Fools rush in

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Today’s gospel of the wise and foolish virgins or bridesmaids (Matthew 25: 1-13) relates the familiar parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins who fall asleep while awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom; when they awake only the wise ones can enter the feast, while the foolish are left in the outer darkness for the bridegroom does not know them. 

For all the apparent simplicity of this parable, however, the wise and the foolish virgins are not so clearly distinguished as in the parable. Jesus makes it easy for us by labelling some of them wise and some of them foolish, but what if He had not? What if we had to distinguish the wisdom and the foolishness for ourselves? 

If we did not know the end of the parable – if we had to write it ourselves – who would enter the banquet? Some might imagine, for example, that the foolish virgins (in Jesus’ eyes) were in fact the wise ones, and that the wise ones (in Jesus’ eyes) were nothing less than foolish. How is that? In a spirit of competition, let’s call them Team Foolish and Team Wise and see how they fare.

First, Team Foolish brought no oil with them. Well, of course not. Jesus had invited them to consider the lilies of the field who neither sow nor reap. Why take additional oil, they might have said, when Jesus has told us not to store things up like the rich fool in Luke chapter 12?

Moreover, is Team Wise, who take extra oil, really thinking about the bridegroom? They seem to be plotting and planning the material ‘what ifs’ of life, unlike Team Foolish who only have eyes for the bridegroom. Team Wise seem like the overly busy Marys of this life, whereas Team Foolish seem like the wise Marys.

Lastly, Team Foolish expect the necessities from the hands of others, as Jesus bids the 72 disciples whom He sends out on mission in Luke chapter 10; surely if a worker deserves his wages, so too does a bridesmaid. Team Wise in contrast disobey Jesus’ command during the Sermon on the Mount that if someone asks for your shirt (or your oil), give them your cloak as well…

Does Jesus have this all wrong then? Does He confuse the wise and the foolish virgins? Why does Jesus praise Team Wise who depend on themselves, who calculate, and who refuse to share? Why is it Team Wise who enter the wedding celebrations while Team Foolish - who did not store things up, refused to plot, and only begged for what they needed - were excluded?

The answer perhaps lies in the fact that all the bridesmaids were there for the mission. It is not that Team Wise were being calculating and selfish. Team Wise are the team that had their eyes fixed on the purpose of their role; not simply on themselves, their own status, their own arrival at success and recognition. They understood they were part of a bigger scheme; that their service was not just about their own perfection and fulfilment, but about how they disposed all things for the service of the bridegroom. 

Team Foolish in contrast could not see beyond the achievement of being named as bridesmaids; in a sense they were a breed of female clericalists who confused their office with their value in God's eyes. As bridesmaids, they had finally made it, so to speak ... and they became complacent. All their superficial obedience to Jesus’ commands was out of context; they were logical, but as Chesterton says: life is not illogical but it is a trap for logicians. When Team Wise calculated about the oil, it was not due to personal anxiety; it was the wisdom of stewardship applied to their role. If their lights went out, it was not that they had to sit in darkness; it was rather that the bridegroom’s entry and feasting would be threatened with darkness. The same applied to their refusal to share their oil. It was not theirs to share but the bridegroom's. Right now, there is a lot of fuss in parts of the Church about the status of women, whereas the gospel teaches that the value of women or of men, or indeed bridesmaids, lies not in their office but in their loving service, wherever they may be. 

Team Foolish knew what they had to do up to a point, but Team Wise knew what was their purpose. And because they knew their purpose, they were not focused on themselves but on the carrying out of their mission which was, after all never their own to begin with but something gifted to them. Not all those who say, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus’ conclusion to this parable is, nevertheless, a warning. Stay awake! He admonishes all. The success of Team Wise is not really to their credit; like Team Foolish they fell asleep on the job. When all is said and when our duty is done be it ne'er so humble, we are only ever unprofitable servants, raised by His mercy to a blessed estate. Nobody, therefore, can afford to be complacent, not the wisest among us.