Game Of Thrones 13: A Study In The Book of Matthew
Matthew 25:1-14
December 7, 2014
I was a problem student. While growing up my grades were good but I could never seem to
hold it together in the classroom. There were phone calls, parent teacher conferences and
bad citizenship grades on my report cards. The thing I remember most was a behavior
notebook. One thing you need to know about me growing up, my mom didn’t mess around.
She didn’t believe boys will be boys. She believed boys will be spanked, and when that
didn’t work, she came up with the behavior notebook. Starting in third grade I had to take a
notebook to school each day, and at the end of the day my teacher would assess my daily
merits or demerits and fill out the checklist. Talked out of turn? Obeyed directions? Polite?
And on and on it went. The one thing that gave me the most trouble, and I still remember it
to this day, was “used time wisely?” Was I productive or did I get sidetracked? If I finished
early, did I move on to something else? Did I lollygag on an assignment or get it done? This
question, “used time wisely” was the most nebulous and ambiguous, because there were so
many great ways to waste my time. To this day, I am still haunted by that behavior
notebook, and I am especially haunted by the phrase “used time wisely.”
This question still haunts me today, but for different reasons. I sometimes wonder, when it
is all said and done, if God would look at the behavior notebook that is my life, what will he
say to the question, “used time wisely?” What will he say to the hours wasted watching
“March Madness?” What will he say the hours wasted watching chimpanzees riding a
Segway on YouTube? What will he say to any number of things I did in college? When it is
all said and done, what will God say to the question, “used time wisely?” Time is probably
the most precious resource God has entrusted to us. If one theme is obvious in scripture, it
is “don’t waste your time.” Our time is short on this earth and people need the gospel. We
should be reaching everyone around us; we should be intentional with every second. We
also read in scripture stories of Jesus at weddings, at dinner parties, enjoying some down
time. So the question truly arises, “How do we use our time wisely in the Kingdom?” The
answer to this question comes through our understanding of God’s Kingdom. We will get
to that in a second, but there is one thing I want to encourage you with today. Waste some
time for the sake of the Kingdom. Waste some time for the sake of the Kingdom.
We are in the next to last week of our series, Game of Thrones. We want to better know our
King and how we are to live in his Kingdom. Throughout this series, a common theme has
emerged. The Kingdom of God is counterintuitive and the truth is no different this week.
We are going to look at a parable today from Matthew 25. A major takeaway is the simple
call to waste some time. In our 21st century culture, that is a counterintuitive statement.
Time is money. In Silicon Valley this is especially true. People are so busy here. We
schedule every minute of every day, and sometimes there isn’t a second to spare. Our time
is precious, and we should use it to increase our bank account. We should use it to increase
our power. We should use it to increase our pleasure. Turn to Matthew 25: 1-14, and look
at this story with me in which Jesus calls on us to waste some time.
READ Matthew 25:1-14
This parable is full of interesting characters, and it can easily get very complicated quickly.
The ten virgins have been analyzed and all sorts of things have been inferred from their
role and purpose in the story. Quite simply, these were young women of a “marryable” age
who were not married. Essentially they were bridesmaids. In the ancient Near East culture,
a wedding was a huge event that took over entire villages. There was a betrothal period
that could last in excess of a year; this is similar to an engagement but much more binding.
Even though a man and woman were not married and did not consummate the wedding, if
they ended a betrothal, divorce proceedings had to take place. During the betrothal, the
man proved himself by building a place for his wife and developing land for farming or
some trade to show he could provide for her. After this long process, a legal wedding took
place and then came the party. Now some of you watch TLC and you have seen some lavish
weddings and some big parties, but we don’t know how to celebrate like these people did.
After the legal wedding took place, the groom would lead the wedding processional back to
his house, the wedding party would wait for him to arrive and join the processional. Once
at the house, the bride and groom would consummate the wedding, and then the wedding
feast would begin. This was a party that would last for days.
In this parable, Jesus uses a common event that many people would have previously
encountered. A bride and groom would have been legally married, and the wedding
processional was being anticipated. So we pick up with the bridesmaids waiting for the
processional. In the ancient Near East culture, time management was different, it was not
uncommon to wait for hours for the processional as the legal and financial discussions
between the two marrying partners’ families were completed. So these bridesmaids were
waiting by the side of the road, sitting at night with their torches. These were essentially
sticks with a heap of attached rags, dipped in a jar of oil and could be expected to burn for
15-30 minutes until they would need to be re-dipped and re-lit. In essence, the oil was the
battery to the flashlight.
In this story, we have five bridesmaids who brought extra oil and five who did not. The
processional is a long time coming, and the bridesmaids fall asleep. When the groom finally
comes at a late hour, the five bridesmaids who brought extra oil were able to light their
lamps. The five foolish bridesmaids ask for some oil, but the five wise bridesmaids rebuff
them. So the five unwise bridesmaids rush off to get some oil, but in the meantime, they
miss the processional. The story ends on a sad note as the five unwise bridesmaids rush to
the groom’s house and ask to be let in, but the groom, says, “I never knew you.”
Now the simplest and truest rendering of this story is about readiness. Jesus ends the
parable by saying, “Keep watch.” He has just finished in Matthew 24, discussing the end of
the age, and he says, “At that time, at the end of the age, the Kingdom of God will be like
this.” He then tells the story of the wise and unwise bridesmaids. Let’s dig a bit deeper.
What is the readiness that we are being called to? Why is he so upset at their lack of
readiness? It has everything to do with how they used their time waiting for his return.
This story isn’t about five bridesmaids who didn’t know that lamps need oil. This isn’t the
joke about the five blond bridesmaids who forgot that torches need oil. This isn’t the case
that oil was unaffordable, and they couldn’t buy it. This was a common product that was
cheap and available. The issue here is time.
The disconnect here is the “Walmart effect.” In our 21st century culture of convenience
stores and credit cards, you can leave the house and be back in 10 minutes with whatever
knick-knack you might want. In this culture, going to a merchant took time and effort. The
five unwise bridesmaids presumed the processional would happen immediately, and they
didn’t want to waste their time getting extra oil. Surely they wouldn’t need it. In the
meantime, the five wise bridesmaids didn’t waste time and did the laborious work of going
to the merchants and buying oil.
The story ends with the five unwise bridesmaids being told by the Christ figure, “I never
knew you.” At a first glance this might seem like the five wise bridesmaids had gotten into
the wedding feast based on their works, but the groom doesn’t tell the five unwise
bridesmaids, “I no longer know you,” instead, “I never knew you.” In all of these Kingdom of
God parables, it is possible to read works salvation into them, but it is not there. Your
works don’t earn your way into the Kingdom, but they may prove you are in. Jesus never
said, “Good trees bear good fruit, and then I accept them,” but he does say, “Good trees bear
good fruit.” That truth is evident here. These bridesmaids who presumed to be associated
with the groom, proved they were not by the use of their time, their lack of preparation and
their lack of readiness. Jesus says, “I never knew you.” Not, “I knew you but you didn’t do
enough to prove it,” but rather, “I never knew you.” The way you used your time proves it.”
We are back to our original question, “When God opens the ledger of your life, what will be
said next to the question: used time wisely?” In order to properly answer this question, we
have to quickly be reminded of the difference between the kingdom of this world and God’s
Kingdom. The values of this world versus the values of God’s Kingdom, the priorities of the
kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God.
Our current North American milieu is obsessed with time management. Americans are
often shocked when they travel to almost any country outside of America and find time to
be a bit more fluid. A meeting scheduled for 2:00 pm might not start until 4:00 pm in
another country. In North America, we value time and time management. Time is money.
We have to make the most of it. Our time in North America should not be wasted. We want
power lunches with quick service. We want to eat our dinner while we watch TV. We want
to have three windows open on our computer screen while we make a conference call. In
all of these things, we see the power of time in America. Every minute of every day should
be used to increase our bank account, our power or our pleasure. In this fast paced time
management culture we live in, one of the worst sins against the kingdom of this world is to
waste time.
I want to encourage you today, waste some time for the Kingdom’s sake. Do something
for someone else that doesn’t increase your power. Commit a selfless act that doesn’t
increase your pleasure. Bless another person with an act that doesn’t increase your bank
account. You see, when I say waste time, I mean waste time from the world’s perspective.
Throughout the scripture, what is wise in the world’s eyes is foolish in God’s eyes, but what
is foolish in the world’s eyes is wise in God’s eyes. This whole passage of the bridesmaids is
about wise and unwise stewards of time. In the world’s eyes, it is a waste of time to use
your Sunday morning to faithfully join the body of believers for worship. In the kingdom of
this world, it is a waste of time to gather for small groups during the week to study an old
document known as the Bible. In the kingdom of this world, it is a waste of time to
volunteer at your church or serve in your city.
This idea galvanized in my heart a few years ago. I was having a difficult time with a
sermon and writing it for a few reasons. 1) Couldn’t wrap my head around it. 2) A little pink
phone. It was the “pastor-on-call phone.” I was called to visit someone in the hospital and in
the back of my mind, although I might not have verbalized it, I might have thought it, this is
a waste of time. I need to be doing something important like writing a sermon. I didn’t get it
yet. Then later in the week, a woman called and needed baby diapers. I tried to find others
to help me or go and buy the diapers for me, but I found no takers. Again, I thought but did
not verbalize, this is a waste of time. I should be doing something important for the
Kingdom, like writing my sermon. In that moment, God pierced my heart. As I was thinking
this is a waste of time, he said, “That is what my Kingdom is about.” It is a change of
mindset, where priorities change, and you begin to waste time for the Kingdom. He said to
me in that moment, “Sermons are fine, but this is the most important thing you have done
all week. You are wasting time for my Kingdom. You are elevating what the world has little
value on, using your time for someone else, using your time in a way that does not increase
your pleasure, power or bank account.
Waste some time for the sake of the Kingdom. Now of course, I am saying that in a tonguein-cheek fashion. Serving and loving others is not a waste of time, but from the world’s
standpoint, it is. While you could be multi-tasking and eating your breakfast and watching
the news, waste some time in prayer while you eat. While you could make some phone calls
on the way to work, waste some time praising your Father. While you could get some “me
time” over your lunch break, waste some time taking that unlovable person in your office to
lunch. While you could come home and plop on your couch, waste some time with your
family loving them and serving them. While you could use your weekend to work on your
golf swing, waste some time reaching out to your unbelieving neighbors with the message
of Christ. While you could sit back and enjoy a Sunday service, waste some time chasing
two year olds around the nursery.
The Kingdom irony here is that all of these “waste of times” will have a Kingdom impact.
The reason why we rarely do them, while sometimes in our flesh they can seem like a real
waste of time is that the results seem nebulous or unreal.
1. Wasteful choices only make sense when the groom returns. The results of your work
may not be clear until Kingdom come.
The five wise bridesmaids probably seemed foolish until the groom, the man, came
around. The five unwise bridesmaids probably got to spend more time getting
ready for the feast. They didn’t waste time buying oil, so they got more time for
dressing, hair and makeup, but when the man came around, their foolishness
became evident. In this world, your decisions to use your time wisely for the
Kingdom will seem foolish. You will get passed over for promotions, you won’t have
the best car and you won’t go to all the parties. When your time is spent investing in
another kingdom, some of your decisions will look like wasted time, but when the
groom returns, all of your wasteful choices will be deemed wise.
2. Wasteful choices are difficult to make. Using your time for his Kingdom will not
come naturally.
I am sure it was painful to forsake extra time getting ready for the party in order to
waste time getting oil. The wise bridesmaids knew above all else they wanted to be
prepared when the man came around. So they made a decision to use their time
accordingly.
Patrick of Hibernia was imprisoned and taken to be a slave in Ireland for six years.
At age 20, he made a dramatic escape, traveling some 200 miles to the coast. With
the help of some sailors he made his way back to Britain, where he reunited with his
family.
After his return, Patrick, now a deeply religious man, decided to study for the
priesthood and spent many years in a monastery in France, in preparation for his
new work. In 432 AD, according to most sources, he was sent to Ireland to serve a
local bishop. Upon landing he was met, according to legend, by one of the Irish
chieftains who threatened to kill him. Patrick won him over, and the man became a
Christian. When the bishop died, Patrick was appointed the successor. He would
now serve the flock in a different way.
In his 40 years in Ireland he attracted numerous followers, baptized thousands and
built churches for the people who had previously enslaved him. "I never had any
reason," he wrote, "except the Gospel and his promises, ever to have returned to
that nation from which I had previously escaped with difficulty." This man, Patrick,
made the difficult decision to waste some time for the Kingdom.
To many people, St. Patrick’s venture probably seemed like a waste of time, but as he
stated so boldly, outside of the gospel, he had no reason to do something so foolish as
returning to the place that had imprisoned him. Throughout, his letter, “Confessio,” the
motivation for St. Patrick’s waste of time was in response to the day when the man
would come around, when the groom would come back.
3. Wasteful choices require daily intentionality.
You cannot stumble into wasteful habits, they must be learned and practiced. The
world will constantly offer a siren song of wisdom, of efficiency, of good time
management that offers good timely results. You must daily choose to waste time.
And the only real way to do that is by preparing your heart daily longing for the day
when the groom will come around.
Loretta Van Cleave’s husband was in the Vietnam War. There was limited access back then,
so letters were rare, email had yet to be invented and telephones were inaccessible. She
knew her husband would get released to come home one day, she just had no idea when. So
every day, she prepared herself and her house like today was that day. She wasted all of her
precious time living like he was coming back. As it turns out, her sole motivation was
longing for the day the man will come around.
Conclusion: Johnny Cash was a brilliant singer/songwriter. His life was full of ups
and downs fueled by an early life of sex, drugs and rock and roll. God got a hold of
him later in life, and from that moment on, his time was the Lord’s. He was
committed to wasting it for the Kingdom. He developed a deadly disease in the late
1990’s, and it took his life in 2003. One of the last songs he wrote was “When The
Man Comes Around.” It is a mash up of several Biblical passages, but at the heart of
the message is the imminent return of Christ. Like the groom proceeding to the
wedding feast, there will be a day when Christ returns to call us home. The question
is this, “What will he say when he looks at the ledger of your life?” Did you waste
time for the Kingdom or were you obsessed with being efficient and effective for the
kingdom of this world? Who knew you better in this world, your coworkers or your
kids? What would people more associate with you, a golf club in your hand or a
Bible? Would a single person have been impacted because you served them? When
the man comes around, the contents of your calendar will be examined. Did you use
your time wisely? Will he say, “Well done good and faithful servant?” Only time will
tell.