Sermon Talkback
November 9, 2008
Running on Full—Matthew 25:1-13
Parables of Watchfulness
The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids follows two other stories of being watchful. In Matt. 24:36, we see people going through their daily lives before the flood came and Noah entered the ark and in Matt. 24:45, we have the unfaithful slave who acted irresponsibly when his master was away.
Today’s lesson includes, “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (25:13)
Waiting for Godot
One of the most prominent themes of this text concerns the quality of waiting. Perhaps the 20th century’s quintessential treatment of waiting is Samuel Beckett’s play, Waiting for Godot. This challenging play concerns two men, Vladimir and Estragon, who are waiting beside a road for a character named “Godot.” We are not told exactly why they are waiting, or even exactly who Godot is. The entire play is a series of conversations between the two men and two encounters with a wealthy man and his slave. Beckett refused to give a deeper interpretation of the meaning of the play, and throughout the years since its first production, many interpreters have tried to explain this work. Though Beckett wrote in French, he was Irish by birth, so many have tried to tie the name “Godot” to God. Since the play is riddled with biblical references, and the two men talk about death, it would not be out of line to draw a connection.
Throughout the course of the play, each man considers leaving the vigil for Godot, but each is drawn back. Late in the play, Vladimir observes: “What are we doing here, that is the question. We are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in this immense confusion one thing alone is clear. We are waiting for Godot to come.” After a pause he continues, “We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment.”
The play ends with a note of both frustration and hope. Godot does not come. A boy appears twice, telling them that Godot promises to come tomorrow, and the two men, in a seemingly fruitless pursuit, continue to wait.
Quality of Waiting
Waiting can be painful: result of a medical test, call back after a job interview, a phone call from a loved one traveling a long way home. In our culture today, waiting is discouraged when instant gratification is stressed: email instead of snail mail, microwave instead of a crock-pot, buying clothes rather than hand-sewn ones.
Since we do not know when Christ will return, how do we wait and watch or “keep our appointment” when He finally comes?
The call to watchfulness is ironic. The way we watch for Jesus is by not watching for Jesus. Instead, we watch for Jesus by pursuing the needs and demands of other people. It is as though Jesus is already arriving in the wants of others. Watchfulness involves doing what Jesus said on the Sermon on the Mount. The way we bring the oil of good deeds to the messianic banquet is by loving our enemy, giving to all who ask, that is, by obeying Jesus’ commands in the Sermon on the Mount.