Season 5 Podcast 30 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 25, “The Parable of the Ten Virgins Pt 1.”

Season 5 Podcast 30 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 25, “The Parable of the Ten Virgins Pt 1.”The Oxford Language dictionary defines a parable as “a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.” What distinguishes the stories in the Bible such as taken from the lives of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, John the Baptist, etc. from parables, for the lives of each are used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson? The primary difference is that a parable is considered fiction. A biography is considered nonfiction. If you discount the differences, everyone’s life is a parable. Perception plays a primary role in everything we do. For example, Christians view the ancient Greeks as idol worshipers; however, some of the greatest spiritual lessons are taught by the Greeks. Non-Christians read the Bible as fiction, yet many agree that it is great literature, teaching valuable truths. Using what Wordsworth called ‘the willing suspension of disbelief,’ Christians may learn from the literature of non-Christians and non-Christians may learn from the literature of Christians. Who, for example, would discount the Iliad, the Odyssey, The Inferno, Paradise Lost, Faery Queene, the works of Shakespeare, etc., simply because the authors took literary license to analyze the human condition? Authors often take liberties with facts to convey truth. A belief in the divinity of Christ is a personal matter. An acceptance of Christ as a master storyteller is universal. All of the parables of Christ have their uniqueness, emphasizing different virtues, but every one of Christ’s parables have a common purpose—to show us how to enter the celestial kingdom. Linda and I have just finished a brief series of podcasts relating to the use of the word heaven in the Book of Matthew. Terms such as The Kingdom of Heaven, The Kingdom of God, Our Father in Heaven, Heavenly Father are repeated nearly a hundred times in the Book of Matthew alone. The Parables of Christ are unique because they often begin with the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” A comparison using the terms like or as is often referred to as a simile. If the terms ‘like or as’ are left out, it is commonly referred to as a metaphor, saying one thing is another. The connotations are often significantly different. One purpose of a simile is to draw a vivid picture, making the abstract concrete, the general specific. It helps the reader see what the author is saying, comparing the unfamiliar with the familiar. It has the added advantage of designed ambiguity, giving the parable multiple levels or multiple meanings. That is the power of the story. One could say a parable is an extended analogy, a story, or a poem.Few of the parables get more attention among Christians than the Parable of the Ten Virgins. It is exquisite, and it is disturbing. Who does not feel sorry for the five foolish virgins? Just like the five wise virgins, their oil lamps were full when they began.  They all fell asleep. They all didn’t know the Master would delay his coming.  Yet only the five wise virgins were allowed in the marriage feast. Why were the other five called foolish when they too heeded the Master’s call?As background, let’s put the marriage feast in some perspective. To do that let’s go to Revelation 19 of the Book of Revelation. We cannot fully understand the Parable of the Ten Virgins without first understanding Revelation 19. Revelation 19 is divided into two parts. One is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The other is the “Supper of the Great God.” The first, every Christian would like to attend; the second, no Christian would like to attend. To put it grossly, In the first you eat, in the second you are eaten.