Di Ten Bridesmaids

Midnight. Di whole village dey sleep. Then one shout break di silence. See di bridegroom dey come! Make una come out meet am! Ten young women wake up sharp. Five of dem ready. Five of dem no ready.

Na di last week before di cross. Jesus sit down for di Mount of Olives, dey look Jerusalem from across, and im disciples come meet am for private. Dem want know when e go come again, and how dem go take know say di time don near. Jesus tell dem clear say nobody know di day or di hour. So di question no be when. Di question na whether you go ready. And to show dem wetin ready mean, e tell dem one story about wedding.

Di kingdom of heaven, Jesus talk, go be like ten bridesmaids wey take dem lamps go out to meet di bridegroom. Na work wey get joy. When di bridegroom come, dem go light im road with fire wey dey shine and waka with am go di wedding feast. Five of dem, Jesus talk, no get sense, and five get wisdom. Di foolish ones take dem lamps, but dem no carry extra oil. Di wise ones take dem lamps, and small jars of oil too. Then dem wait. And wait. Di bridegroom late. E late pass wetin anybody expect. Di evening dey go. Di lamps dey flicker. One by one, heads begin nod, and all ten of dem, wise and foolish together, sleep. Notice dat one. Sleep no be di problem. Everybody sleep.

For midnight di shout come. Di bridegroom don come! Make una come out meet am! All ten jump up and arrange dem lamps, dey cut di wicks so dat di fire go shine well. But five lamps dey die. Di oil don low, and no more remain. Give us some of una oil, di foolish ones talk. Our lamps dey go off. Di wise ones shake dem head. No. E fit no reach for us and for una. Go meet di people wey dey sell oil, and buy for unaself. E sound hard for di beginning. But some things you no fit borrow for last minute. To dey ready na one of dem.

So dem hurry go inside di dark streets, dey look for anybody wey still dey sell oil for midnight. And while dem never come back, di bridegroom reach. Di five wey ready enter with am go di wedding feast. Music dey, laughter dey, light dey. And then dem shut di door. Later, di other five run come back and knock. Lord, Lord, open di door for us! But di answer come from inside. True true I tell una, I no know una. Jesus turn to im disciples, and e give dem di whole meaning for one line. Make una watch, because una no know di day or di hour.

For di world of Jesus, wedding na celebration for di whole village wey fit last for many days. One big moment na when di bridegroom come to carry im bride go di wedding feast, and dat procession dey often happen for evening. Di friends of di bride go come out with lights to welcome am and follow di people pass di streets. Nobody dey vex if di bridegroom late. Im coming fit delay because di families dey discuss gifts and arrangements. So to wait reach night na normal thing. But to finish oil no be normal.

Di Ten Bridesmaids. You go find am for Matthew chapter twenty-five, verse one to thirteen. Dem invite all ten. All ten wait. All ten sleep. Di difference na wetin dem prepare before di shout come. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin e go mean for you to dey ready today, no be one day for future?