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Matthew 25:1-13 – Are you ready?
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We are going to go through the parable of the Ten Virgins in the book of Matthew. This parable is being told by Jesus to the disciples.
Read Scripture – Bible
Matthew 25:1-13
The reason Jesus is telling this parable is because at the beginning of Chapter 24 it tells us He was sitting on the Mount of Olives and the disciples came to Him privately and asked 2 questions:
Matthew 24:3
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
The disciples want to know when & how all of this is going to happen. My best guess in them asking these questions is because they want to be READY & prepared for it!
Verses 24:1- 9
25 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom [a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
In this parable there are 10 virgins/bridesmaids - They are all there for the same reason.
All 10 showed up to await the bridegroom (which is Jesus!)
All 10 of these ladies had Lamps.
From the outside looking in – ALL of these ladies looked ready to meet the Bridegroom…. They knew enough to know where to be and what to bring. From the outside looking in, they all appeared to be READY.
The only thing the Lord said to describe how these 10 virgins were different, was 5 were wise (wise enough) and 5 were foolish.
So what was the factor made them wise and what made them foolish.
The Wise brought oil the foolish did not.
So when it was announced that the bridegroom was coming and it was time to prepare their lamps- 5 Virgins got right to work and prepare themselves for Jesus and 5 didn’t. It was at that moment where each bridesmaid was determined to be wise or foolish. my guess is there was a bit of chaos & panic among the 5 foolish (if this was a real story)
All this time the unwise virgins either thought they were ready, or that they would have another day to get oil/to get ready. So imagine the panic of thinking that all this time you thought you were going to with the bridegroom to the wedding, and you just realized your not. Or the chaos of thinking, I was going to get ready tomorrow and now the realization that there are no tomorrows just sunk in. I’m sure there were lots of feelings and emotions going on at that moment!
Now before I truly understood what it meant to be READY for the Bridegroom, I always thought that it was pretty selfish that the “wise” virgins didn’t share their oil with the “foolish” - like how hard is it to put a little oil in someone’s lamp? I was thinking literally, not spiritually.
Because the reality is what the foolish virgins asked for was impossible. In this part of scripture – the word oil is referring to the The Spirit of God Himself. The wise virgins knew that there was no way they could give what they needed. People can’t give God’s spirit to another. We can be a light and example, but only God Himself can place His spirit in people. The wise knew this. So they weren’t being selfish – they wise were telling them you have to go get if for yourself.
Matthew 25:9
Verse 9:
But the wise answered,