“Why is it so hot in here?” asked my wife as she strode to the thermostat to confirm her diagnosis. “It says that its 77 degrees,”
“I didn’t touch it!” I reacted. Of course, I didn’t. Setting temperatures is something I never do because I seldom notice them.
My wife is different in that she is constantly monitoring her comfort levels. Am I too hot? Too cold? Hungry? Thirsty? Do I have pain? She seems puzzled when she asks how I’m feeling and I don’t know.
It’s not that feelings don’t catch up with me eventually. It has now been a couple of hours since we called a repairman, and the indoor temperature has reached 83. When would I have finally noticed? I can’t be sure, but I expect that it would have been before we hit 80.
The nice thing about not being in touch with my comfort levels is that I am always ready to go places. I simply hop in the car while my wife collects water bottles, sunglasses, hats, cold packs, mittens, jackets, snacks, sunscreen, medical supplies, and an extra pair or shoes. “Is all that necessary,” I wonder until I need something.
Are you in touch with your comfort levels like my wife, or are you unaware like me? I humbly admit that Jesus seems to be on my wife’s side in this debate. In Matthew 25, he told a parable about ten bridesmaids waiting for the groom to arrive. He said that five of them were wise and packed extra oil for their lamps. The other five were foolish and ran out of oil while they were waiting. My initial response to this story is to wonder why it was such a big deal. Why did these women even need lamps? Was it that dark out? Weren’t their eyes capable of adjusting to low-light levels? Mine are. When I get up in the middle of the night, I never turn on a lamp. I figure that if blind people can make it to the bathroom without a flashlight, I ought to be able to manage it.
Jesus, however, says that I need to be sure that I have enough oil for my lamp. This leads me to the conclusion that Jesus isn’t talking about oil. Oil must represent something spiritual, but what? Here is what we know: the bridegroom is obviously Jesus, and his arrival is his promised return. We also know that the oil fuels the lamp, that it is essential, and that it cannot be borrowed or obtained at the last minute. What do you think it could be?
Many different things have been suggested: faith, grace, and the Holy Spirit to name a few. I reject those answers because they are all things that are given to us, and Jesus said the oil is something we need to provide. I’m wondering what we need to provide that will fuel a flame.
Could oil represent love? The Bible says that love is the greatest of all spiritual gifts because it is the only one we will still need when Christ returns. (See 1 Corinthians 13) Faith, prophecy, preaching, and all the rest will be useless since we will have all the answers by sight. Perhaps the oil is simply preparation. Jesus warned us several times to be ready for his return. Maybe oil is joy. I’m not sure, but this I know: when Christ returns, we need to be ready to party. Have you been monitoring your joy levels?
THANK YOU FOR THAT MESSAGE.