1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;
4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.
6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
7 Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’
10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.
11 Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
12 But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’13 Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. – Matthew 25:1–13
Matthew 25:1–13 The Kingdom of Heaven was described to be like Ten Bridesmaids all took their individual lamp and went to meet the bridegroom. The Bridegroom was delayed and took some time to get there as while they waited they all fell asleep. At midnight, a very important time, there was a shout!
‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ – Matthew 25:6
When the shout came at midnight there was now an urgency, they had fallen asleep and now the groom is here, and the whole purpose of the occasion was upon them. The Five Wise bridesmaids that were prepared quickly got up and did as they had prepared for, and trimmed their lamps without skipping a beat.
However, remember, Five were foolish and found themselves to be in quite a dilemma where they took no oil for their lamps. I can imagine them thinking in a sudden rush of panic, somewhere along the lines of
“But thats Ok, The 5 Wise Bridesmaids took extra flasks of oil with them, right?, there must be enough for us and them, we can get some oil from our sister’s flasks and go to meet the groom, then everything will be fine”.
‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ – Matthew 25:8
What a realization! at this crucial point, the light is fading and the groom is here, now.
But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ – Matthew 25:9
This dilemma just keeps getting more complex by the second, what corner store sells oil at midnight?. In these times, there would probably be store or a gas station, but they specifically stated that “dealers” would be available so there is that one option, and so thats what they were forced to take…. the only option available to them. Sadly…
And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut – Matthew 25:9
Imagine the sound of a large door booming shut, a lock clicking, the sound of The 5 Wise Bridesmaids having the time of their lives at the wedding banquet beyond the closed door. The Five Foolish Bridesmaids now having finally filled their lamps and learned their lesson came running to the wedding banquet…. to a shut door.
Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ – Matthew 25:11
But the door was shut, this was now a banquet only for those who had prepared for it. How do i know that? Well read what is stated next by the Bridegroom being appealed to as “Lord”.
But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’
OUCH! it is as simple as that, it is as clear as that, as straightforward as that, you were not prepared and therefore….“I do not know you”.
What would be said about this now?. How would this have potentially played out in modern times?. What do you think the bridesmaids would have said?. I can imagine they would be offended, I mean shutting the door on bridesmaids and saying you dont know them at your own wedding banquet? As many Jamaican grandmothers and older folk would say “What a piece a brightness” I can imagine the following dialogue would be something like this:
“Lord… your the one that was late!!! In fact we were early! we were here waiting on you! if you showed up on time, if you didnt bore us to sleep with your lateness, our oil wouldn’t have burnt out. We want our money back, we were even kind enough to take money out our own pockets and go get more oil from the gas station so your banquet can have light! next time get your own oil and your own lamps, or better yet pay your light bill, its modern times now the dark ages are over. You have the audacity to shut the door on us and then say you never knew us after we worked so hard to make your wedding banquet special?,… who sent us the wedding invitation Lord?, we didn’t have to do this or be here…you are so ungrateful. Keep your banquet”.
But lets observe verse 13
Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour – Matthew 25:11
One thing about being unprepared and lazy is that it feels good. I repeat, it feels good! Think about it: we all know the consequences of being late—whether it’s for work, school, church, or an interview—but those bed sheets feel so inviting, offering a comforting hug just when we need to get up the most. What a trap this is. We look at the clock, our watches, or our phones and see that we need to get up, get moving, and get to it. But instead, we choose the warm, seductive embrace of the bed. Why? Because it feels good.
Chasing that good feeling is a poor bargain, one I know all too well. It’s a bad negotiation that leads us into the arms of the “dealers” at that crucial midnight hour, after we’ve let our responsibilities, goals, and dreams fall asleep. We wake up only to realize that our personal “bridegroom” has arrived, suddenly and unexpectedly, and now we must answer his call—our only option being to face the consequences of our choices through the only option we have.
I confess that, in my younger years, I chose to be weak. God gave me a warning at 15, in my bedroom in May Pen, Clarendon, when I picked up my Bible and read it seriously for the first time. It was from the book of Proverbs—naturally one of the easier books to read, as Jamaicans have a deep love for quoting Proverbs and Psalms.
“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands for rest, and your poverty will come running, and your lack like an armed warrior” – Proverbs 24:33–34
Frightening, I know, but creature comforts can lead you to welcome poverty and lack with a smile on your face. A consistent warm meal, a little cold water, soda from the fridge (especially Pepsi), a SMART TV with countless channels and shows to choose from, delicious snacks (like Cheese Zees and a large bag of Saint Mary Banana Chips—I’m sure you have your own favorites), and frequent conjugal visits from an attractive partner with warm, smooth skin. Many people will trade, bargain, and negotiate poorly for these comforts over a God-centered future and destiny, any day of the week. I know I have.
With each bargain for mediocrity, each poorly considered decision that leads to poor choices, each trade-off that ensures a life of poverty and a dead-end path, we choose weakness. Ultimately, we choose our own death in every form it can manifest.
We often believe we have more time than we actually do. The seemingly endless wait makes tending to our lamps feel like a mundane, boring routine, causing us to fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we stop caring about nurturing our God-given relationships. We become poor stewards of the blessings entrusted to us. We forget to praise the Lord for His daily tender mercies. We react without thought, not considering the consequences of our words and actions. We forget that we represent our Lord and Savior, and each poor bargain we make gives the world occasion to mock God.
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. – Matthew 5:13-16
I confess once again: the Lord gave me a mission, a hope, and a purpose. Yet my love for the mediocre, my fear of the authority, power, and responsibility He has entrusted to us all, and my attachment to creature comforts nearly caused me to forfeit my God-given purpose. I found myself, like a foolish bridesmaid, running back from an oil dealer, standing at the door of the Lord with my light fading, begging for undeserved chances. I write to you now as a humble testimony of God’s infinite mercy, and as proof that the Lord saves and transforms us completely.
So, how do we do it? How do we prepare? In my humble opinion, reflecting on this piece of scripture…
Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour – Matthew 25:11
Vigilance is key, we must remain awake, present and ever watchful, for our responsibilities and opportunities for the Lord to use us to advance The Kingdom. For the many plots, plans, devices, strategies and attacks of Satan and his minions. But above all the choices we make and how this impacts our character and our overall destiny.
The prescribed method is similar but never quite the same from person to person, and like anything worthwhile in life, has to do with the proper cultivation of internal and external qualities toward a clarity of God’s purpose and its faithful manifestations into physical reality. In this endeavor, i have found that the Holy Spirit, reveals our shortcomings and weaknesses and guides us toward true strength if we practice to trust wholeheartedly in God, and do the work of obeying, fasting, praying, observing and believing in his words and promises and acting upon them frequently and to the best of our abilities. There is a daring audacity to it, one that pays off in ways you could never imagine and is always better than anything you could have ever dreamed. To do this the Holy Bible and the words therein cannot just be a viewed as a book of stories and parables that merely sound nice, but a practical guide, compass and a source of nourishment that we seek and consume diligently and often. Be open also to believe, prove and bare witness to the very real and tangible manifestations of the word (how can we prepare for what is not real to us?)
For example, I will personally recommend and assure that the promises given by God in Malachi 3:8-10 is not only true but effective and is difficult for many to believe or even approach because of widespread deceptions, frauds and mishandling of peoples financial sacrifices over decades. This is Satan’s cruel plan to wear us down in all positive outlook and all morale, and for us to loose our trust in God and forfeit his promises by not even approaching their practical applications in the first place. It is your right to demand and enforce transparency of every kind from your church in the effective handling of especially your financial sacrifices onto God to demonstrate true vigilance, and any church leader who tells you otherwise, such a person is a liar and a thief and they belong in the nearest prison.
You can personally tell them that Christopher Anthony Granston said this.
Vigilance is not only observation and caution against the wrong attitudes but also the cultivation of a backbone to face and counteract these negative qualities in others and in society at large as Satan works most effectively from the dark spaces of our weakness and how those weaknesses affect and shape our societies. We must be bold and strong to call them out so that these Altars and Strongholds can be torn down as they are maintained only trough secrecy and lies. Stay present, sober and ever watchful of the tare that grows among the wheat and keep them in check or they will whether blatantly or covertly (these days blatantly) plant seeds of destruction, or worse insidiously poison what God has planted in you before it can grow, thus dimming your light.
Above all do not lie to yourself, stay out of the illusion and delusion by shaking off the spirit of laziness and facing the hard truths of what you are now, so that God can heal, restore and transform you. If you do not know, let me tell you, lies poison and distort reality and corrupts your outlook forcing you to see through rose tinted glassed that have been inverted to distort your clarity and overall perception, causing you to sleep in mediocrity and to panic when the bridegrooms of lives appear suddenly.
Stay awake, present and vigilant in all things for we know NOT the Time nor the Hour.
