Jesus' preached about the kingdom of God severally while He was on earth. His messages pointed His hearers to the nature of God's Kingdom, the power in God's kingdom, preparing for God's kingdom among many others.In Matthew 24, Jesus gave different parables about the end of the age. Each of the parables indicates that His second coming will be when we don't expect but He also gives us things to look for. Matthew 25 follows the same theme of the coming of the Lord. Once, Jesus spoke about the signs of the end times (Matthew 24) and right afterwards, He gave the parable of the ten virgins. Parables were in many of Jesus' sermons. The parables presented profound spiritual truth which is embedded in everyday activities. It is a simple story to provide a more profound lesson or truth. Jesus used simple stories to teach deeper truths.This post will consider the parable of the ten virgins. Our focus will be specifically on the virgins and how they were classified based on their readiness to meet the bridegroom. We need to understand that hearers of this parable did not have a problem identifying with the situation. In the days of Jesus, the bride would be accompanied by her friends as she prepares to meet her bridegroom.
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (Matthew 25:1)
Jesus began His sermon with this opening: “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. "(Matthew 25:6). Remember all the virgins had a common EXPECTATION: the virgins expected the bridegroom. The virgins make a COMMON CONGREGATION: Church members or churchgoers. All the virgins had LAMPS and OIL: symbolic of the Holy Spirit or other interpretation is the Word of God. The ten virgins had the same EMOTIONAL STATE: They all slumbered and slept (wise and foolish alike). The bridegroom DELAYED for both wise and foolish alike. Thus on the face value, the ten encountered the same experiences. The differences between the two groups were the name tags: WISE virgins and FOOLISH, and the LEVEL or AMOUNT of oil: the wise had a reserve of oil, the foolish had no reserve of oil.
Jesus doesn't indicate what delayed the bridegroom but we know that “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps." (Matthew 25:6-7). Both wise and foolish alike woke up and trimmed their lamps but as expected, the foolish virgins were out of oil because they did not have a reserve of oil. Matthew 25:8 states that, "The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’" Unfortunately it wasn't possible to share the oil reserve so the wise replied to the foolish, “ ‘No,’ there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’" (Matthew 25:9). So the foolish virgins knew where to get the reserve but they did not. While the foolish virgins stepped out in the middle of the night to look for oil, the bridegroom arrived. The wise virgins were welcomed to the banquet with the bridegroom and the door was shut. Later the foolish virgins arrived and were denied entry. While the foolish stood behind the door, they said, "Lord, Lord, open the door for us!" But he replied, "Truly I tell you, I don’t know you." Jesus ended this sermon by saying: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." (see Matthew 25:10-13)
Now, let's bring the deeper meaning of this story: Does the Lord know you? Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Saviour? Remember, that salvation is not genetically transferred. We should be conscious about leading our children to make public confession of their faith in Jesus. Furthermore, Is your experience with the Lord based on the initial acceptance or a daily relationship with Him?
For example, if you buy a vehicle, constantly you fill up your gas. Imagine refusing to fill up your gas even when the fuel indicator shows no gas. You will be stranded. No matter how powerful your vehicle is, without fuel it is a total failure. If you drive an electric vehicle, you need to keep up with charging to be able to drive all the time. So, why do most believers feel that, It is enough to be a Christian and relax. It is like having a lamp with no spare jar of oil. There is nothing in you to hold you through the uncertainties of life. Such people are likely to fall in the slightest disruption. The issues of life can test your faith and love and there will be no oil to sustain your love for God. Family issues, pains, sickness can feed on your lamp and you will be left with nothing. Ultimately, you lose your faith and resolve to fate.
If the Lord tarries, we will all sleep (die), wise and foolish alike. But even while we sleep, the only connection we have with the bridegroom is the oil in our lamps and the oil in our jar. The truth is, whether awake or asleep, you need to get your own oil. Your spouse cannot share their oil with you! Let's consider the oil as the lubricant of our faith, including everything needed to ensure that we maintain a good relationship with the Lord. It is good to know the Lord, even the devil knows Him. But does He know you? It will be unfortunate on the last day for the Lord to say to you; "Truly I tell you, I don’t know you."
How do we grow up in our relationship with the Lord? How do we increase our oil reserve when you accept the Lord? See the points below:
Daily relationship with the God (Quiet time, Prayer & fasting, Bible studies, reading and listening to the word of God)
Consistent Christian growth and Maturity
Growth in faith
Endurance, among many others.
You see, the foolish virgins were late in buying the oil and when they finally got the oil, the bridegroom had arrived and the door had been shut. Just ponder over these: Are you ready? Will the oil in your jar sustain you for the Christian journey?
If you have not accepted Christ, you still have an opportunity to make it right with Him. He is coming soon
“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."
(Revelation 22:12-16, 20)
Our preparedness to meet the Lord, whether in person or after death is very important. While we live, we have opportunities to amend our ways but after death, there is no longer an opportunity to fix the wrong. Therefore it is important to be ready all the time.
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