Devotion 2 - The Parable Of The Wise & Foolish Virgins

Devotion 2 - The Wise and Foolish Virgins

Matt.25:1-13 - “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 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.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

 

It is often assumed that Christ spoke in parables to clarify the meaning of His teachings, yet Scripture reveals just the opposite.

 

Matt.13:10-13 – “And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”. He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore, I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand…”

 

The Bible indicates that God has often hidden the true understanding of Scripture from the world, but He reveals the vital information only to those who are diligent and hungry for the truth. What can we learn from the parable of the ten virgins? What vital lesson can we draw from the parable which is relevant to us today?

 

To understand this parable, it is necessary to have an understanding of the average Jewish wedding culture in Jesus’ time.

In Jewish society, the parents of the betrothed generally draw up the marriage contract.  The bride and groom would meet, perhaps for the first time, when the contract is signed.  The couple is considered married at this point, but they will live separately until the actual time of the ceremony.  The bride will remain with her parents, and the groom will leave to go prepare their matrimonial home.  Jesus in Jn.14:3 told His disciples “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

 

When the home is ready, the groom will return for his bride without notice. The marriage ceremony will then take place, and the wedding banquet will follow.

 

The difference between the wise and foolish virgins in this parable is that the wise had enough oil for their lamps, while the foolish did not. It seems very silly that anyone would not prepare to bring an oil vessel with their torch, but that is why this parable is so memorable. These foolish virgins truly were foolish for not preparing something as simple and essential as spare oil. The oil here refers to ‘being ready’ and it is the key to understand this parable for it represents something very significant to Christians - we will explain this in greater detail later in the devotions.

For now, it is important to note that oil is not referring to salvation. If these foolish virgins were not saved, they would not have been called virgins. In Rev.14:3-5, the remnant of 144,000 were referred to as virgins. Furthermore, if oil represents salvation, they would not have been told to go and buy it, for salvation is not bought. It is given free of charge to anyone who wants it.

Through this parable, we are led to conclude that the reason the foolish virgins were not allowed to enter the wedding when the Bridegroom came, is because they were not ready; or to put it in another perspective, they were unaware that they were not ready or that they were even supposed to be ready!

The Scripture warns us in Hos.4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”

Innocence is not a bliss when it comes to spiritual knowledge. Are we all ready, and do we have oil in our lamp?