Jesus teaches us that knowing him is coupled with wisdom. And this wisdom takes preparation which is related to our relationship with Jesus.
Matthew 25:1-13 "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' 7 Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' 10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' 12 But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' 13 Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Through out scripture the Messiah, Jesus, is called the bridegroom and his church is called his bride. Here we see a picture of Jesus returning to unite with his church, but 1/2 of those claiming to be his church, aren't. They never were, he says that he never even knew them.
An interesting thing to consider is why the wise women don't share their oil with the ones who have not brought any extra? Why don't the wise women bring enough for the foolish women too? Haven't we been taught to bear other's burdens? This is very different from Jesus' teachings about life in the Kingdom where sharing is key to community.
Perhaps Jesus is making a point that - preparedness can't be transferred or shared. Preparedness is personal - it is coupled to our relationship with Jesus. He says, "he never knew" those who were unprepared. Do we become prepared by entering a relationship with Jesus - by accepting his invitation to "follow me"? Being a member of the church enables us to be in the community of believers and is the only way to live out our Christian lives, but it is our personal relationship with the bridegroom that matters in this story - it prepares us with wisdom - it informs us to bring extra oil.
The wise women brought extra oil to keep their lights lit. They were prepared to wait because they knew Jesus. Are we prepared to wait? What does being prepared to wait mean to our daily lives in the here and now? Are we followers of Jesus?
Do we ignore Jesus' teaching that being prepared is personal?
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