The Wedding

I received the picture of the marriage proposal on my phone, followed by the excited text, “Nana, I said yes!” That started ideas bubbling! A date was chosen, a venue selected, and the next few months of busy planning included choosing the wedding party and making the guest list. I was only the grandmother of the bride, but I was delighted to shop for a new dress in a coordinating color, take care of the alterations, and even buy new shoes.

My husband took care of getting the car ready for the two-day trip that would take us halfway across the United States. Jesus was never the parent or grandparent of a bridal couple, but He had been involved in weddings, so He could describe the excitement.

One evening at dusk, as He and His disciples rested on the Mount of Olives, He called their attention to a house in the valley with light streaming through the windows, illuminating a group of people waiting for a celebration. It was the bride’s home, and they were waiting for the groom to arrive to escort his beloved to his house for the wedding.

They were not close enough to know exactly what was said, but Jesus used the visual before them to illustrate a parable. Suppose there were ten young women waiting to celebrate the grand occasion. Because the wedding would take place after dark, they had all come with their lamps. As they waited for the bridegroom to arrive, he was delayed, and they all dozed off.

Upon hearing the cry that the bridegroom was arriving, everyone aroused and held up their lamps to light the way to his house. In this story, all the people in attendance were waiting for the groom, but some were prepared for a delay with extra oil for their lamps while others were not. If we think of oil as representing the Holy Spirit, that Power is available to everyone. If we think of oil representing each person’s character—that is definitely not something that can be shared. My character is my own—not something I can share even with family members I love. God, please develop in me the traits I need to prepare me to be an excited attendee to the marriage supper of the Lamb!

Roxy Hoehn