Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

Anita Mathias's Blog on Faith and Art

The Forgiveness of Sins–Blog Through the Bible Project

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consecration.jpg picture by kking888
Matthew 26
The Plot Against Jesus
 1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

Jesus predicts his crucifixion for the fourth and final time. He has a foreknowledge of what is going to happen, though that does not make it less painful.

Verse 5 Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually made the journey to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, and nationalistic fervour ran high as they recalled the liberation of their ancestors from bondage in Egypt. 
Popular uprisings were increasingly common during such festival periods, and so the chief priests were reluctant to arrest Jesus openly because of his popularity with the people. 

The Last Supper
 17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
 20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
 22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”
They loved him after all. It was unthinkable.

 23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
 25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
   Jesus answered, “You have said so.”

The breakdown of love and trust between Jesus and Judas was so extreme, that Judas does not heed his warning, “It would be better for him if he had not been born.” 
The height of disloyalty and betrayal was turning on someone after sharing a meal with him.
The chief priests, very savvily had prepaid him after all.
The rest of the disciples address Jesus as Lord, but Judas addresses him as Rabbi or Teacher. There is no record of Judas ever calling Jesus Lord. 
“You have said so,”–A Greek expression which deflects responsibility upon the one asking the question.

 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Jesus defines, and redefines love. Love is giving yourself for those you love.
When one reads this, one feels “How can I ever love like that?”
As Jesus said, it is good for us that he had to go, because if he had not gone, the Holy Spirit, the comforter, would not have come. 
So, when we feel powerless to love, we can implore the Holy Spirit to come and help us in our weakness. 

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Theologically foundational words. Jesus’s body will be the once-and-for-all reenactment of the ceremony of the Passover Lamb, as he will become the sacrificial atonement for the sins of the people.
His blood is poured out for the forgiveness of sins. God forgives those who have put their faith in Jesus, who are grafted into Jesus because Jesus died an excruciating death to pay the penalty for our sin. His blood was poured out for many so that they would not have to pay the eternal consequence of their sins.
Forgiven, reconciled, at peace with God. The enormity of it is hard to grasp.
And because Jesus did this for us, we too are called to let it all go–the offences men have committed against us, those who have lied, manipulated, schemed, abused us and hurt us.

The cup was likely the third cup drunk at the Passover, the cup of blessing or the cup of redemption corresponding to God’s third promise in Ex 6:6 “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great acts of judgment.”


The cup foreshadows the shedding of Jesus’ blood and the absorbing of God’s wrath, which opens the way for the redemption of all peoples through the new covenant relationship with God that was promised to the people of Israel.
My father’s kingdom–The Messianic Banquet.

Whatever you do to the least of these. Blog Through the Bible Project

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 Matthew 25 31-46

    31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.


   34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

   37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
   40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Those blessed by the Father of Jesus are blessed because of their kindness and generosity to the least of these.

   41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
   44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
   45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
   46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

This is a scary parable. Everything will be exquisitely simple at the end. According to this parable, people will be judged–or condemned–based on their kindness and generosity.

Those who saw the “least of these” hungry, thirsty, a stranger, sick and unjustly imprisoned and did nothing will be condemned by Christ. Those who showed some kindness and generosity will be rewarded.

Christ identifies with the least of these. What we do to them, we do for him.

What is dazzling about this parable is that people are not judged on whether they have heard or believed any particular theology. They are judged on whether they were kind to the hungry, sick, imprisoned, desperately poor and the aliens in the land.

To whom does Jesus refer as “ whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine?” I take the majority view–that he “refers to all who are hungry, sick, imprisoned, and persecuted aliens.” No one can meet the needs of all the poor in the world, not even those who are blessed by the Father of Jesus. I guess Christ judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart, when he looks at the times people have been generous, and the times they have failed to be generous and kind as he decides who shall receive the blessed inheritance of a happy eternity with him.

Preaching of the Gospel should never be divorced from care for the poor–whether through financial generosity or actual service. 

In the eyes of Christ is financial generosity to the poor acceptable service to the poor–if for instance, one’s calling is to something different than feeding, clothing, visiting….?

Yes, I believe so. Though we must make sure that we are actually being financially generous!! (And, having said that, I realize it’s time for me to update my giving!!)

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Whatever you do to the least of these. Blog Through the Bible Project

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 Matthew 25 31-46

    31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

   34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

   37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
   40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Those blessed by the Father of Jesus are blessed because of their kindness and generosity to the least of these.

   41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
   44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
   45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
   46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

This is a scary parable. Everything will be exquisitely simple at the end. According to this parable, people will be judged–or condemned–based on their kindness and generosity.

Those who saw the “least of these” hungry, thirsty, a stranger, sick and unjustly imprisoned and did nothing will be condemned by Christ. Those who showed some kindness and generosity will be rewarded.

Christ identifies with the least of these. What we do to them, we do for him.

What is dazzling about this parable is that people are not judged on whether they have heard or believed any particular theology. They are judged on whether they were kind to the hungry, sick, imprisoned, desperately poor and the aliens in the land.

To whom does Jesus refer as “ whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine?” I take the majority view–that he “refers to all who are hungry, sick, imprisoned, and persecuted aliens.” No one can meet the needs of all the poor in the world, not even those who are blessed by the Father of Jesus. I guess Christ judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart, when he looks at the times people have been generous, and the times they have failed to be generous and kind as he decides who shall receive the blessed inheritance of a happy eternity with him.

Preaching of the Gospel should never be divorced from care for the poor–whether through financial generosity or actual service. 

In the eyes of Christ is financial generosity to the poor acceptable service to the poor–if for instance, one’s calling is to something different than feeding, clothing, visiting….?

Yes, I believe so. Though we must make sure that we are actually being financially generous!! (And, having said that, I realize it’s time for me to update my giving!!)

The Anointing of Jesus: Why This Waste?

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I am actually enthralled by this year’s discipline of reading through Scripture slowly, a passage at a time. How can I be so fascinated with this slow reading of passages I have known all my life? Because there is power and depth in the passages, sparkling inner depths that yield themselves to a close and tranquil examination. 


Matthew 26 6-12


 6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

 8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

This senseless love that does not count the cost does not make sense to the rational mind (mine included). Sometimes acts of love do not, as shown in the beautiful recent film, Of Gods and Men, see review.


Simon was likely a leper healed by Jesus, since lepers were otherwise required to live apart.
The woman is identified in John as Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus.


Her heart welled with love for Jesus. The best she had to give was not good enough. Mark tells us the perfume was worth a year’s wages for an average worker. Let’s say something like £40,000 in today’s money–lavished on Jesus because of her love for him!

 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 

But Jesus sees the beauty in this act of pure, random love, lavished on him without considering the cost.
The Greek word used, Kallos, has an ethical as well as an aesthetic meaning.

Bu 
11 The poor you will always have with you,[a] but you will not always have me. 

There will always be poverty–because of individual fecklessness, laziness, stupidity, extravagance, bad judgement; bad luck, ill-health, natural disasters, and the villainy and greed of others.


12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

The woman may have unconsciously, prophetically known that Jesus’ time on earth was short. 

It is likely that he went to his brutal and excruciating death with the precious perfume of her anointing on him.

And that is life. The precious perfume of sweet love anoints us even along with the thorny crown of hatred

And Jesus promises that her act of lavish love will never be forgotten. 


Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

 14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.


The idol of Judas life was love of money. We are elsewhere told that he was a thief, and would help himself to money from the community’s money bags.


It appears that Jesus’s refusal to condemn Mary for her act of lavish and “wasteful” devotion tips Judas in his ultimate betrayal of Christ for–interestingly and significantly–money.


30 silver coins was about 120 denarius, 4 months wages, since a labourer earned about a denarius a day.


What are four months wages for you? Would getting that as a lump sum be sufficient for you to betray a close friend?





 

The Anointing of Jesus: Why This Waste?

By


I am actually enthralled by this year’s discipline of reading through Scripture slowly, a passage at a time. How can I be so fascinated with this slow reading of passages I have known all my life? Because there is power and depth in the passages, sparkling inner depths that yield themselves to a close and tranquil examination. 

Matthew 26 6-12

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

 8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
This senseless love that does not count the cost does not make sense to the rational mind (mine included). Sometimes acts of love do not, as shown in the beautiful recent film, Of Gods and Men, see review.

Simon was likely a leper healed by Jesus, since lepers were otherwise required to live apart.
The woman is identified in John as Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus.


Her heart welled with love for Jesus. The best she had to give was not good enough. Mark tells us the perfume was worth a year’s wages for an average worker. Let’s say something like £40,000 in today’s money–lavished on Jesus because of her love for him!

 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.
 
But Jesus sees the beauty in this act of pure, random love, lavished on him without considering the cost.
The Greek word used, Kallos, has an ethical as well as an aesthetic meaning.
Bu
11 The poor you will always have with you,a]”>[a] but you will not always have me.
There will always be poverty–because of individual fecklessness, laziness, stupidity, extravagance, bad judgement; bad luck, ill-health, natural disasters, and the villainy and greed of others.
 
 
12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
The woman may have unconsciously, prophetically known that Jesus’ time on earth was short. 
 
It is likely that he went to his brutal and excruciating death with the precious perfume of her anointing on him.
 
And that is life. The precious perfume of sweet love anoints us even along with the thorny crown of hatred
 
And Jesus promises that her act of lavish love will never be forgotten. 


udas Agrees to Betray Jesus

 14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

 
The idol of Judas life was love of money. We are elsewhere told that he was a thief, and would help himself to money from the community’s money bags.
 
It appears that Jesus’s refusal to condemn Mary for her act of lavish and “wasteful” devotion tips Judas in his ultimate betrayal of Christ for–interestingly and significantly–money.
 
30 silver coins was about 120 denarius, 4 months wages, since a labourer earned about a denarius a day.
 
What are four months wages for you? Would getting that as a lump sum be sufficient for you to betray a close friend?
 

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Readiness: Wise and Foolish Virgins, Blog Through the Bible Project

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Wilhelm Von Schadow, Wise and Foolish Virgins.
 
Matthew 25 1-13
The Parable of the Ten Virgins

 1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
    6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

   7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

   9 “‘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.’

   10 “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.

   11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

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

   13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Just one life. Just one. And at the end, we will meet Christ, the bridegroom. 


Are we living in readiness for him? Or are we totally unprepared? 

Christ says, “Be ready, because you don’t know the day or the hour. And when he returns, no one can help us out. We have to take personal responsibility for our readiness.

What it means to keep one’s lamp filled with oil varies according to our calling. For me, it would mean learning to keep my eyes on Jesus through the day. Being faithful to my calling as a writer, be it “less or more, or soon or slow, mean or high” as Milton writes about his calling in Sonnet 23.


It means being kind to my husband. Investing in my kids.

This is a quiet patch in my life; I am not as involved in church stuff as I normally have been, which means a kind of simplifying when it comes to the question of what God’s will for me is, what keeping my lamp full of oil means.

To keep my eyes on Jesus. To write. To love my husband. To try to mother my kids well.

Posted by Anita Mathias at 12:29 

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The Parable of the Talents: A Parable for Business and Life

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The Parable of the Bags of Gold

    14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
    19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

   21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

   22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

   23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

   24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

   26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

   28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

This parable is probably the one which has intrigued me more than any other.

Those given the talent of ability to begin with are entrusted with more.
No directions are given. The wealth (in this parable) is given to them in trust.
And they are now to get on with their lives.
It is a test.

Those who have made the most of what they have been given are given increased responsibility–and happiness.
Those who have not lose what they have been given–and it is given to those who already have a lot.
This parable, among all Jesus’s parables is the most true to life as I have observed and experienced it.
One starting point is random: different people are given different “talents”–intelligence, wealth, beauty, family connections, health….

To those who are diligent about using what they have is more given. And even more.

Those who are not diligent lose the little they have.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

At a certain period in my life, I was the wicked and lazy servant–not making use of my education and writing gifts, not making the most of my financial resources. I experienced a bit of what Jesus talks about, seeing people who perhaps had less writing ability and training do far better than I because of diligence. And financially, I found myself with less disposable income than people who are more careful with their money.

And seeing that, this parable became tatooed on my mind and skin. I now am really nervous about not making the most of what I have been given–both material resources, and talents and abilities.
ATTITUDE
The former two servants go the extra mile. Is it fondness for their employer, or is it a finely developed sense of responsibility?

They prove worthy of the trust, they turn over all their proceeds to their employer. They are rewarded with increased responsibility–and happiness.

The third servant has a stingy attitude–he does not want the master to harvest where he has not sown.
He does not want to do anything more than the minimum, and has no interest in being a blessing to his master. No interest in the extra mile.

Because of his stinginess, he loses what he has, whereas the generous, helpful servant is rewarded.
That too is true: that a generous, helpful attitude, being willing to go the extra mile is richly rewarded in business, in life–whereas–for reasons that are not entirely obvious–never being willing to do more than the minimum, leads to failure and a general crimping of life. 
FAITHFULNESS

Being faithful in small things is a sure way to expanded responsibility and recognition.

What has God entrusted you with today? Being faithful with it will lead to you having an enlarged territory, as Jabez expresses in his prayer.
A personal commission 
Do the best you can with what God has given you. However, God does not judge people comparatively, but in accordance with the gifts he has given them to begin with.

How we handle spiritual truth

The parable, as Jesus says elsewhere, is to do with what one does with the  spiritual truth one hears and understands.
Those who are faithful with obeying it, and living it out will be given even more spiritual insight and wisdom.
On the other hand, those who hear with no interest in obeying, and living out their spiritual insights will find themselves forgetting them, or retaining their once glowing spiritual insights as dull, tarnished, unappealing things. 

Jesus concludes this parable in other synoptics by saying, “Let him who has ears to hear, hear.”

Personal Business Application
What is a good rate of return on an investment of money or effort?

The parable suggests 100% at least. Invest a £100, make £200, let’s say.

Is this possible? Yes. Not always at first, for business, like most things is an art which has to be learned.

The thing to focus on is leveraging one’s time, energy, talents, investments, raw materials, so as to obtain at least double of what you invested. I learned a lot about this principle of leveraging from a book I picked up second-hand, “The Lazy Man’s Guide to Riches.”

Here is Steve Pavlina’s take on the application of the parable of talents to business.  

Excerpts:

 


What’s the ultimate reward for the faithful servants?  Although Jesus doesn’t explicitly say it, it seems obvious they don’t get to keep the money.  The two successful servants aren’t even working for their own increase.  It’s not their money.  They’re working for the increase of their master, and they share in the increase to his estate.  Their true reward is to share in their master’s happiness.  So happiness is the reward, and happiness comes from serving others.

I know from experience that if I undertake some action to create increase only for myself, there’s very little energy to it, and it doesn’t usually increase my happiness.  But if I focus on creating increase for others (such as by helping people grow), then I feel great joy in doing that, and it ultimately creates increase for me too.

 As Jesus implies in The Parable of the Talents, creating abundance requires you to move beyond fear.  If you’re too fearful or suspicious or distrustful, you’re going to bury your talents.  And this leads to “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” i.e. sorrow and depression.

You might think that fear and suspicion will keep you out of trouble, but really they’ll just cause you suffering and pain.  You don’t need fear to avoid being a gullible idiot; for that you just need common sense.  To live a life of abundance, you must ultimately move beyond fear and work to create abundance for others.  Otherwise you’ll ultimately be cast out as worthless.  Jesus doesn’t pull any punches here, youse bums.

Serve to create increase for others, and happiness is your reward.  Bury your talents, and you get “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  The choice is yours.
 



 



Readiness: Wise and Foolish Virgins, Blog Through the Bible Project

By

Wilhelm Von Schadow, Wise and Foolish Virgins.
 The Parable of the Ten Virgins

 1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
    6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

   7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

   9 “‘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.’

   10 “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.

   11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

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

   13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Just one life. Just one. And at the end, we will meet Christ, the bridegroom. 


Are we living in readiness for him? Or are we totally unprepared? 

Christ says, “Be ready, because you don’t know the day or the hour. And when he returns, no one can help us out. We have to take personal responsibility for our readiness.

What it means to keep one’s lamp filled with oil varies according to our calling. For me, it would mean learning to keep my eyes on Jesus through the day. Being faithful to my calling as a writer, be it “less or more, or soon or slow, mean or high” as Milton writes about his calling in Sonnet 23.


It means being kind to my husband. Investing in my kids.

This is a quiet patch in my life; I am not as involved in church stuff as I normally have been, which means a kind of simplifying when it comes to the question of what God’s will for me is, what keeping my lamp full of oil means.

To keep my eyes on Jesus. To write. To love my husband. To try to mother my kids well.