Are you ready to join the
party? That
is the question our gospel asks us for the next few weeks. Of course, other
questions go with that—like what kind of party is it, and when is it?
When the early church began,
they expected Jesus back tomorrow. And after the Jerusalem fell and the temple
was destroyed, they thought that meant today. But maybe ten years later they were
struggling to hold hope in the face of persecution and disappointment. These remain
big questions today. When is this party kicking off, and what kind of party is
it?
In Matthew, Jesus’ last
block of teaching is all about these questions, finishing with four parables: the
wicked servants, the bridesmaids, the outrageous lumps of money (talents), and
the sheep and the goats. Jesus’s parables are not nice stories with neat
meanings; they provoked, shocked, disturbed and left room for multiple interpretations.
These four are no exception and should be read together, bouncing off each
other toward a climax. Together, they help us describe the party we might be
waiting for and how we might wait faithfully.
So, what kind of party? We
find the answer whenever the prophets talk about the kingdom to come - when God’s
reign replaces human unfaithfulness with God’s faithfulness and justice, restoring
humanity and renewing creation. Matthew bookends his gospel with this vision,
from the Beatitudes at the beginning to the story of the sheep and goats at the
end. It is some party!
And when is it? In the
bridesmaids' story, some streetwise virgins weren’t sure of the timing and
brought spare oil, while others thought they knew and found themselves short.
Getting stuck on the details distracts us from what Matthew was pointing to.
It’s a made-up story; don’t fret about virgins not sharing or bridegrooms, brides
and whanau being tardy. Matthew’s community had waited a long time and wondered
if they had enough oil to last. Matthew’s answer is: the party will begin when
it begins. Be ready to wait.
And maybe the party has begun
already. It’s been happening everywhere God’s reign of justice and peace breaks
out and all those listed above are esteemed and honoured.
What kind of party do we
think we are being invited to actively wait for? How do we respond?
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