Expectancy Not Imminency - Gospel of Matthew - Part 72
Expectancy Not Imminency
Matthew 25:1-13
Immanuel – 5/4/25
Today we have come to the most significant shift in the Olivet Discourse. Jesus begins to prophesy about the age in which we live. But before I get into the text, I need to dive into some issues of timing. You’ll see why this is significant to our passage.
Timing is a critical issue in the Olivet Discourse. Jesus prophesied the temple would be destroyed (24:2). The disciples asked when (24:3). Jesus said within one generation – about 40 years (24:34). All the prophecies are circling around the question of timing.
Except for the brief parable at the end of chapter 24, so far, the timing of the Olivet Discourse has been aimed at Jesus’ contemporaries. Listen to whom Jesus’ speaks.
24:4 – See that no one leads you astray.
24:6 – You will hear of wars and rumors of war.
24:9 – They will deliver you up to tribulation…and you will be hated.
24:15 – When you see the abomination of desolation.
24:23 – It anyone says to you, “Look here is Christ!”
24:25 – See, I have told you beforehand.
24:26 – So if they say to you, “Look, he is in the wilderness.”
24:33 – You will know that he is near, at the very gates.
24:42 – You do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
24:44 – You…must be ready.
Is it clear? Jesus expected the disciples – with their contemporaries – to experience the fulfillment of his prophesies. They were the ones living at the end of the age. Jesus was foretelling the last days of the old covenant system – the destruction of the temple being the decisive end to that covenantal system and the age it represented.
In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. -Hebrews 8:13
The moment Jesus initiated a new covenant between God and man, the old one became obsolete. No longer would animal sacrifices atone for sins. No longer would people need to travel to a temple for worship. These old covenant shadows had become obsolete, and they forever vanished away when the temple was destroyed in 70 AD.
But in Christ was the dawning of a new age. He offered himself as the once-for-all sacrifice for sins. By faith in him we are forgiven! And it is with the mortar of faith that he builds his people into a living temple, carrying the very presence of God in their hearts, entering the holy of holies anywhere on earth.
For 1st century Jews, these were astounding realities of salvation: the holy of holies streaming to the ends of the earth? The holy presence of God traveling in the hearts of sinners, Jew and Gentiles, justified and redeemed. Truly, Christ initiated a new and glorious age! It is heaven, come to earth: or, it is the kingdom of God in the midst of us. As Jesus said,
“Behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” -Luke 17:21
Jesus had brought the kingdom of God. To be clear, this is an “already, not yet” kingdom. The kingdom is already here, but not in its fulness. Now is the unconsummated kingdom of heaven. The consummated kingdom arrives when Jesus returns.
When Jesus talks about the kingdom of heaven in our midst, it is his way of speaking about the new covenant age. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus starts by prophesying about the end of the old covenant age. Today, as we dive into chapter 25, we will hear him begin to tell the disciples what the new age will be like. That’s why I have spent so much time talking about this transition of ages – old covenant to new.
The disciples did not ask what would come after the destruction of the temple, but Christ is going to tell them anyway. Verse 1 begins with,
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like….
Don’t miss the first word of chapter 25! After you see the signs of the end, after you see the abomination of desolations, after you see the Son of Man destroy the temple in judgment; then the kingdom of heaven will be like…
The three parables of chapter 25 go on to describe elements of the kingdom of heaven. Let me point out a timing element.
25:4 – The bridegroom was delayed.
25:19 – After a long time the master of those servants came.
Jesus speaks of an indeterminately long time in these two parables.
In the final parable, Jesus refers to his bodily return, the resurrection, the final judgment (what some call the Great White Throne Judgment), and the entrance into the eternal state (heaven or hell). These are the things we still anticipate, for they are the consummation of the kingdom of God, promised at the close of history. We await them, but they could still be a great distance off.
And while we await them, Jesus tells us how we are to live in this present age, the Church Age, the already-not-yet kingdom of heaven. And now we are prepared for the first eight words of chapter 25.
Read vs 1
In ancient Judaism, the period of engagement was called betrothal. Betrothal was a stronger bond than modern engagement,…taking a divorce to break it. And during a betrothal, the male (bridegroom) would often leave for a long period time – its duration estimated, but often ambiguous. Because during that time he was preparing a house for his new wife, sometimes building it himself. (And if you’ve ever been involved with a construction project, you know it doesn’t fit a neat timeline!)
Here is how one commentator describes the consumation of the betrothal period.
“At the end of the betrothal period the marriage took place…the two parties, one of the bridegroom and his friends and the other of the bride and her people, went out to meet each other at an unspecified place. When the two groups came together the wedding took place. After this there was a procession, generally to the home of the bridegroom, where feasting took place that might go on for days.”1
When the bridegroom was ready to come for his bride, a messenger was sent to summon her. It was customary for this call to come at night (which is why the 10 virgins had lamps/torches).
When the call came, “The bridegroom is coming!” the virgins (meaning young women that have not yet married) were to light their lamps and form a celebratory procession to meet the bridegroom. Afterwards, their torches would illuminate the wedding, then the procession going from the altar of marriage to the reception at the couple’s new home – prepared by the bridegroom.
Jesus didn’t need to explain all of this to the disciples, because they were 1st century Jews. These were their customs. But there is something in this custom that Jesus says is like the kingdom of heaven – the one in which we live.
Read vs 2-4
I think the word should be torches, not lamps; as some of your translations may indicate. Like in the movies, a torch is a cloth bundled on the end of a carrying stick. Cloth doesn’t burn very well on it’s own. It needs oil to hold a flame worthy of casting light. But if the oil is applied too early, when you ignite it, it will not burn as bright or as long. Think of lighter fluid applied to charcoal one hour before lighting the grill. It’s not going to give you the effect you want, you’ll need more oil.
This is why the young women have flasks of oil, and don’t just douse their torches in oil right away. And now you understand why five of them were so foolish, neglecting to have oil at the ready.
Read vs 5-6
You get the impression that the girls thought the bridegroom would return earlier. They didn’t expect the delay. They didn’t expect to have to wait so long. So they fell asleep, all of them, the wise and the foolish. They are not reprimanded for falling asleep. And presumably, if they faced a long night of celebration and feasting, catching some sleep was a reasonable decision.
But don’t miss the point. The girls did not expect the bridegroom to be delayed so long.
But at midnight – or more accurately, sometime in the middle of the night – the call came: “The bridegroom has come! Come out to meet him!” All the girls were surprised. Though the bridegroom returned later than expected, he did return. It was time for celebration, feasting, rejoicing!
At least, it should have been. But the foolish girls were not ready.
Read vs 7-9
You might think it was unkind for the girls who had oil not to share with those who didn’t. But that is to miss the point of Jesus’ parable. If those who had, gave theirs away, the light would only last half as long, or be half as bright. Should the wedding procession be dimly lit? Should the celebration suffer from half measures? Not the marriage Jesus speaks of!
The wise girls answer wisely and send the procrastinators looking for provisions. You can just imagine their frantic running as they raced to buy oil. But it was futility.
Read vs 10-12
The girls who made wise use of their time and resources were privileged to participate in the wedding. Then, it was their exceeding joy to be welcomed into the bridegroom’s home for feasting.
But the foolish girls missed the procession. They missed the wedding. They missed the joyous parade back to the bridegroom’s home. When they finally arrived, desperately out of sorts, the door was shut. There is no indication if they were able to secure some oil. And they cried, “Lord, lord! Open the door!”
To be sure, there is no actual wedding situation where the bridegroom would reject his wife’s friends and family. Rather, Jesus is teaching about the kingdom of heaven. Before we get to the point of his teaching, let’s be clear about some of the characters and elements in Jesus’ parable.
10 virgins = disciples – more accurately, apparent disciples
Bridegroom = Jesus
Betrothal = This present age, the Church Age, the unconsummated kingdom of heaven.
Coming of the bridegroom = Jesus’ bodily return
Wedding feast = The church’s entrance into the consummated kingdom of heaven. Revelation 19 calls it the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and Jesus references is when he institutes the Lord’s Supper (Mattew 26:29).
If you’ve been able to grasp the larger picture of Scripture, it’s not too difficult to decipher what these different elements in the parable are about.
But there is one element that is more challenging to discern. It is the element exposing which of the girls were foolish and which were wise: the oil. What is the oil? Many commentators say it’s too ambiguous, and we can’t really know what the oil represents. In a way, I think they are right. I do not believe the oil represents any one thing. It’s more complex than that.
To find help, let’s go back to the Sermon on the Mount. Remember, the Sermon on the Mount is “Kingdom of Heaven 101” – Jesus’ teaching on what the kingdom of God would be like, how it functions, how you enter. Let’s turn back to Matthew 7:21 and read a kingdom thread woven between the two discourses.
Read Matthew 7:21-23
In this passage, Jesus is referring to a day of judgment and the fulness of the kingdom, the consummation, the eternal state. On that day, there will be many people who think they deserve heaven, who thought they were disciples, but they were not.
Because – as Jesus says – they did not love the will of the Father. The will of the Father for us, is to love the Son, Jesus. The Father gave his beloved Son up to death, so that whoever would believe in him would be forgiven and have eternal life. And if we love the Son, we will follow him into self-sacrificial love, into gospel proclamation, and into a life lived for the kingdom rather than for self.
If we love self, we cannot love God. Also in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” and “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:21,24). Thus, when it comes to the day of judgment, if you have not trusted your heart to Christ, all your good works served the gods of selfishness and pride. You forsook relationship with God. It is too late, you made your choice, begging is vanity. Jesus will say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”
I don’t think it’s possible to think of words more crushing than these. And they are the same words Jesus repeats in Matthew 25:12. When the foolish girls are banging on the bridegroom’s door, crying “Lord, lord!” he says to them, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.”
After a quick visit to the Sermon on the Mount, let me ask the question again. In Jesus’ parable of the 10 virgins, what is the oil? What is the thing that reveals if people are wise or foolish, ready for Christ’s return or not? What is the oil?
As I said, it’s not any one thing. It’s faith. It’s doing the will of the Father. It’s a heart that treasures Christ. It’s a self-sacrificial life lived by the Spirit. These together are the oil of a burning heart, for hearts that blaze like torches in the night or lights of the world.
Identifying the oil is critical to understand Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of heaven, but it is not the main point of his parable. Jesus tells us the main point in the last verse.
Read vs 13
Webster’s dictionary defines imminent as “ready to take place, happening soon.” Imminency means it could occur at any moment. Many Christians think Jesus is teaching his imminent return. You’ll see the imminent return of Christ in many churches’ statements of faith, citing this parable as a proof text. But that entirely misses the point.
Jesus is not teaching about an imminent return. In fact, I don’t see any place in Scripture that teaches an imminent return. Rather, I see teaching of an unfolding and extended sanctifying process over a long period. The bridegroom is delayed. The Church Age is marked by this delay, Jesus tarries. The vast majority of disciples, whether they are wise or foolish, will believe Christ is returning soon, only to find they are waiting.
Instead, Jesus is teaching about living with expectancy. Expectant, as defined by Webster’s, is “to be characterize by expectation.” Jesus is teaching us to be people who live our lives ready to meet him. Sure, this could happen upon Christ’s return, but it could also happen upon death, neither of which do we know the day nor the hour – a theme building on last week’s parable, 24:45-51.
To live with expectancy is to count the cost of following Jesus, realize it is no cost at all, repent of your selfishness and pride, and follow. As Jesus said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:26) Living with expectancy is not waiting to repent.
There were definitely times in my life where I knew I needed to give something up to follow Jesus, or I knew I needed to take some step of obedience, but I would tell myself that I would do it later. I’m not ready now. I’ll continue in my ways for a little while longer, and afterwards I’ll make the needed changes.
But no one knows the day nor the hour when Christ will call you home. Just as in the parable last week, live ready, live with expectancy, live with the oil of a burning heart. Embrace the faith. Do the will of the Father. Treasure Christ. Live self-sacrificially by the Spirit.
No one can do these things for you. Don’t wait for tomorrow. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians,
We appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. -2 Corinthains 6:1-2
Brothers and sisters, use your time wisely. To delay, to procrastinate, to leave it for tomorrow, is perilous!
Draw near to Christ and he will draw near to you (James 4:8). Immerse yourself in his word, and learn to know him. Bring your prayers to the Father, and see how he cares for you. Love those around you and learn the love of God. The more you structure your life around Jesus, the more his everlasting, self-sacrificial, glorious life becomes your own. You can expect it!
No one can do these things for you. No one can give you the oil of a burning heart. Only the spiritually prepared will enjoy the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
This is what the kingdom of heaven is like today, expectant waiting, ready for Jesus, wisely preparing the oil of the burning heart. Tomorrow is no guarantee!
1Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel According to Matthew. Pg 621. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
