Real or Imitation Jewellery

I’ve walked past those booths at the big shopping centres which say “cash for gold”. It always seemed to me to be out of place- as if a pawn shop had moved in to encourage desperate people to part with their heirlooms for very little cash.

But of course the time comes when amongst all the old jewellery you end up with after the passing of your aged relatives you look at the old fob watch chains and terribly out of date brooches and wonder “What am I going to do with that!?”

Of course there are places that buy estate jewellery but judging by what they tell you they could never give you what it is worth so should just give it to them for a few dollars and they will do you the kindness of taking it off your hands.

So I had been wondering about this very heavy old fob watch chain. Was it gold? Was it the real thing or was it a cheap but heavy imitation from long ago?

So I went off to the “Cash for gold” booth feeling as though everybody was looking at me saying, “Ah, there goes another gambling addict selling off the last of the family jewels to feed the habit…”

But on my own I just could not tell whether it was the real thing or not. The real and the fake look the same to me.

So …

It was a fake.

Jesus told the parable of the wise and the foolish bridesmaids because he knew that amongst the disciples there would always be the genuine article as well as the “imitation”-those others who are part of the Christian community and support the church but do not put Jesus first. His parable indicates that usually there is no way of telling just from merely looking at people whether they have “oil in their lamp” or not. Another parable forbids Christians from trying to sort out ‘who is who’ as it would cause way too much damage.

1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ….
The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour (Mt 25 in NIV)

So Jesus must mean this parable for self-reflection. You are to ask yourself “Why am I part of Living Faith Church? To follow Jesus and live for him within a community of like-minded sisters and brothers? Or am I here just because I like the people, or the customs, or some other very human but unspiritual reason?”

Jesus’ parable comes with a promise and a warning. If you are genuine then your future is going to be a joyful celebrating with him. But if you are not the ‘real deal’ then you need to get serious about Jesus, because without a relationship with him there is no good future.

Now is the time to check if there is “oil in my lamp.”

Graeme