Matthew 25:1-13

4. Illustration of the ten wise and foolish bridesmaids (25:1-13)

1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them; 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 But at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him. 7 Then all the virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

12.

But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

13.

Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS

a.

In what way is this story of the five wise and five foolish virgins similar to the preceding one about the faithful, wise servant and the evil servant? In what way is it different?

b.

To what phase of the kingdom of heaven does Jesus refer in this story?

c.

In what way is the having oil or not part of the main point of this story?

d.

Do you see anything significant about the fact that the bride-groom made his appearance at midnight? If so, what does that fact suggest about the reality Jesus is illustrating?

e.

Christ has taught us to share what we have. Yet He pictures with apparent approval the so-called wise virgins as refusing to share their oil! How do you explain or justify this surprising selfishness? Or, is that what it is?

f.

The so-called wise virgins suggested that the others try to buy lamp-oil at midnight! Is not this a rather foolish suggestion for supposedly wise ones? What stores would be open at that time of night? In the reality represented by this illustration, would such a purchase even be possible?

g.

Do you not think that it was heartless on the part of the bride-groom to refuse recognition to a few hapless girls whose only mistake was failure to provide a little oil for lamps to lighten the atmosphere of HIS marriage banquet? On what basis can such cold indifference be justified? Who does this bridegroom symbolize anyway?

h.

From the details in the story, what may be assumed to be involved in Jesus-' concluding admonition: Watch therefore?

i.

Since Jesus concluded this story with Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour, a point reiterated many times in these concluding illustrations, why do you suppose He felt He needed to repeat this concept? Did He think that we would misunderstand Him and act otherwise, if He had stated His view but once?

PARAPHRASE

The time when Christ's coming is awaited will be a time when the government of God may be compared to ten maidens who took their oil lamps to a wedding party. They were to await the arrival of the bridegroom. Five of them were thoughtless and five were sensible. The foolish took their lamps, but brought no reserve oil with them, whereas the wise girls took containers of oil along with their lamps. Because the bridegroom was a long time in coming, the girls all became drowsy and began to sleep. However, in the middle of the night someone shouted, Here comes the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!-' At this all those girls rose and trimmed their lamp-wicks. The foolish girls said to the prudent ones, -Loan us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out!-' But the wise ones replied, -There may not be enough for both us and you. You had better go to the store and buy some for yourselves.-' While they were on their way to make the purchase, the bridegroom came. Those girls who were prepared went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was locked.
Later, the other maidens also arrived. -Sir. Mister! Open the door for us!-' But he replied, -I tell you solemnly, I really do not know you.-'
So, be on the alert, for you do not know either the day nor the hour when the Christ will come.

SUMMARY

The fate of the unprepared admonishes us that adequate preparation must be made in time. Real wisdom, according to Jesus, makes its preparation ahead of time and is not caught unawares.

NOTES

Chapter 25 must be treated as part of the great Eschatological Discourse of Jesus, begun in chapter 24. A deep, internal unity holds these parables together and binds them to the preceding parts of the sermon. (See Let's Preview the Following Parables after Matthew 24:44.) The internal cohesiveness of these illustrations undermines the theory that Jesus could not have used these stories to illuminate His prophecies, or that Matthew is to be blamed for pasting together a collage of disconnected vignettes. Rather, they are precisely the sort of imaginative explanations that Jesus Himself could be expected to use to shed new light on His fundamental statement: Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.. You must be ready (Matthew 24:36; Matthew 24:42; Matthew 24:44).

Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened. The kingdom of heaven, here as everywhere, is the rule of God. Jesus-' parables provide thumb-nail sketches that illustrate the typical style of God's administration, by holding up various phases of His government to be seen from different points of view. Departing from His usual formula, the kingdom of God IS like., Jesus said, Then, at the time we have been discussing, the kingdom shall be likened. The future tense points to that future time when God's rule will manifest the characteristics evident in the following story. Jesus singled out that phase of God's program which He will bring to fruition at the world's conclusion and whereby He will manifest His rule over everything. But to clarify why God shall judge as He does, Jesus must show that final issues have root causes that begin long before the final crisis. The virgins represent Christians who have been admitted to that phase of the kingdom that can be experienced in this life. Jesus shows by what principles all are being tested for their fitness to participate in the fully realized Kingdom to be revealed at His coming.

The point of comparison is ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. Of all Jesus-' illustrations this one sounds most contrived to the modern ear, because of the cultural difference between Middle East marriage customs and ours. Nonetheless, this story is a true-to-life slice of ordinary small-town life in Palestine. Allowing for local variations, the custom generally called for the groom to station girls at some convenient location, sometimes at his own house, while he went to his bride's house to bring her back. Upon his return, the girls were to meet the returning wedding party, lighting their way and honoring them with an enthusiastic reception, accompanying them to where the banquet would take place. Jesus begins His tale after the departure of the bridegroom. The girls are expected to be ready and waiting for his return.

The interpretation of the story is greatly assisted, because its Author stated the principle point (Matthew 25:13). He is continuing to explain in what watchfulness consists in light of every disciple's ignorance of the Last Day's date (Matthew 24:36; Matthew 24:42; Matthew 24:44; Matthew 24:50; Mark 13:35-37). If so, the disciples are to identify themselves in the ten virgins, while Christ Himself is illustrated by the bridegroom. Because they took their lamps and went forth to meet him, in this respect the girls are all alike, a fact that underscores their shared awareness of his coming and their common opportunity to prepare. These girls stand for Christian believers in the sense that they had accepted the invitation to the wedding by being intimately involved in the wedding party. They believed the bridegroom was coming and committed themselves to share in his joy.

They took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. These lamps were small, flat containers for fuel with a wick protruding from a spout opposite the handle. Mounted on a long stick, these lamps could cast light from their lofty position. Being small, however, the fuel supply must be replenished often. That all the girls took their lamps and went forth indicates that they intended to participate in the wedding joy. Their going forth to meet the bridegroom is expressed proleptically and interprets their original intention, since the moment of this actual coming and their subsequent going forth is not yet come and would not until vv. 6-10. But their expression of purpose symbolizes the public commitment to take part in Christianity's hope. That all ten girls began their watch prepared at least to this extent, then, alludes to Christendom in general. That they had their lamps pictures the possession of those external expressions of Christian faith such as baptism, deeds of mercy, congregational worship, benevolent giving, personal testimonies and prayers in the Name of Jesus, rites usually thought to be characteristic of those who intend to pursue the Christian life. This story brilliantly contrasts true disciples, who possess vital faith, with those churchgoers who only apparently enjoy Christ's inner life, even though they formally share all the outward characteristics.

No interpretation of this parable can give importance to the total Bride of Christ, the Church triumphant, as affecting the general sense of this parable's meaning, because not one word of Jesus actually brings the Bride into this story. In fact, in their manuscripts, some scribes mistakenly wrote in and the bride after to meet the bridegroom, apparently supposing that the bridegroom would be bringing the bride to his own home (or that of his parents) where the marriage would occur. This apparently was the custom more common in the ancient world. (Cf. Textual Commentary, 62) But the logic of Jesus-' story does not directly concern His going to take His Bride, the Church, but simply His absence and what His people were to do in preparation for His return. Rather than lose us in complicated details, Jesus simply directs all attention to one subject: preparation (or lack of it) to meet the bridegroom,

Matthew 25:2 And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. This subdivision of the group precisely in half is not indicative of the proportion of the saved and lost among God's people. Rather, this division may only intend to stress that people will be divided into two classes: the prepared and the unprepared.

Jesus had launched the theme of wisdom required to prepare for His coming, in His original problem: Who then is the faithful and wise servant (Matthew 25:45)? By terming these girls wise and foolish. He proceeds to develop that theme. Whereas in the foregoing illustration He amplified the aspect of individual responsibility in relation to the group, this time He shows how individual responsibility expresses itself despite the presence of the group. Because this division of the girls into wise and foolish is the essential point of the story, it becomes clearer why the bride could not accurately represent the Church on earth awaiting Christ's return. The one figure of the finally perfected Bride of Christ cannot be composed of both wise and foolish, of godly and self-seeking, or of conscientious and indifferent people.

Matthew 25:3 For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them. Two views of their carelessness are possible:

1.

They took no extra supply of oil, hence only brought the diminutive amount of oil actually contained in the lamps themselves. It would seem that everyone's lamps were lit from the beginning of their wait and continued for an unspecified period of time until the bridegroom came (Matthew 25:8). If not lit from the first, then the girls had brought only that oil which remained in their lamps from earlier use which proved insufficient and, once lit, the lamps soon went out. This view is suggested by the observation that the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps (Matthew 25:4). In this case, Jesus-' emphasis is on their sad lack of ADEQUATE preparation.

2.

They took no oil at all, even in their small lamps. This view emphasizes their complete disregard for ANY preparation. Yet their taking their lamps and going forth argues that they intended to make some preparation.

The Lord's judgment that these girls were foolish is grounded on the premise that they thoughtlessly left for their appointment without making the sufficient preparation foreseeably demanded by the usual requirements of such appointments. That they could have so completely ignored their need of oil needs only one explanation: they were foolish. There can be no valid justification for a senseless deed. But this sad lack of essential foresight best explains everything that follows. McGarvey (Matthew-Mark, 216) identified these virgins best:

The foolish virgins are not the unconverted, for they make no preparation; they are not apostates, for they, after waiting at their posts for a time, abandon it and go their way; but they evidently represent those who enter the Church and stand at their post until the bridegroom comes, and are found without sufficient preparation to meet him.

What, then, is the oil?In the story the oil was an easily obtainable item which was all-essential to their function in the wedding and an integral part of the purpose for which these girls had been invited to participate. Because Jesus-' major point is preparation or lack of it, the procuring of the oil is itself a true expression of the girls themselves, the concrete evidence of their zeal or of their indolence. Because nothing we do is purely our own, but is done by the grace and Spirit of God (cf. Ephesians 3:20; Philippians 2:12 f.; Isaiah 26:12; 1 Corinthians 15:10), the oil may well stand for the total work of God's Spirit in us to reproduce the character of Christ in us, outfitting us for that joyous Wedding Supper of the Lamb. (See notes on Matthew 25:9; Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:27 f.; Galatians 4:19.)

Even if their foolishly taking no oil defies logic, it is not without a possible explanation. Their folly could be the logical extension of several psychological premises, any of which could be devastating to the Christian:

1.

Lack of foresight? Could they not foresee their need to prepare for a long wait, despite the vague possibility that he might return earlier than he did? But the bridegroom tarried, their lamps died out and they had no oil. They failed to consider the possibility of delay and the consequent need for an enduring supply of oil to meet the need.

2.

Indifference to the character and significance of the occasion? The neglectful girls took the responsibility too lightly to remedy their lack of foresight in time. Churchgoers-' sense of the importance and urgency of God's Kingdom becomes dull with time. While they confess His coming in judgment, they simply relegate His return to some undefined future day of no immediate concern.

3.

Lack of loving attention to detail? Where was that love that shows itself in conscientiousness not merely in great outward display, but also in the small, hidden, apparently insignificant things that are as vital as oil to an oil lamp? (Cf, Revelation 2:4; contrast Luke 7:47.)

4.

Presumption? Did they suppose they could get by on whatever oil remained in their lamp from former use, like church members who rest on yesterday's triumphs for Christ as an excuse for not dedicating themselves whole-heartedly today? Or, perhaps they presumed, as Edersheim (Life, II, 456f.) suggested, that they could borrow oil from others in the group or that there would be a common stock in the house, out of which they would be supplied. in the hour of need. By presuming to leave this phase of preparation to others, they exhibit no understanding of their personal obligation. They further presume that time would be available to replenish any lack, like the disciple who hopes for tardy repentance.

5.

They possessed the form of preparation, but not the content, lamps for giving light, but no oil to keep them burning at the critical hour. In this respect they resemble people who go through the motions of religion, but do not possess the dedication to Jesus and the power of righteousness that give the forms meaning. (Cf. 2 Timothy 3:5.) Theirs is only apparently and externally a solid relation to our absent Lord. Plummer (Matthew, 344) sees the oil as

that inward spiritual power which imparts light, warmth, and value to the externals of religion. Christian rules of life, public worship, fasting and works of mercy are good, but only on condition that they spring from, and are nourished by, the Christian spirit. Otherwise, they are as useless as lamps without oil, a burden to ourselves and misleading to others, who naturally believe that so much external profession implies what, as a matter of fact, is not there.. The inner life of constant communion with the Spirit of God is the oil which alone can illuminate and render beneficial to ourselves and to others the religious activity which we manifest in our daily life.

6.

But, if by oil is meant a tenacious personal faith and life-long dedication, the foolish young ladies represent those who truly believe for awhile, embrace the Gospel with joy, are illuminated by the Spirit (cf. Hebrews 6:4-6), but, because of more pressing duties, cares or interests, fail in faithfulness to Jesus. Then, at the moment of spiritual crisis caused by the Lord's delay, they literally run down spiritually, and, without personal spiritual resources, must turn to others-' personal faith and dedication to replenish their own loss.

Matthew 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Although these vessels (angeiois) could be thought of as the fuel chamber on the lamp itself, the expression, vessels WITH their lamps, and the logic of Jesus-' story, together, argue that He meant a separate little flask to add oil to the lamp's receptacle when needed. This would be especially true in light of the minuscule size of the Palestinean oil lamps in common use. Regardless of the lamp's size, the demand for a possibly night-long use would dictate an adequate supply of lamp-oil, and only the sensible girls had the foresight to be so supplied.

These had not merely the form of readiness, their lamps, but a continuous supply of content, the oil to fuel them. Such Christians-' lives really fulfill the function for which they are invited to share in the festive joy of the Bridegroom. Really directed by the Holy Spirit, they genuinely believe and act like it. Their spiritual life is vitally connected with its source, Jesus Christ (John 15:1 ff.). They can remain constant to the end.

Matthew 25:5 Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. Since the groom had established no fixed schedule for his return, this delay is the critical opportunity that tests the foolish girls-' real concern. Alford contrasted the unfaithful steward's attitude, My lord tarries, there should be plenty of time, with these foolish girls-' approach, Surely he will soon be here, there should be no need for much oil. One assumed too much delay; the others, too little. Both misguessed and were caught unready.

They all slumbered and slept, i.e. became drowsy and fell asleep. Nothing sinful here, because bodily weakness and the late hour combined to overcome their alertness, so they naturally succumbed to their fatigue. They all doze, but in a position so as to be instantly alert when the long-awaited announcement came. Their confidence, shown by their ability to sleep rather than bustle nervously about, suggests that all ten girls are convinced that they had done all they should to be ready for the happy occasion. Five have really done so. But five doze on, blissfully unaware that their shortcoming is becoming more and more obvious as their lamps burn lower and lower and their priceless chance to go buy oil, silently but permanently slips from their grasp.

Why did Jesus speak of their sleeping? Only as scenery for His story? Two suggestions:

1.

Bruce (Training, 330), alluding to the main point of this illustration (Matthew 25:13) observed:

Watching does not imply sleepless anxiety and constant thought concerning the future, but quiet, steady attention to present duty.. Sleep of the mind in reference to eternity is as necessary as physical sleep is to the body. Constant thought about the great realities of the future could only result in weakness, distraction, and madness or in disorder, idleness and restlessness; as in Thessalonica (2 Thessalonians 3:12).

2.

Plummer (Matthew, 344) said it well too:

This (sleep) seems to be a merciful concession to human weakness. It is impossible for creatures such as we are to keep our religious life always at high pressure. Certain as we are, and often as we may remind ourselves, that the Lord will come, and may come at any moment, either by our death or in some other way, we cannot live hour by hour as it would be possible and natural to live if we knew that He would come tonight or tomorrow morning. But it is possible to be constant in securing supplies of strength from the Holy Spirit; and when the call comes, whether by some crisis great or small in our own lives, or by the supreme crisis of all, we shall be ready to go out and meet the Bridegroom.

Hence, the disattention of sleep is not culpable and only apparently a failure to watch in this case, but is simply part of our human condition.

Saying, The bridegroom tarried, Jesus hinted once again at the delay in His Second Coming. (Cf. Matthew 24:48; Matthew 25:19.) Had He openly revealed His intention not to start earthward for two millennia, the early Christians would not have been moved to godliness and zeal by the sobering but stimulating realization that Jesus is due any day. Further, because the prediction of His return is dateless, it is exceedingly flexible, not at all binding Him deterministically to a firm schedule in any age. (Study Romans 10:6 f. in this connection: chrònos is the root of chronìzontos, tarried.)

Matthew 25:6 But at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet Him! At midnight, at a moment later than he was expected, when, because of the girls-' fatigue and slumber, they were no longer thinking about the imminent arrival of the wedding party, just like Jesus-' delayed Second Coming. (Cf. Luke 12:38; Mark 13:35 where the uncertainty of His return date is further illustrated.) There was a cry raised by those responsible to relay the word. Behold the bridegroom! Again no mention of the bride, as in Matthew 25:1. Originally the cry of someone in the bridegroom's party sent on ahead to alert everyone to his arrival, this sounds like the gladdening shout of the archangel on the Last Day. This shout shall not arise from the human throats of prophets (Matthew 24:23 ff.), but from that of heavenly heralds (1 Thessalonians 4:16), perhaps like those angelic voices that announced His first coming (Luke 2:10 ff.)?

Matthew 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. Once again the girls appear identical in that they universally recognize the task at hand and give themselves to it. They trimmed their lamps (ekòmçsan: they arranged, set in order, prepared, put in readiness) by trimming the wick, removing the carboned edge where the flame had burned the wick. Thus trimmed, the oil would burn more brightly with a clear flame. With reference to the foolish young ladies, this aorist is simply inceptive, i.e. they started to ready their lights, but did not complete the process, because the total trimming would include their pouring oil into the lap before lighting.

Although in our comments we have assumed it, there is no objective evidence that the girls-' lamps had already been lit and burning during their long wait. Their trimming the lamps may be but the last-minute preparation for lighting the wick for the first time that night.

Matthew 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. Even though the basis of their failure lay in the past, it is only at this crucial moment that these girls are jolted back to reality. That the lamps are going out means that the virtually dry wicks caught only for a moment. Because there was so little oil left in them, the flame could work only on the wick's fabric, not on oil with which it should have been saturated, and so kept sputtering, flickering and dying, no matter how zealously the girls tried to ignite them. They resemble people who try to coast along on the moral momentum of a past generation and suppose that their own superficial piety or forms of morality and religion have some eternal worth, even though totally void of faith and unreplenished from within by God's grace and personal devotion to Him.

If Jesus means that the girls never had any oil at all, having left for the wedding with absolutely dry wicks and lamps, He is describing countless members of European State Churches who are formally Christians but have never been born again. The same condemnation sentences also second- and third-generation Christians anywhere who simply grow up in the Church but do not share the spirit and faith of their fathers. Even though they appear to be Christians due to their exterior resemblance to genuine believers, these are nothing but a hangover from a previous age of true faith and zeal. They lack, because they never sought it, that absolutely essential, inner vitality to be capable of serving Jesus as He desires.

Only at this last, decisive moment is the essential difference between the ten girls revealed. (Cf. Matthew 13:43 notes.) The sensibility or stupidity of each is revealed by one fact: did they really possess the essential ingredient or not? Were they thoroughly equipped (2 Timothy 3:16 f.)? Their pathetic request, Give us of your oil, was made too late and to the wrong people.

Matthew 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. This response was.

1.

REASONABLE, typical of these far-sighted girls, in that they continue to exhibit the same prudent logic that enabled them to plan carefully before.

2.

REALISTIC. Theirs is not grudging selfishness that is unwilling to share its bounty, but a clear-eyed realism that understood their responsibility to the bridegroom. They must provide sufficient lighting for the entire banquet. To have divided their supply at this point would have reduced their oil supply by 50% and consequently shortened the duration of their contribution to the joy of the festivities by exactly that amount. Better to have five lights that last the duration of the banquet, than ten that burn out at mid-feast!

3.

RIGHT, because the foolish girls had requested something to which they had no just claim.

How can anyone transfer to anyone else his own deeply-felt enthusiasm, his own profound convictions, his loving determination, or that hard-earned experience or his painfully acquired knowledge that cost him time to acquire? How can anyone impart to another his own maturity or character, or that personal relationship with God that grows out of frequent fellowship with Him? These can be had only by personal acquisition: go buy for yourselves. How can anyone live on the spiritual assets of others? There will not be enough for us and you, is literally true, since no disciple possesses any more character or spiritual experience or hard-won growth in Christ than he absolutely needs for himself (1 Peter 4:17 f.).

Here Jesus gives the fatal coup de grace to the popular belief that some people are good beyond their own spiritual requirements, hence have more than sufficient to save themselves. He crushes that baseless hope that such spiritual giants can somehow share with their needy brethren. Some Jews clung to the all-covering merits of Abraham, many Catholics to the treasury of merit accumulated by the saints and Mary especially, some Protestants to the saintliness of a godly relative, while the Mormons baptize the living for the dead. The error common to them all is the supposition that the character of Christ produced by the spiritual power of the Holy Spirit in each of His people is a quantitative and transmissible value that can be transferred to others. Nonetheless, the all-essential oil must be one's own. None can be saved by the faith, zeal, hard work and sacrifices of others. Last-minute appeals for a change in the rules, Jesus emphasized, are rightly unavailing.
Considering the midnight hour, go ye rather to them that sell, and buy, sounds like a foolish suggestion quite out of character for the wise virgins. However, these girls were wise, not omniscient, for even the wisest of the virgins could not know the time-lapse between the announcement of the bridegroom's approach and the entrance into the feast. So, if but one shop-keeper could be awakened and induced to open his shop to furnish them their need under the circumstances, the advice of the wise was actually sound, the only possible thing to do under the circumstances. In reality, however, the time had passed to act on this good advice. The foolish girls may have considered the hint their only hope, and so attempt it. That they actually succeed in securing the oil is not implied by their later arrival (Matthew 25:11). They may have dared return without it, foolishly hoping for admission anyway.

Matthew 25:10 And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut. In going to buy at this late hour, these senseless girls act perfectly in character with their former foolishness, not foreseeing that the village oil merchants could have been at the wedding feast too, or that, even if the wedding procession moved ever so slowly to the final destination, the time lost would be too great to find a merchant willing to send a servant to open up and procure them some oil. Characteristically, they did not calculate this, just as they missed their other guesses about such things.

While they went. the bridegroom came. This is the same point made earlier. The crucial hour of Christ's return can strike at any moment, surprising people in whatever spiritual state they are then. Some might be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness, like the evil administrator (Matthew 24:48 f.) or caught off guard like the householder (Matthew 24:43). Others might be simply asleep (Luke 17:34) or at work (Matthew 24:40 f.). Other servants of God might be unjustifiably overconfident about the completeness of their own preparation, like these foolish girls (Matthew 25:10).

Jesus no longer terms those who went in with the bridegroom wise virgins, but those who were ready. Their wisdom simply consisted in their preparing before the deadline. By His saying, they that were ready went in, Jesus implies, Those who were not ready were shut outside, a sentence He will confirm later. This is the moment of truth when the empty claims, the vacant forms and unmeaning rituals of merely external Christianity will be found useless.

To the marriage feast: even if there were other features in the traditional marriage, like the festive procession, etc., what is really important for these girls is their participation in the marriage feast itself. To share in it is to know all the joy of the festivities. To miss this is to lose the best part. (Cf. the marriage supper of the Lamb; Revelation 19:7 ff; Revelation 21:2.)

What terrible finality rings in the words: and the door was shut! (Cf. Luke 13:25.) Just as God shut the ark door, shutting Noah and his family in and shutting the ungodly world out (Genesis 7:13 ff.), so also here the bridegroom orders the banquet-hall door shut, closing the prepared ones in and the unprepared out. The opportunity for grace has passed and forgiveness is now impossible, according to our gracious Lord who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens (Revelation 3:7). Until that moment, the door of mercy is open to the worst of sinners who repents; thereafter it will be closed forever.

Matthew 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. Flushed and out of breath but still hopeful, the tardy girls rush back to the banquet-hall. Did they find one sleepy merchant to sell them the needed oil? Because Jesus did not affirm they succeeded, this hypothesis must be discarded. In the nature of the reality illustrated, the oil of Christian experience cannot be gained after the Lord has returned. It will then be too late. So, their return probably means that they found no one to open their shop, and, in desperation, they now attempt to be admitted to the wedding feast without the oil anyway.

Lord, Lord (Kùrie, kùrie). They do not address him as Lord God, but as Mister or Sir, since, for them, he is just another man getting married. However, their repeated cries remind us of Jesus-' pained question (Luke 6:46) and of His judgment (Matthew 7:21 ff.). Open to us. This distressed appeal implies that he should recognize them and grant them entrance. To the stupidity of not readying themselves in time, they add the final folly of demanding the impossible. By what right could they hope to function as bridesmaids to bring joy to the bridegroom, when, without the essential ingredient for such service, they were sadly unqualified to fulfill any responsibility as light-bearers at his wedding feast? They resemble those twice-a-year churchgoers who, without the spiritual vitality that gives power and character to the life and faith of the godly, nevertheless suppose that the Lord must welcome them even without it. How could they be filled with fullness of joy in His presence, when they do not share His wisdom, His Spirit or His character, enough to submit to the discipline of readying themselves for His coming?

Matthew 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. (Cf. Matthew 7:21 ff.; Luke 13:25.) This solemn response means, I do not recognize your claim to participate. In the Semitic idiom, in addition to its usual meaning, to know, this verbal concept also meant to admit or recognize one's rights or claims. (Cf. Exodus 33:12 f., Exodus 33:17; Nahum 1:7, RSV; John 10:14 f., John 10:27; Romans 8:28 f.; 1 Corinthians 8:3; Galatians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:12; 2 Timothy 2:19.) So, while this bridegroom undoubtedly does know who these five girls are, nevertheless, because of their carelessness toward his feast, his disappointment moves him to treat these acquaintances as if he had never met them. He disowned them by treating them as if they had never been members of his wedding party, and left them outside. Why should he admit anyone who claims to be a bridesmaid, but who, due to neglect, never fulfills the purpose of their calling?

Why, too, does God mercilessly refuse to pardon what, on the surface, appears to be an excusable oversight? After all, can He not forgive someone for a minor unpunctuality who happened not to bring enough lamp fuel? But the oversight of the foolish girls revealed a serious character defect: they cared too little to surrender precious preparation time to him. He did not matter enough to them to justify their giving close, personal attention to ready themselves individually on time. Can anyone, who treats his own discipleship in a perfunctory way, who neglects to obtain what is easily obtainable and absolutely indispensable for participation in the divine joy and the very purpose for which they were invited, really object, if they find themselves thrown out for neglecting to acquire it? Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour. This final word really concludes five parables that all accent this one point: because the final schedule lies within the province of God, hence no human can be trusted to know it, the only possible course open to us is constant vigilance. (See on Matthew 24:36; Matthew 24:42; Matthew 24:44; Matthew 24:50; Mark 13:33; Mark 13:35; Luke 21:34-36.) Although Jesus-' application covers essentially the same ground as the other parables, this story emphasizes how the truly far-sighted, alert individuals distinguish themselves in any crowd of Christians: they make adequate preparation in time, because they know that this spiritual maturation, which requires a lifetime, cannot be crowded into the last hour.

In this story Jesus does not spell out in what the watching consists. But the readers of Matthew's Gospel are not left to wonder, because, in His larger context, Jesus emphasized:

1.

Remove all hypocrisy by consistency (Matthew 23:1-4), by true humility (Matthew 23:5-12), by a non-sectarian spirit (Matthew 23:13-15), by real reverence for God (Matthew 23:16-22), by moral equilibrium (Matthew 23:23 f.) and by inner purity (Matthew 23:25-28).

2.

Accept at full value the messages and warnings of all of God's spokesmen (Matthew 23:29 ff.).

3.

Develop mental and moral alertness (Matthew 24:44) which carries out personal responsibilities with diligence (Matthew 24:45 f.), working profitably for the Master (Matthew 25:20 ff.).

4.

Show a sensitive concern for the needs of others (Matthew 24:45; Matthew 25:35-40).

5.

Do anything Jesus requires (Matthew 28:20). And Matthew is full of information in this area.

Ye know not the day nor the hour. When our highest motivation should normally be a sensitiveness to the Lord, an eagerness to serve Him, a quick-witted ambition and a zealous love, why does Jesus accentuate our fearful ignorance of the fateful Last Hour as the ground for watchfulness? Because, where love grows weak and attention dull, apprehension and fear may be the only self-protective mechanism left that will stir the coals of conscience into flame and shock us into dutiful alertness once more. Every day consciously lived in this uncertainty conducts us directly into deliberate choices to make ourselves holy as He is holy (1 Peter 2:13 ff; 1 Peter 3:11; 1 John 3:1-3). However, this can function only to the degree that we really believe that He is to return certainly and unexpectedly. To the believer, therefore, this uncomfortable uncertainty is perfectly calculated to stimulate that conscientiousness required to produce the character He thinks essential to be ready when He comes.

This parable illustrates the inner spiritual readiness for Christ's coming. The story that follows stresses our outward expression of the capacities He intrusts to us (Matthew 25:14 ff.). In both Jesus teaches the strict individuality of our answerability to God: no one can hide in the group. During our present service, all stewards resemble each other in outward respects. At the end, however, those who have only the forms or the intellectual knowledge, but not the fulness of God in their individual soul and no loving response to the living Christ, will be finally and permanently denounced and divided from those in whom the Spirit really dwells.

FACT QUESTIONS

1.

Explain the meaning of the following terms as Jesus used them in this parable:

a.

kingdom of heaven

d.

lamps

b.

virgins

e.

oil

c.

wise and foolish

2.

Explain the oriental marriage customs that shed light on the meaning of this story.

3.

List other New Testament Scriptures that illustrate or help interpret the following phrases:

a.

the marriage feast

c.

Lord, Lord, open to us!

b.

the door was shut

d.

I know you not.

4.

List other parables that share the same fundamental points illustrated in this one, indicating which features are parallel.

5.

State the one point which this parable shares with no other parable in this great last discourse of Jesus, the point that throws new light on the main theme of all these parables.

6.

What is the principal difference between the wise and foolish girls, as this is expressed in their conduct? In what did the wisdom or folly of each consist?

7.

List the main points of comparison between this parable and the reality it illustrates.

8.

What does this illustration teach about the Second Coming of Christ?