A Sermon for Pentecost XXIV, 08.11.2026 | Preaching text Matthew 25:1-13 | by The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel

First Reading: Amos 5:18-24

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Matthew 25:1-13 English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For 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, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

SERMON TITLE:  “The Oil of Faith!”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     As we are now in that time which is sometimes referred to as “Kingdomtide,” between All Saints Sunday and the Festival of Christ the King, the lessons are about the coming of the kingdom of heaven which will be inaugurated with the return of Christ Jesus, at the end of earthly time, when the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. So, what is the word of the Lord for us, today, but “Ready yourselves! Be watchful and be ready, for no one knows the hour or the day when He will return!” Our Gospel story about the five wise and five foolish young maidens emphasizes the point, as the wise maidens were ready, while the foolish were not.

     It’s interesting to note that the word used for the unprepared maidens was moros, or in the feminine plural, morai, from which we get our word moron.  While we don’t want to make too much of the idea of young unprepared bridesmaids being morons, the truth is, Jesus was pointing out that they were foolish in the sense of being heedless, lacking in foresight and practical judgement—we might say they were clueless. And bridesmaids aren’t the only ones who may be foolish!

     When I had the opportunity to speak to seminarians and newly ordained pastors in the North American Lutheran Church, I always encouraged them to be looking ahead and planning ahead, as young pastors were notorious for waiting till the last minute, then were stressed when suddenly, unexpectedly, Christmas was upon them, as if they didn’t know that Christmas was coming, as if was a surprise that Christmas comes on December 25^th every year! I wouldn’t refer to inexperienced pastors as morons, but they were often foolish in the sense that they were lacking in foresight and practical judgement, which meant they sometimes missed things on the calendar and were more stressed and anxious than they needed to be—if they had only been wise and looked ahead and worked ahead, to be ready! And that’s what our Lord is trying to get His disciples to see, as He warned them to watch and ready themselves, so that they not be caught unprepared.

     This discussion arose, as Jesus and the disciples were leaving the Temple in Jerusalem and they commented on the great and mighty buildings of the Temple. Which caused the Lord to comment on the fact that there would come a time when the Temple would be destroyed, not one stone left upon another. So, as they walked across the valley, only a relatively short distance, sitting down on the Mount of Olives where they couldn’t avoid looking right out at the Temple mount across from them, they asked, quite naturally, “When will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” Which prompted Jesus to talk with them about the signs of the end of the age, and the persecutions which would come, and the desolating sacrilege foretold by Daniel, of the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, ending with the Lord’s description of His return, when the tribes of the earth would mourn, and they would see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, as He would send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, to gather the elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. And then, Jesus spoke with them about the need for watchfulness, as no one knows the day or the hour, not even the Son, but only the Father. He concludes chapter 24, telling the disciples that servant is blessed who is ready when his master returns. And then chapter 25 begins with the parable of the ten maidens and the Lord’s warning that the disciples not be foolish, clueless, unprepared, but wise, ready for the bridegroom, the Son of man, when He comes again. And what did Jesus mean by the parable of the maidens? What is the meaning, for us, today?

     Before Jesus began teaching about the coming end of the age, He had been speaking about the falseness, the foolishness, really, of the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees. Again and again, Jesus described them as empty vessels, all about outward observance, but no heartfelt relationship with God. Quite naturally, then, Jesus speaks about maidens who have an empty vessel, an empty lamp, but no oil with which to fill their lamps! What good is a lamp, if there is no oil? It’s useless, worthless, because the one and only purpose of a lamp is to provide light! Jesus is speaking here, in a way, about the religious leaders of His time who made a big show of the outward form of religion, without the oil of a heartfelt relationship with God which would provide light for their lives—and even more, light for the lives of others! Consequently, as Jesus says, the religious leaders lived in darkness because they rejected the Light which God had sent to them, Jesus, the Word made flesh. So, Jesus is telling a parable intended to teach the disciples to not only follow Him outwardly, to not be disciples in name only, but to always be ready, with plenty of oil for the lamps of their lives—even if, even should the bridegroom, the Lord, be delayed in His return.

     But you may be wondering: What is this oil the Lord speaks of?  If my life is the lamp, what is the oil and where do I get it, before it’s too late?  Martin Luther preached on this parable in 1522, at St. Michael’s Church in Erfurt. On a side note, Luther preached his sermon on Oct. 21^st, the day of St. Ursula and the 11,000 virgins who traveled to Rome from Britain and were martyred by the Huns outside of Cologne. Luther comments that he doubts there were 11,000 virgins martyred, but went on to preach that the ten maidens represent the whole of the Body of Christ—some of whom are ready for Christ’s return and some who are foolish and unprepared. The difference, Luther pointed out, was that the foolish followed the outward expression of Christianity, claimed to be Christians, but were empty vessels, lamps with no oil. The wise, on the other hand, are those who are concerned, not with making a show of their religiosity, but are open to and seeking the fullness of a relationship with God. And this fullness, this relationship with God, this oil with which we are to be filled, Luther says, is faith. Luther said, “For true faith is not a work of man, which is why an invented faith cannot afford any protection in the face of death; it will be overcome and utterly destroyed by sin, by the devil and the pangs of hell. True faith,” Luther said, “is the complete trust in Christ that resides in the heart. Only Christ awakens such faith.  Whoever has it is saved. Whoever has it not is condemned… (for) Christ gives Himself and His benefits to the heart and takes the heart to Himself with all that it has in it and makes it His own…the godliness, holiness, and blessedness of Christ and whatever there is in Christ—all of it resides in a believing heart together with Christ.  For eternal life cannot be gained through our works, no matter how good they may be, but only through faith, so that you say: “O Lord, although I am unworthy to see heaven even for a moment, nor am I able to redeem myself from hell with my works, nevertheless You have given me Your Son Christ, who is more valuable and precious than heaven. He is also much stronger than sin, death, and hell. But it is God who awakens such faith in us.”

     And we could end this sermon here and it might be well and good. Except for one thing—the how? How does God awaken such faith in us, through Christ? If I sometimes feel like my life, as a Christian, is little more than an empty shell; if I sometimes seem to be just going through the motions; if I want very much to have Christ, residing in me, in my believing heart, how does this faith come to me? How can my heart and life be filled with this oil of faith? Luther points to two ways.

     First, Luther says, “You are baptized and endowed with true faith.” We sometimes forget or don’t realize the importance of our baptisms, for faith, for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, for the gift of new life and eternal life we receive in our baptism! Probably that’s the unintended consequence of infant baptism—that we don’t remember our baptism in such a way that it is a life-changing reality. In a way, my baptismal birthday is more important to me, than my biological birthday! For this reason, I encourage us to each remember our baptismal day and celebrate it, even as we pray, each week, for those having baptismal birthdays! For Luther regularly advocated, when we are struggling, unsure and spiritually empty, to remind ourselves, “But I am baptized, and in baptism, I received the Holy Spirit and true faith in Jesus Christ.” That’s the first thing Luther said about being filled with the oil of faith.

     Second, he said in his sermon, “Nor does such faith come from one’s own preparations, but if the Word of God is preached openly and clearly, then such faith and hope arise; such a strong confidence in Christ is raised up.” He goes on, “Therefore, beware that you do not invent any other way to heaven nor attempt to break in by any other path. There is surely no other way but this way of faith, which is shown by the pure Word of God, as Paul says in Romans 10:17: ‘Faith comes from hearing.’ For this reason, free will and all human wisdom evaporate and disappear,” Luther said, “just as the foam on the water and the head on a bad beer. But the faith that is poured in by God—that is the true oil.”

     And now we can conclude: the oil is faith in Christ Jesus and faith is poured into us, by the Holy Spirit, in Holy Baptism and through the Word of God, preached and taught openly and clearly, received in the heart, where the godliness, holiness and blessedness resides—in you and in me—that we may be ready for Him in the Day of the Lord!”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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©The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel

   d.wendel@grace43081.org

   Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

   Westerville, Ohio USA