Skip to main content

The Ten Virgins - Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus tells the story of ten virgins, five prepared and five not prepared. What have you understood about this parable? The five unprepared bridesmaids are symbolic of people who will not be ready for Jesus’ return? That’s what I’ve always understood. 


The setting was that there were ten “bridesmaids” who were waiting for a groom to arrive. Apparently, in a Jewish wedding, the groom would go to the bride’s father’s house and fetch his bride. Afterward, there would be a procession to the groom’s house, where a wedding party would occur. 


In this case, five maids were prepared for the groom’s possible delay, and the other five weren't. Five brought extra oil for their torches, and five brought just enough to go in when they got to the procession. However, the groom delayed his coming until midnight. 


When he finally did come, the prepared virgins went into the party with him while the unprepared girls were seeking oil. When they returned, they discovered that the groom had shut the door, and the festivities had already begun. The locked-out bride's maids cried for entry; however, the groom replied, “Truly, I tell you, I don't know you.”


Matthew gives us a final warning where Jesus says, “Therefore keep watch because you do not know the day or the hour.”


Jesus told parables to hide information. John MacArthur states the following about this parable. “The parable of the ten virgins is given to underscore the importance of being ready for Christ’s return in any event—even if he delays longer than expected. For when he does return, there will be no second chances for the unprepared.”


D.A. Carson states that “the sole distinction between the two groups is this: the wise bring not only oil in their lamps but an extra supply in separate jars. While the foolish brought no oil.


Are you ready for Christ’s return? The end of the world is on many lips these days with the seeming crumbling of the United States. However, what if Christ delays his return for another two hundred or a thousand years? What are you teaching your children and grandchildren about the second coming? I believe that with all of our gloom and doom predictions and thoughts, often, our kids get the wrong idea about God’s plan. Instead, we should teach them to be ready for the long haul. And, if Jesus comes sooner, all the better.

 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Are You Worth?

What are you Worth?  Have you ever thought about what you are worth? In investing circles there is a term used to gauge this exact question, it's called Net Worth. You take all of your assets, like property owned, funds in your bank account, clothes, jewelry, car, etc.. You total all of these things. You then take everything you owe, like mortgage, car loan, and credit card debt, and you subtract these items from the first total. This gives you your net worth. That number represents where you are financially. Most people never stop to think about this number because they don't understand anything about it. They never have two nickels to rub together. They live from hand to mouth and know (or at least believe) nothing will ever change so, they fall into the "daily grind" mentality. Psalm 49 should be a great encouragement to such as these. The sons of Korah write about them. These sons write about all of us. They call all people everywhere to listen to their wisdom. Bo...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Circumcision Advantage

 What a title right? I'm thinking of Romans 3:1 where Paul asks, "What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?"  This was always an avoided subject in Sunday school, especially in a mixed class. We didn't use the "C" word. Too wierd.  Paul is bringing up this topic for good reasons. He wants to show that the Jews definitely have had a great advantage during their history. In the next verse he tells one of them when he says, ... "First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God." The first jew talked to God in person. God chose Abram to be the father of many nations and to bring the blessing of the Messiah to the world. The Old Testament is the story of the Jewish nation. God dealt with the Jews throughout the ages of the time before Christ. They were the chosen. But in all that blessing they ended up crucifying the Messiah.  With all of their advantages the Jews came short of the ideal....
Post a Comment
Read more

Are You Prejudiced?

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us ; Ephesians 2:14 In 1967 Detroit exploded in what would be know ever after as, “ The 12th Street Riot ”. As a 14 year old white boy living about an hour from Detroit I was petrified. I didn’t know much about what was going on but I was afraid that my family was going to be murdered. Black people scared me. Why? Ignorance pure and simple. I had grown up in a white community and had never met any black people. There was a black kid in our school but I had never spoken to him. I lived in my own little white world and was happy to do so. My ignorance of the black culture had lead to prejudice and my prejudice had lead me to fear. Prejudice is that decisive determination of guilt or bias that comes before knowledge. One judges before hand. The mind is bent in a certain direction that is impossible to correct. Or seemingly so. God has interesting ways of helping us to face our ignora...
Post a Comment
Read more