Manslick Road church of Christ » 2007 » February
These somber words occur near the conclusion of Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins. Five who were ready when the bridegroom came got to go into the wedding feast. When they did, the door was shut (Mt. 25:10 ). Meanwhile, five others were scurrying to make last-minute preparations. They finally arrived, but it was to a closed door. It was too late.
Jesus is the bridegroom. One day He is coming for His bride, the church (2 Cor. 11:2 ). “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven . . . and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Th. 4:17-18 ). That process will take place “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52 ). There will be no time to get ready then.
Men have devised various second chance theories, by which people who are not ready when Jesus comes will be given another opportunity. But the Bible says, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10 ). It will be all over then. The door will be shut. That is why Peter went on to say, “Since all these things are to be this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (vs. 11). That is why Jesus concluded the parable by saying, “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour” (Mt. 25:13 ).
The door may shut even earlier than that. Hebrews 9:27 reminds us that “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” At that judgment each one will “be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10 ). There are no more “deeds in the body” after death: no hearing the gospel, no believing it, no repenting, no confessing one’s faith, no being baptized into Christ for forgiveness of sins. No, it is too late for all that once you die. For you, the door is then shut.
The door may shut even earlier than that, at least in practicality. Hebrews 3:12 warns us against the hardening effect of sin. 1 Timothy 4:2 speaks of those whose consciences are seared as with a branding iron. It is possible to become so engrossed in sin that one loses his desire to get out of it. Friend, when you silence your con-science, when you resist all efforts to turn you from sin, you are slowly but surely shutting the door to your salvation.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus spoke of hearts so hardened that the devil takes away God’s word as easily as birds feeding on seed atop a road (Lk. 8:11-12 ). Do not resist the truth. Do not close your heart to it. If you decline the invitation now, you may lose all interest for the future. And the door will be shut.
“Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Mt. 15:14 ).
These words of Jesus have become a proverb used even in secular contexts. In their original application, they remind us in a picturesque way of four vital spiritual truths.
There is such a thing as spiritual blindness. It is not fashionable these days to speak of right and wrong in religious matters. Many would have us think that all beliefs are equally valid, and any differences are just a matter of “your interpretation” versus mine or “my truth versus your truth.” Jesus knew better. He saw a world full of spiritual blindness, people groping about in the dark (Jn. 12:35, 46 ).
The setting of this proverb is a perfect illustration. Read Matthew 15:1-9 . Some scribes and Pharisees criticized Jesus because His disciples did not follow their ideas of right and wrong. But their ideas were not God’s. In fact, they had cleverly devised ways to dismiss God’s plain commands, replacing them with their own standards. God’s assessment was, “In vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.”
Blindness may characterize religious leaders. It is sometimes hard for people to admit that their beloved spiritual leaders— teachers, pastors, preachers, authors, etc.—might be wrong. After all, these men are scholars. They have studied long and hard. And they have such godly character and are so sincere. All that may be true, but they are still men, and men are subject to error.
Was anyone blinder in Jesus’ day than Israel’s leaders, who “recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these be condemning Him”( Acts 13:27 )? Why should it be any different in our day? Search the Scriptures. Verify what you are told (Acts 17:11 ).
Blindness results in being in a pit. Some translations say a ditch. The point is the same. Walking life’s road blindly is disastrous. God’s word is the lamp to our feet and light to our path (Ps. 119:105 ). Jesus is the light of the world (Jn. 8:12 ). His word is the truth that makes us free (Jn. 8:32-33 ). Apart from it, we are headed for the pit of eternal punishment.
Sincerity does not prevent the consequences of wrong belief. Have you heard that it does not matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere? The Bible nowhere says that. And that is not what Jesus’ proverb teaches. We pity the poor blind man who chooses another blind man as a guide; however, his sincerity in that choice or in the wrong path taken will not keep him out of the pit. Sincerity is vital, but so is following the truth.
Of course it doesn’t. But haven’t you heard the expression of people putting two and two together and getting five? It refers to jumping to a wrong conclusion based on minimal circumstantial evidence. It’s easy to do.
Hannah was barren. She was greatly troubled by her condition. Her husband, Elkanah, tried to comfort her but had little success. Hannah prayed earnestly about her affliction. She even vowed that if the Lord would give her a child she would devote him to the Lord all his days.
Eli the priest was watching her pray. “As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. Then Eli said to her, ‘How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away wine from you’” (1 Sam. 1:13-14 ). Moving lips plus no words equals drunkenness.
How embarrassed Eli must have been when godly Hannah humbly corrected him, explaining, “I have poured out my soul before the Lord. . . . I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation.” Likely he wanted to crawl under the altar, so to speak. All he could do was express his desire that God would grant her request.
Beware of jumping to conclusions and making the accompanying accusations. Two plus two equals four, not five.