Weddings are such a glorious time of celebration. Once the planning and stress of preparation is over, that is. One huge detail, especially for the bride, is how many bridesmaids she should invite to share in her day. How many do you need? How do you choose who? What about those you don’t have “room” for. I remember one church whose front chancel area could only comfortably “fit”5 bridesmaids and 5 groomsmen, in addition to the bride and groom. Imagine if you had 10 you wanted to include?
In our reading today, the bridesmaids, also referred to as “virgins,” seemed more interested in the groom. So our common understanding of the maids being the bride’s friends may need a little adjustment. Other translations and even the study notes suggest these were 10 “virgins.” In this day and age, sad to say, finding 10 virgins for one bridal party may be difficult. But we’re missing the point.
Jesus continues to talk about the kingdom of heaven. He is trying to paint a picture for us. If he uses enough visuals and examples, something is going to resonate with us. This particular parable has always been curious for me. Why are the bride’s virgin friends so interested in her new husband? Again, that is not the point. There is probably something we are missing in the cultural context.
The bottom line is there are some who are wise and have thought ahead and the rest are not prepared. Both are waiting for something special to happen, for the party to begin the groom must be present. What about those who have come unprepared? They realize they are not going to be rescued and have to figure something out quick. They miss out on the opportunity they have been waiting for.
The virgins who did come prepared had exactly what they needed. They waited and received their reward. Not only were they prepared, they persevered the long wait. They must have been thinking, “What is keeping that bridegroom?” Yet, they did not falter. They knew the party would be fantastic.
What kind of a bridesmaid are you? Do you know that the best is yet to come? Are you confident that Jesus’ promise is true? What are you doing to be prepared?
Let’s pray. Lord, help me look past the distractions and focus on you and what spending eternity with you will be like. Fill me with your peace and your wisdom as I live each day. I pray for clarity on my mission. Make it clear how you want to use me in this time and place. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
