A Word from Matthew 25

If you’ve been around long enough to remember some of the old hymns, you might be familiar with What If It Were Today? “Jesus is coming to earth again,” the song begins. “What if it were today? Coming in power and love to reign. What if it were today? Coming to claim His chosen Bride—all the redeemed and purified, over His whole earth scattered wide. What if it were today?”

Now, I think of hymns like this when I read today’s word from Matthew 25, in which Jesus tells The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. And I’m going to guess you know that parable. “At that time,” Jesus said, “the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. And when the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.” (25:1-5; NLT)

Of course, when the bridegroom finally arrived, the wise bridesmaids were ready and got to go to the wedding feast. But the foolish bridesmaids weren’t, and they were left outside. And this led Jesus to the point of his parable: “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.” (25:13)

Naturally, we understand this to be a parable about the Second Coming. And to be sure, it is that. And yet, since Jesus said that he’s “with us always, even to the end of the age” (see Mt. 28:20), isn’t there a sense in which the bridegroom has already returned? And so, part of what it means to “keep watch” is to understand that the bridegroom is here! And those who are wise are the ones who’ve welcomed him, who are serving him, and who are already filled with the joy of his presence.

So, may you know that joy today! And may you “keep watch” for all the ways in which Jesus will be present with you. Amen.