The Prize for the Wise
ENCOURAGEMENT ALONG THE WAY Thursday, November 5, 2020
The Prize for the Wise
I was standing outside on the side patio of the chapel talking with my classmates. In a few minutes, we would go in and take a seat for worship, but we used these moments to talk over this and that of seminary life and the demands of the academe. I was in a class of about twenty-five students. We were all different; there is no surprise there. Even with the pronounced individuality, we could have been lumped into the general categories, “producers” and “procrastinators”. The only other David in the class was a brilliant, productive student from the Diocese of Dallas. He mentioned he was eager, once chapel was ended, to get back to the paper he was working on. He wanted to find the right finishing touches. Adrenaline shot through my system as I asked, “What paper is that?” He said, “The one for Green on Antiochene and Alexandrian Christology.” My body shifted back to cool-down and recovery mode: that one was due three months later.
He was driven through the semester by how much more work was required for him to complete his assignments. My undergirding preoccupation was often, how much more time do I have to splash about in the reading material before I have to actually start writing. He was a scholar; I was a survivor. (Someday I would love to tell you another crazy panic-story with the same three characters, me, Dr. Green, and my classmate, David.) I make this distinction between the two Davids because however complex the differences, much came down to which habits get us to the finish line. He could not rest until all the work was ready to turn in, even if the deadline was months away. I could rest, so my urgency and stress came in the final days before the paper was to be handed in. I always wanted to be like the amazing David of Dallas. I allow people to be distinct and I do cherish the differences, but in that category, I count him as wise and my academic habits as foolish.
David was wise and it gained him the prize of completing assignments and moving onto independent reading and study on other things at his discretion. After his Master of Divinity degree at The Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, he earned his Doctorate in Theology at the University of Durham in England. Yes, we were different. We both loved the work, that was the same, but his wisdom was to get the work done because one never knows what will come up in the time ahead. Do what needs to be done now, because one never knows what pursuits will be available, demanding attention in the days ahead.
Jesus tells a parable about ten bridesmaids anticipating the arrival of the bridegroom. Would his arrival be imminent, or would it be delayed? None of them knew. Just in case the arrival was delayed, five of the bridesmaids brought not only their lamps but also, extra oil. The other five went out for the greeting with just their lit lamps. When their lights started to fade, they panicked and begged the prepared ones to share. These wise ones the other five to go find another source to replenish; if they split their stores, the important greeting would happen in complete darkness. The focused preparation of the wise greeters allowed them the fulfillment of illuminating the arrival of the bridegroom. Take a look at the parable of Jesus:
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.—Matthew 25:1-13
You should feel urgency reading this parable; you should move steadily toward the question, “What, then, must I do?” I am convinced this amazing teaching model of Jesus is not so much about allegory as a movement toward a decision, the personal decision of the hearer. Contemplating the parable, the questions are not really, “What does Jesus mean by the lamp, or the flame or the extra oil? The questions are more your personal sensibilities:
1. Do I want to be wise or foolish?
2. What, for me, would constitute preparedness for meeting Jesus?
3. What are the elements of light that I have to present to the coming Savior?
4. What practices of prayer, study and action can I sustain to be, for me, extra fuel?
Maybe this is the time for you to manage daily prayer. Maybe now you will be engaged with passages of the Bible more deeply than ever before. Maybe you have some personal outreach that will become a consistent, meaningful offering of demonstrated love. Maybe this is the time you will try out a simple prayer, which we could call pure prayer, the prayer of the heart, Christian meditation. I am teaching about these things: Tues. 4 PM, Wed, 7 PM, Thurs, 8 AM, and Sat. 10 AM.
This is only a sample of what God might lead you into. Any practices such as these would reflect the wisdom and a move away from foolishness. The distracted life is foolish because it leads us nowhere; it does not do not value the illuminating flame of the Spirit. To procrastinate cultivating magnificent, reliable spiritual habits is a needless loss. On the other hand, there is a prize for the wise. The prize is completely wound up with a close and energizing relationship with Jesus the Bridegroom. You can be that one with a flame unique to you. You can be that one with the oil of holy practices you have cultivated. You can be that one ready, eager, joyful to greet your Savior.