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Friday, December 25, 2009

The Apocalypse (or "go get your own oil")


So tonight, being Christmas Eve, my twelve year old and I naturally saw "2010." A very special holiday movie. Not quite the classic of "A Christmas Story" but it was great. The wife and daughter went to "Princess and the Frog." I think they didn't make it through much before hopping over to Alvin's Squeekuel (is that how you spell it?)

But back to "2012." I thought it interesting that the good guys, when discovering the world was ending, prepared for the impending doom by building, what is essentially, the big lifeboat. So who to include? Oh here goes the controversy. But actually, let's sidestep that one and go to a bigger controversy in scripture.

The "Christian" thing to do is to be inclusive. Our hero scientist in 2012 wanted to open the gate and let everyone on board even though they only provided for a set number. Wasn't that nice? Surely, if we prepared for the upcoming end-of-the-world, God would want us to share with everyone. Why, He'd probably even drop bread from heaven.

Then let me ask, O Biblical scholars, after the heavy-dutiness of Jesus's prediction of the end of the world in Matthew 24, he goes right into the parable of the Five Wise and Five Foolish virgins at the top of chapter 25. And here's the very "un-Christian" thing Jesus says-- when the five foolish came up to the five wise begging for oil because they were running out, the five wise ones said "no way, we won't have enough for all of us." Very "un-Christian." Where's the sharing? The self sacrifice? The love?

What's up with that?

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