Matthew 25:1-13
“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 the virgins were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take extra olive oil with them. But the wise ones took flasks of olive oil with their lamps. When the bridegroom was delayed a long time, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him.’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied. ‘There won’t be enough for you and for us. Go instead to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they had gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet. Then the door was shut. Later, the other virgins came too, saying, ‘Lord, lord! Let us in!’ But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you!’ Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour.
The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
COMMENT & QUESTIONS
This is another teaching about being ready for Christ’s Second Coming. Who does the bridegroom represent in this story?
The bridegroom represents Jesus who will come at any moment and whose appearance will be unexpected.
What is the difference between the wise virgins and the foolish ones?
The wise ones were prepared and ready. The foolish ones were prepared at the start, but their lamps did not last. Similar to the seed that was planted in rocky ground, the problem was with their endurance (Matt 13:20).
PRAYERS
Thanks that Jesus gives us warnings and encouragements Pray that we will stay watching and ready for Christ to return one day