Jesus'
Parable of the Ten Virgins
Matthew 25: 1-13By Gary
DeLashmutt
Teaching t08786
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IntroductionBriefly
review the theme of this series (kingdom of God) and the specific subject of the
Matthew 13 parables (the current “mystery” phase). By contrast,
the three parables of Matthew 25 illustrate what will happen when Jesus returns
at the end of the age to inaugurate the fullness of his kingdom (see preceding
context of Matthew 24:1-31). Let's look at the parable in 25:1-13—the
parable of the ten virgins. ExplanationRead 25:1-13 (emphasize
“then” in 25:1—preceding context). Jewish weddings were different
than ours in several respects. “The celebration would begin when all was
ready, and sometimes that could mean the guests having to wait. There was not
only the food to be prepared, but even sometimes last-minute negotiations between
the groom and his in-laws about the terms of the marriage. When everything was
set, the groom would come to his bride's home to claim her, and to bring her in
procession to his parental home for the wedding and the feast. Jesus' story is
of a group of ten girls waiting for the bridegroom to come and for the wedding
to begin. They were all equipped with oil lamps, and probably had a particular
part to play . . . likely their job was to provide light for
the feast: they would accompany the bridal party in procession into the feast
and provide the much-needed illumination for the festivities.” What
is the meaning of this parable? Remember that parables are not allegories. They
are stories designed to make one main spiritual point. Some details are significant
in that they help make that main point, while other details are merely local color.
With this in mind, it seems clear that some details are symbolic
(other biblical passages use this same imagery): the bridegroom stands for Jesus,
the delay of the bridegroom stands for the period of time between his two comings,
the bridegroom's arrival stands for Jesus' return at the end of the age, the wedding
feast stands for his kingdom, and the virgins stand for humanity. Other
details seem to be merely local color: the lamps, the oil, the dealers in the
marketplace, the (absence of the) bride, etc. Jesus spells out the main
point—re-read 25:13 (“be on the alert” can also be translated “be
ready”). Just as only those virgins who were ready were admitted into the
wedding feast (25:10), only those who are ready will be admitted into the kingdom. What
does it mean to be ready? Drawing upon this parable and other scriptures, we can
learn three important answers to this question . . . Application
- 3 LessonsThe key to being ready is having a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ. At first glance, the problem with the five foolish
virgins is that they didn't bring oil for their lamps. But the real reason for
their exclusion from the wedding feast is that they didn't have a personal relationship
with the bridegroom (25:12). In a small Jewish village, the bridegroom would almost
certainly have known his bride's attendants. Jesus therefore seems to be going
beyond the parable at this point (as he does in all three of these parables).
This point is so important, and misconceptions on this are
so common, that Jesus used this same picture in other non-parabolic passages to
make this same point: Read Matthew 7:21-23. Calling Jesus “Lord,”
preaching in his name, even doing miracles/good deeds in his name is no substitute
for having a relationship with him. Read Luke 13:25b-27a. Familiarity
with Jesus' teachings, even being in his physical presence is no substitute for
having a relationship with him. We should add some other things people commonly
substitute for this: church attendance & or membership, getting baptized,
taking communion, etc. If you want to be admitted into Jesus' kingdom when
he returns, you must have a personal relationship with him! “How can I have
a personal relationship with Jesus when he's not even around any more?” Though
he is physically absent, he is spiritually present. Listen to what he said to
people who were living 60 years after he physically departed from the earth (read
Revelation 3:20). If you want Jesus to open the door to you then, you
must open the door to him now. And that leads us to the next lesson . . . There
is a limited time to get ready. Re-read 25:10. This is the sobering part of
the parable- “. . . the bridegroom came . . . and
the door was shut.” There came a point in time when it was too late to get
into the wedding feast. This is the way real life is. We have
the freedom to choose, but not to dictate the consequences of our choices. (Some
of us have a lot of “road rash” because we haven't learned this yet.)
We have opportunities, but they don't last forever. We can choose for a period
of time, but then we run out of time. If we don't choose “yes” during
that time, then we chose “no” (TAKING A JOB; MAKING AN OFFER ON A HOUSE).
That's why we (should) teach our kids this lesson before they leave home, instead
of rescuing them from their procrastination. It's the same way with the
opportunity to get into God's kingdom. Jesus wants you in God's kingdom so much
that has he has paid your entrance fee with his death, he is issuing you a personal
invitation, and he gives you the freedom to respond to his invitation. But there
is a finite time for your response. If you wait too long to accept his invitation,
then you lose the opportunity forever. (Otherwise, we hold God and his
kingdom hostage to our ambivalence. It would no longer be God's kingdom; it would
our kingdom with God as our Butler.) Jesus makes this same
point in 24:37-39 (read). In the days of Noah, God gave people ample warning that
he was going to judge the world. For 120 years, Noah and his family built the
ark and told people what was coming and (evidently) invited them on board. But
when the time came, God shut the door to the ark—and then it was too late
to decide. Jesus makes the same point in Luke 13:24,25,28 (read). The
“weeping” evidently refers to the agony of regret over not making this
decision during the appropriate time. The “gnashing of teeth” may indicate
anger over being turned away—but that won't change God's mind. C.
S. Lewis describes it this way: “We can understand hell in its act of privation.
All your life an unattainable ecstasy has hovered just beyond the grasp of your
consciousness. The day is coming when you will wake to find, beyond hope, that
you have attained it, or else, that it was within your reach and you have lost
it forever.” When
is it too late? These passages teach that it is too late when Jesus returns. But
other passages teach that it is also too late when you die (read Hebrews 9:27)—whichever
comes first. This means that all “second-chance” theologies are
false hopes. Jesus doesn't give everyone another chance to receive him after he
returns. You don't keep coming back again and again (reincarnation) until you
get it right. You don't go to purgatory to work off your sins. The prayers and
gifts of the living will not change the fate of the dead. These are all spiritually
fatal misconceptions. This sobering lesson obviously implies
a third one—the time to get ready is now. This is the point of 25:13
(“be ready now!”). Since it will be too late when that time comes,
and since you don't know when Jesus will return (or when you will die), you should
get ready now. This is just logic/common sense. You don't have control
over when God will end human history, nor do you have control over when you will
die (James 4:14). Some of us here will not be alive this time next year—in
spite of our plans. So there is a sense of urgency that is at the heart of this
parable. You can hear that same sense of urgency from Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:2
(explain context and read). So here is the question you need to answer:
Is there any good reason why you should not receive Christ today?
I know that saying this may make many of you uncomfortable. And in posing this
question, let me say that there may be a good reason. You may not have enough
understanding of Jesus' offer; you may not have enough evidence that this is true.
You may have had well-meaning people push you so there is a bad taste in your
mouth . . . Two summers ago, I got a visit from a replacement
window salesman. About 15 minutes into the visit, I began to feel uncomfortable.
I had told the guy that I was interested only in getting information and figures
from him at this time. But he was determined to get a sale that day. He wouldn't
answer most of my questions. He tried to shame me out of being aghast that his
price was half the price of my house. He pressured me relentlessly to sign a contract.
When I refused and asked him to leave, he asked to call his boss to get his next
appointment—but that was a ruse to try to trick me by having his boss offer
a substantial reduction if I signed today. I was so furious that I finally picked
up his suitcase and demanded that he leave immediately or I would call the police. What
do you call my discomfort? This was valid discomfort. After I got him out of my
house, I kept thinking about how many people have been treated that way by “Christians”—pressured
to make a decision before they had time to process the information, manipulated
by guilt and fear and shame, hit up over and over again by someone who was more
interested in getting a "spiritual scalp" than in helping another person
come to an informed, voluntary decision. We're not into that around here.
If you are investigating Jesus Christ, we hope you will receive him—but we're
not going to use inappropriate pressure. Getting ready means having the room and
time to gain understanding of the gospel, ask your questions, consider the evidence,
etc. But this may not be the reason why you're uncomfortable.
It may that your “reason” for delaying this decision is invalid.
Your reason may be “I don't like making big decisions.” You may be
like a friend of mine who was remodeling my kitchen several years ago. He had
been attending this Bible study for some time. He had come to understand that
salvation was a free gift instead of something he had to earn (as he had been
taught growing up). He had received solid answers to his questions and objections.
He acknowledged that Christ had changed the lives (for good) of many family members
and friends. He even admitted that he sensed within his heart that God was urging
him to receive Christ. When I asked him why he was delaying he said, “I just
don't like making big decisions.” I asked him this question, and urged him
not to put off this decision. Several days later he told me he had received Christ.
And he thanked me for challenging him. Your reason may be “I'm afraid
of what X may think.” Is that a good reason? Is it really more important to
worry about what X may think than it is to know what God thinks? Your reason
may be “I'm waiting for an overwhelming experience that will compel me.”
God won't do this, because he wants you to make a voluntary decision. Your
reason may be, “I don't want to have to admit I was wrong.” Wouldn't you
rather admit you were wrong about this now than to have to admit that you were
wrong about this then? Why not “close the deal” today? If you do,
the first thing you'll ask yourself afterward is “Why didn't I do this before?” Footnotes
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