this is true. I certainly believe that we aren’t static in our relationship with God (or anyone for that matter). If we don’t invest in a relationship we will drift further away. But we’re not drifting away from salvation.
There have been many times when I have not felt particularly close to God. But I don’t lose my salvation each time. Neither does each doubting episode somehow prove that I was ‘never really saved, to begin with.’
I think the Bible and church history and human experience all make it quite clear that our faith will have its ups and downs. We experience ‘conference highs’ and Doubting Castle. And most of all, Jesus our Saviour promises us that He will not snuff out a smouldering wick. So struggles of faith can’t mean that we’re ‘not really saved.’
This brings me back to the start: who were the five maidens who thought they would be at the feast but because of their unpreparedness, they were not allowed in? How can we be sure no to be like them?
In the second parable in Matthew 25, Jesus explains what it means to ‘be ready.’ He tells of a master who goes away and entrusts three servants with different amounts of money to steward in his absence. On his return, two have invested his money and present him with increased turnover. The third, however, hid the money away so that at his master’s return he presents him with exactly how much the master had originally given him. He did nothing to steward it.
There are a number of things to learn from that parable but in the context of the previous one, I think it’s important to note that God wants us to be working for His kingdom as we wait for His return. He has given us many resources (time, money, abilities, authority, homes) which we are called to steward for His glory. The maidens knew that the bridegroom was coming, even if they didn’t know exactly when. They knew that when he arrived they should be ready for him; they had time to prepare. There is plenty of kingdom work to be done while we wait for Jesus to come back.
In the same way, when He’s talking to the church in Laodicea, I don’t think Jesus is saying ‘I would rather you didn’t know me at all than half-heartedly trying to follow me.’ I think He’s saying ‘your faith isn’t changing your life; it’s ineffective; it does nothing!’ Apparently, there were two waterways in Laodicea - one with hot water, one with cold - and each had its unique uses (cold for drinking, hot for washing). But lukewarm water - a mixture of the two - was good for nothing. In the same way, the faith of the Laodicean church was not changing them, it wasn’t active. They were lazy, like the third servant, sitting on their faith but not doing anything with it.
Jesus tells them; “Be zealous and repent” (verse 19), telling them that though they think themselves self-sufficient and self-reliant, they are desperately in need of His saving grace.
I don’t know if the church in Laodicea were true believers (the instruction to ‘repent’ indicates they might not have been), but that’s not important (it is not my duty to judge someone else’s walk with the Lord). What is important is the warning they serve to us.
We are called to ‘be prepared,’ to invest in God’s kingdom here on earth, to let our faith transform us. With the Holy Spirit working in us, we can grow in our relationship with the Lord, becoming more and more like Jesus. On this earth, we won’t always get it right. But we have an interceding Messiah in Jesus Christ. Even though we will struggle in our faith, even though we will stumble and doubt and not have 100-streak days of Bible study, we are held by the Saviour of the world. ‘A bruised reed He will not break and a smouldering wick He will not snuff out.’