February 28: “Behold, the Bridegroom!”
♫ Music:
WEEK THREE INTRODUCTION
TITLE: THE BRIDEGROOM
February 28 - March 6
In Matthew 9:15 Jesus spoke of himself as the Bridegroom, a spousal metaphor that references his selfless love for his bride, the Church. Christ the Bridegroom is the central figure in the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). Interestingly enough, Christ is also referred to as the divine Bridegroom in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah (Chapter 54). In the ancient Christian Church, services during the first three days of Holy Week stressed the end times, the final judgment, and the need for constant vigilance. These teachings warned about preparing for the coming kingdom—teachings proclaimed by Christ shortly before he entered into his passion. Look at the solemn hymn that accompanied these services:
“Behold the Bridegroom comes at midnight, and blessed is the servant whom he shall find watching, and unworthy is the servant whom he shall find heedless. Beware, therefore, oh my soul. Do not be weighed down with sleep, lest you be given up to death, and lest you be shut out of the kingdom. But rouse yourself, crying, Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou our God.”
We begin our reflections on Sunday and Monday by studying the Parable of the Ten Virgins, as well as the Parable of the Wedding Feast—two stories that vividly depict our need to be prepared for the Day of the Lord. In the Scripture passage for Tuesday, Christ chastises the hard-hearted scribes and Pharisees whose refusal to repent and believe was deeply troubling to him. On Wednesday, Christ explains why his disciples cannot fast while he (the Bridegroom) is with them. Thursday and Friday focus on signs of the approaching end; as well as the great and glorious Second Coming. Finally on Saturday, we take a look at the Last Judgment, and the surprising circumstances Christ describes as being necessary for entrance into Heaven.
Day 12 - Sunday, February 28
Title: “BEHOLD, THE BRIDEGROOM!”
Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour the Lord is coming.”
Poetry:
Missing the Boat
by Naomi Shihab-Nye
It is not so much that the boat passed
and you failed to notice it.
It is more like the boat stopping
directly outside your bedroom window,
the captain blowing the signal-horn,
the band playing a rousing march.
The boat shouted, waving bright flags,
its silver hull blinding in the sunlight.
But you had this idea you were going by train.
You kept checking the time-table,
digging for tracks.
And the boat got tired of you,
so tired it pulled up the anchor
and raised the ramp.
The boat bobbed into the distance,
shrinking like a toy—
at which point you probably realized
you had always loved the sea.
BEHOLD, THE BRIDEGROOM!
In today’s Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13), Jesus tells his followers to be alert, since nobody knows precisely the day when he will return again. Those who are wise prepare as if the moment is imminent; those who are foolish behave as if they have plenty of time to ready themselves for the Marriage Feast of the Lamb to which all believers are invited. With seemingly unending change in the Covid-19 year of 2020, many have experienced sorrow and dejection over the loss of a regular, familiar routine, the disappearance of hoped-for travel plans, the loss of jobs, and for some, the loss of beloved family members. Given this season of global unease, how should we best prepare for both known and unknown events that hover on the horizon?
Our devotional’s portrayal of the Ten Virgins by Argentinian painter Jorge Cocco Santangelo employs what he calls “sacrocubism,” a style that seeks to render Scriptural moments in post-cubist imagery. In this rendition, the wise Virgins comfort each other and are comforted by the sight of the Messiah in the distance. They gaze out an open door toward Jesus and the Apostles as the sun illuminates the horizon. The Foolish Virgins, on the left side of the painting, are sequestered in a moment of remorse, sleep, and ignorance, failing to keep the oil of their faith ready for the new day dawning around them. Though we all wish to be wise followers looking toward the good day on the horizon, many of us lose focus, are too timid or self-deceived to hear the invitation. We can be quick to convince ourselves that the final day is far away, and that God will work things out according to our timing.
From its clever title onward, Naomi Shihab-Nye’s poem, “Missing the Boat,” causes readers to reflect on missed opportunities that are metaphorically right before our eyes, because we are looking for the wrong thing. “The boat shouted, waving bright flags, / Its silver hull blinding in the sunlight” (Shihab-Nye). The boat’s appeal for our attention is not subtle, yet the speaker still “failed to notice it“ (Shihab-Nye). We sometimes have something entirely different in mind than what God wants to bring about: “But you had this idea you were going by train” (Shihab-Nye). How many of the plans people expected to engage in this last year were deferred or even entirely canceled? How often do we find ourselves “digging for tracks” of our own agendas, not considering that an entirely different mode of transportation has been fully provided? The poem’s final reflection—“you had always loved the sea”—comes too late for the stranded traveler. Since we are all surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1), let us be mindful to keep the oil of God’s Spirit in full supply, ready to jump on board the train, hop on the boat, or run the distance until we are expectantly ready for the Lord’s inevitable and glorious return.
“Blessed are those whom the Lord finds watching,
In His glory they shall share;
If He shall come at the dawn or midnight,
Will He find us watching there?”
—Frances J. Crosby (“Will Jesus Find Us Watching?”)
Dr. Marc Malandra
Associate Professor of English
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Parable of the Ten Virgins
Jorge Cocco Santángelo
2016
Oil on canvas
30 x 40 in.
The shapes and angles Jorge Cocco Santángelo uses in his art reflect aspects of the post-cubist art movement. Cubism, an art form inspired by other abstract artists such as Picasso and Braque, depicts objects and scenes from different angles rather than using a set perspective and realistic shapes. Santángelo calls his specific style “sacrocubism” because he uses the abstract nature of cubism to help viewers to focus on the most essential spiritual aspects of the painting. In his painting Parable of the Ten Virgins, the group of foolish virgins on the left seem passive and disinterested in waiting, while the group of the five wise virgins seem animated with expectant joy for the arrival of the bridegroom. In the far distance, the bridegroom, illuminated in a shaft of light, is walking toward the virgins. Though all ten bridesmaids had the same opportunity to wait for the arrival of the bridegroom, only five were willing to marshal their energies and maintain an expectant attitude of readiness for the Lord’s arrival.
About the Artist:
Jorge Cocco Santángelo (b. 1936) is a self-taught painter and professor of art from Argentina. He paints in a style he describes as “sacrocubism,” which portrays sacred events with several features of the post-cubist art movement. While he experimented with various approaches and mediums in his artistic practice, Santángelo made a living teaching art and art history. Moving to benefit his career, his family traveled to Ibiza, Spain; Puebla, Mexico; back to Argentina; and later to the United States. Santángelo has taught art at numerous universities, including University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico; College Cesaseo B. de Quiros de Concordia en Entre Ríos, Argentina; and the Universidad de Belgrano in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Over the years he has begun to gain more acclaim and success as an artist. Numerous museums own pieces of his artwork, including the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah; Museums Municipales de San Telmo y La Case de Oquendo in San Sebastian, Spain; and the Museum of Washi Zokey in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan. Currently he maintains studios in both Argentina and the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Cocco_Sant%C3%A1ngelo
https://jorgecocco.com/
About the Music:
“Mockfjard: Himmelriket Liknas Vid Tio Jungfrur” (The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like Unto Ten Virgins) from the album Religious Folk-Songs from Dalecarlia
About the Lyricist/Composer:
“Himmelriket liknas Vid Tio Jungfrur” (The Kingdom of Heaven is Like Unto Ten Virgins) is a traditional Advent song from Värmland, an area of Western Sweden that borders on Norway. It uses the tale of the wise and foolish virgins to urge us to prepare for the coming of Christ.
https://www.calbach.org/blog/2016/11/15/program-notes-jul-jula-scandinavian-christmas
About the Performer:
Margareta Jonth (b. 1946) is a Swedish freelance soprano singer educated at the State College of Music in Stockholm. She was awarded the annual Jenny Lind Scholarship in 1969, named after the great 1850s Swedish opera star. Jonth’s repertoire includes chamber music, church music, opera, and contemporary music, but also musicals and light entertainment.
http://www.margaretajonth.com/biografi/
About the Poet:
Naomi Shihab Nye (b. 1952) is an American poet. Her father was a Palestinian refugee and her mother was of European descent. Her rich experiences with varied cultures have influenced much of her work. Known for poetry that lends a fresh perspective to ordinary events, people, and objects, Nye has said that, for her, “the primary source of poetry has always been local life, random characters met on the streets, our own ancestry sifting down to us through small essential daily tasks.” Characterizing Nye’s “prolific canon” in Contemporary Women Poets, critic Paul Christensen noted that Nye “is building a reputation…as the voice of childhood in America, the voice of the girl at the age of daring exploration.” Nye received her B.A. from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and continues to live and work in that city. “My poems and stories often begin with the voices of our neighbors, mostly Mexican-American, always inventive and surprising,” Nye wrote in Four Winds Press. In addition to her poetry collections, Nye has produced fiction for children, poetry and song recordings, and poetry translations.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/naomi-shihab-nye
About the Devotion Author:
Dr. Marc Malandra
Associate Professor of English
Biola University
Dr. Marc Malandra is an Associate Professor of English at Biola University. Malandra teaches courses in American literature, composition, and creative writing at Biola University. His poetry and scholarship have appeared in over three dozen publications. He attends EV Free Fullerton Church and lives in Brea, California, with his wife Junko, college-aged children Noah and Sasha, and their cat Tora.