‘All things are subject to interpretation’ wrote Friedrich Nietzsche. It’s a quote I’ve thought about this last week. There is more than one way to interpret a text.
Let me give you an example.
One of my favourite poems is ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost. Influenced no doubt by M Scott Peck’s bestseller ‘The Road Less Travelled’, I’ve always understood this poem to be about self-reliance and non-conformity, seeking to inspire the reader not to follow where others have gone; but to be an individual, autonomous and free.
‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.’
But in the last few days I’ve come to realise this isn’t the only way to understand this poem. Some critics, in fact, argue it’s not inspirational nor individualistic, but ironic. Its’ purpose isn’t to moralize choice. The point instead is to say choice is inevitable. We all have to make choices; there are many forks in the road. But we never know what our choices will mean until we’ve lived them.
In the same way there are different ways we can understand scripture. Sometimes we assume there’s only one interpretation, and generally that is ours. But the truth is how we interpret a text depends on many factors, including our political bias, our social and cultural contexts, and our religious upbringing.
So, whether we like it or not the bible can be interpreted in different ways. We each see it through a particular lens. But this does not mean anything goes.
A good example is today’s Gospel.
Jesus tells the parable of the wise and foolish girls.
One way of interpreting this text is to see it as promoting the values of individualism and meritocracy.
Individualism for the five wise girls in their refusal to share their oil with the others, appear to be looking after number one. An ‘I’ve got mine, so you get your own’ kind of attitude.
And meritocracy, for everybody in the end gets what they deserve. The doors are shut and the foolish girls are left outside. 
But though this reading may support the deeply held values of some, you have to ask does it really reflect the kingdom of God.
Is the password to the kingdom ‘try harder’? And is the economy Jesus speaks of defined by scarcity, as though if we share what we have with others, then there won’t be enough to go round?
The answer to these questions is ‘surely not’. So, if this is the case, then how are we to interpret this text? What does Jesus mean?
Well, the first point to make is Jesus did preach about personal responsibility. He did talk about people being accountable to God for the choices we make and for our actions. And he did challenge his listeners to respond as individuals to the words he spoke.
But like it or not, the individual is not the centre of his universe. God is the centre. And in God he tells us we find the purpose and meaning of all life. Jesus shows us this in the sacrifice he makes on the cross, and in his teaching and whole approach to living. Share what you have with others. Visit the sick and the imprisoned. Feed the hungry. Love your enemies. And the list goes on.
So Jesus’ message, though directed at the individual, looks beyond the individual. And in telling this parable he does not promote self-reliance at the expense of others. Instead he encourages his hearers to stay focused and not to lose heart, and to be prepared always.
His words had relevance for the first century church, but not to them exclusively. Many of the early Christians believed they were living in the last days. We see this in Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica. The question on people’s minds was what about those Christians who had died. What will happen to them? And Paul responds to their concerns by saying they should not be without hope; instead they should continue as they were taught: love one another. God is worthy of our trust.
And we see it in Matthew’s gospel. His message is in Christ a new age has dawned. The kingdom of God has arrived. But still we wait for the day when God’s reign will come to completion. Christ has come, we celebrate this at Christmas, and he will come again.
But the hour and the day we do not know.
The only thing we can say is this: signs of the kingdom are all around us, and so we must not give up hope. We have tasted the goodness of God, we have been inspired by the example of his Son, so we must not lose heart; we must continue the good work begun in confidence and in trust.
To us, as to those in Matthew’s community, Jesus says: be people of hope; trust in God; live the good news; practice forgiveness; work for justice; and keep awake, for the bridegroom will come.
So we have a choice to make: to be people of faith and hope and love; or to be like those who know all the right words but who lack integrity and the determination to make a difference. The latter are like those foolish girls whose lamps do not last the distance.
And one thing I know is this. When I consider Jesus’ words and reflect upon his life, I see a person who preached and walked the road less travelled. He was not swayed by the crowd, whether they wore red or blue; he simply walked the path of truth, his eyes always on the goal. God was his beginning and his end, his source of joy and the wellspring from which his love for others flowed.
No irony here, only inspiration. And as Robert Frost would say, ‘for him it made all the difference’. Amen.
 
A sermon preached in St Alban’s Anglican Church, Eastbourne, on Sunday 9 November 2008, by the Ven. Damon Plimmer.