Nov 8, 2020
...And for the bridegroom: I’ll be honest, I’m not convinced that this character in the story is Christ. This isn’t the action of the shepherd who leaves the 99 to search for the lost one, the woman who leaves no stone unturned in search of a lost coin. This isn’t the way of love of the Jesus I know and love and follow. When Jesus gets to the end of his kingdom of heaven series (Bridesmaids, Talents, Sheep & Goats), he informs his listeners of who were the truly foolish and who were the truly wise in each of his parables. In the end, Jesus says, those on their way to heaven will be decided by what they gave away, whether they fed the poor, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, visited the sick and imprisoned. Whether they shared what they had. Whether they shared their oil. If they hoarded what they had, they, of course, already enjoyed their reward.The wise on earth have already had their wedding feast, on earth.
And so if we are looking for where Christ is in this parable, then I think the place to look is among those left on the outside. Christ is the one who is found outside the city gates, with the poor, and the marginalized, the outcast and the sinner. Christ is the one who is present with us in the very darkest night on that Holy Saturday. Yes, Jesus is the light of the world and so why would we need to be the ones to supply the light? Moreover, God’s natural habitat is the dark. Before there was light, God was. God creates in the darkness of genesis and recreates in the darkness of the tomb. For God darkness is a generative place of life and resurrection.
Why then should be afraid to wait with God in the dark? In the words of C.S. Lewis’ courageous character Reepicheep: “Are we of Narnia afraid of the dark?”