As
we move to Matthew 25 we find that Jesus is still talking about His Second
Coming. He continues to emphasize some points mentioned in chapter 24. Jesus
must see them as important and from what I read they speak to us today and they
are a warning to those living through tribulation.
Before
we read the Parable of the 10 Virgins, let me give a little context.
In
Jesus’ time weddings did not take place like they do today. There was no
wedding ceremony, no exchanging of vows all followed by a celebration. Instead
an agreement was made between the bride’s father and the husband. Once that
agreement was in place the bride and groom are married, but they are not allowed
to be intimate yet.
At
some point in the future, up to seven years, the groom is to build a home and
get everything put in place in preparation of bringing his new wife home. When
the bride’s father determines all is ready the groom and bride are finally
intimate back in the bride’s home. Immediately following the consummation of
the marriage the entire wedding party are to walk in a procession from the
bride’s house to the groom’s house and then enjoy a wedding feast.
A
lot different from what we do today, but is some needed context for understanding
these verses.
Matthew
25:1-13
“25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like 10
virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the
groom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were sensible. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take olive oil
with them. 4 But the
sensible ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. 5 Since the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell
asleep. 6 “In the middle of the night there was a shout:
‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 “Then all
those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 But the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some
of your oil,
because our lamps are going out.’ 9 “The sensible ones
answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those
who sell, and buy oil for yourselves.’ 10 “When they had
gone to buy some, the groom arrived. Then those who were ready went in with him
to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. 11 “Later
the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’ 12 “But
he replied, ‘I assure you: I do not know you!’ 13 “Therefore
be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.
These
10 virgins were the bride’s witnesses and were to walk with the bride from her
house to the wedding celebration at the groom’s home.
The
bride and her witnesses did not know exactly when the groom was coming, but
they hear the groom’s friends celebrating as they are on their way. They wake
up and we see that some are prepared and some are not.
Those
that are prepared have their oil and are ready to accompany the groom and his
bride to the wedding feast. Those who were not ready we see that they miss out
and are unable to join the celebration.
This
is a parable about waiting, being prepared and the consequences of not being
ready as expected.
All
10 of the virgins thought they were ready but with the groom being delayed some
found out they were not as ready as they thought.
The
groom is obviously Jesus Christ and His delay represents all of us not knowing
when He will return or when we will be called to be with Him. What we see here
is that some of the virgins were ready and able to survive the wait and some
were not.
The
10 virgins are 10 believers on their way to join Jesus in the celebration found
in eternity. How do we know this? Three things, they were waiting on the Groom,
they had Light, and they had Oil.
Looking
no further than this parable, we can see that these 10 virgins were waiting for
Jesus to show up. They obviously knew enough to expect His coming. They
believed that Jesus is King and since they were waiting with others for Him, they
had publically proclaimed that Jesus was their Lord. Sadly, for some it was not
enough.
Think
of all the people you know who say they are Christians. To start with don’t
think about how they are living their lives, just think about who they say they
are. I can think of a lot of people who say they are a Christian, almost every
person I know will tell you that they believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
Pretty much every single one of them will tell you that He died on a cross for
all of our sins. They believe, just like all 10 of the virgins in this parable.
Another
thing that points to all 10 of them being believers is that they all had light.
Matthew
5:16
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may
see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Throughout
the Bible we find a lit lamp as symbolic for someone who believes in Jesus and
sometimes as the big ‘C’ Church itself. All 10 of the virgins were expecting
the coming of Jesus and all 10 had lamps that were burning, at least initially.
Having the light tells us they were believers.
The
fact that they all had oil also points to them being believers. In this
parable, oil represents the Holy Spirit. Those who had very little oil, had
very little if any of the Holy Spirit living in them. They had professed faith
in Jesus Christ but did not let it change them. They had a superficial and
hollow relationship with God. They said they were Christians, but you could not
tell by the way they lived their lives.
I
am sure we all know people like this. If you remember I said almost everyone I
know will say they are a Christian. They will tell you that Jesus is the Son of
God and that He died for our sins. For many of them it stops there. They say
the words, but do not let God work in their lives. They like the label, but do
not let the Holy Spirit dwell in them.
On the other hand, the other 5 virgins had plenty of oil. They had cultivated a very
personal and deep relationship with Jesus. A relationship that will withstand
the test of time, one that is rich, profound, and life changing. A relationship
that has filled them with the Holy Spirit and changed who they are.
These
would be the people you know that are ‘sold out’ for Jesus. They are willing to
serve others wherever they go. They are willing to sacrifice so that others can
be ministered to. They are living out their faith every single day. Their lives
look different than the others who say they are believers, because they are
different.
If
we were looking at all 10 of these virgins, we would probably give them the
benefit of the doubt and say they were all believers. We would see that they
all said the right things and wore the right clothes. They looked the part.
There
are many in the world today that look the part. I am sure there will be many
who look the part during the tribulation. The real question is, how ‘real’ is
their relationship with Jesus?
All
ten looked like believers, all ten initially acted like believers, but only
five were ready like true believers.
The
Groom was delayed. Five were waiting and ready and five fell away and were left
behind. What was difference between the five that were ready and the five that
were not?
The
five that were ready not only knew about Jesus, they KNEW Jesus.
1
John 5:20
“And
we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we
may know the true One. We are in the true One – that is, in His Son Jesus
Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”
This
is so much more than knowing who Jesus is and even attending church. This is
having a deep personal relationship with Jesus. Letting Him into every aspect
of your life, letting Him be the King over everything you have, and letting His
light shine even in the deepest and darkest corners of your life. Simply put,
this is putting God first before all things. If you KNOW Jesus, there will be
no doubt that the Holy Spirit dwells in you, there will be absolutely no doubt
that He has changed your life, and there is no doubt that you will be ready
when He comes.
We
also see in this parable that the true believers had plenty of light. If we
look back at Matthew 5.
Matthew
5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on
a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are
in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give
glory to your Father in heaven.”
It
is obvious that the five whose lights stay lit are being lights in the world.
Their lights are shining for all to see. They do not hide their faith, they do
not act like everyone else, they do not pretend they are something they are not.
We
need to be just like them. Letting our lights shine in today’s world. Being
true believers of Jesus Christ and being proud of it. Boldly standing for
Biblical values. Looking for opportunities to serve others and to share God’s
amazing message of grace.
We
also saw that the five that were prepared had oil, or the Holy Spirit living in
them.
2
Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and
look, new things have come.”
If
the Holy Spirit is living in us He has created something new. With the power of
the Holy Spirit the old fleshly desires fall away, the addictions of our past,
lust, greed, and everything else is replaced with love, peace, joy, patience,
and more. The stronger our relationship with Christ is the more the old things
drop away and replaced with the fruit of the Spirit.
Now
if all ten are believers, why were only five ready?
The
five who were not ready had faith that was only skin deep and was not strong
enough to handle the delay.
1
Peter 1:6-7
“You rejoice in this, though now for a short
time you have had to struggle in various trials 7 so that the genuineness of your faith—more
valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of
Jesus Christ.”
Delay’s,
trials, persecution, etc.… are going to come for all believers. Since the days
of Christ, those that followed Him have been persecuted and it will continue
until His Second Coming.
If
you do not have enough ‘oil’ you will not last through the trials. If your
faith is only skin deep you will not withstand the persecution. Any delay will
result in you being found wanting and not ready. You can spend your life calling
yourself a Christian and find yourself unprepared and hearing the same things
the unprepared virgins heard the King say.
Matthew
25:11-12
“11 “Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master,
open up for us!’ 12 “But he replied, ‘I assure you: I do
not know you!’”
You
do not want to end up like them and spend eternity without Jesus.
We
do not know when we are going to stand before Jesus, so we need to be prepared.
It is not enough to know about Him, we need to KNOW Jesus and have a personal
relationship with Him. The only way we get to know Jesus is to spend time
talking to Him and reading about Him. If we are doing that it should change our
lives, change who we are, and we should be that light on the hill.
People
should see that we are different, see that boldness in our faith, and see that
our faith is more than just words. As we spend more time in God’s Word, as we
talk to Him more, as we let our lives be changed by the Holy Spirit, our faith
will be stronger. Trials will happen and the Holy Spirit will give us peace.
Persecution will strike and we will love those who persecute us.
If
you KNOW Jesus, let your light shine, and let the Holy Spirit change you. You
will be prepared for whatever the world throws at you and you will be ready to
enter the celebration with the Groom.
Are You prepared? If not, ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and plug into a Bible believing and teaching church so that you will be. We would love to see you at Clark Baptist Church!
Blessings,
Robert
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