Matthew 25:6-13 6But at the middle of the night there was a shout, ‘Look! The bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise answered, saying, ‘Probably there will not be enough for us and for you; rather go to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were prepared went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11But later the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13Watch therefore, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
No better time for the bridegroom to arrive than in the middle of the night, which did two things: 1) it was a dramatic time to arrive in the sense that people were not expecting it, and 2) it was test of endurance for those waiting. The shout woke up the five sleeping virgins, but alas, it was too late to do anything about their empty lamps. They may have had full lamps at the beginning, but over time, the oil in the lamps burned up. They had neglected to be prepared with more oil in case the bridegroom came later. The unstated premise is that the virgins needed lit lamps to join in the procession to the bridegroom’s home.
Empty lamps not only left the virgins in the dark but also disqualified them from joining the bridegroom. They had an easy solution, however: borrow some from the other five virgins. The last minute appeal for help from the wise virgins who were prepared did no good. They needed their own lamps to join the festivities. Their answer from the wise virgins was simple and direct: go buy some of your own! That should not be viewed as a selfish response but as a clear-cut answer to the problem. There was not enough oil to go around. If the oil ran out before arriving at the groom’s home, the whole wedding feast would be ruined and groom and his family disappointed. It was the foolish virgins’ own fault for not being ready and watching. This parable shows that every person is responsible to be ready for the coming of Jesus. We cannot borrow from the eternal life of another person.
Verse 10 gives the big problem and implies the warning of this whole parable. Even though the foolish virgins tried to get oil at the market, they were too late to join in the procession. The time had come and they were left behind. This part of the parable is not easy to apply in the schematic of end times scenarios. Rather than try to determine a point in the time line for this and whether people will have a chance to repent after Jesus comes, we can simply look at the key message of too little too late. There will be a point in time when the door to heaven is closed. We must make the decision in this lifetime about what to do with Jesus. Verse 12 gives some of the saddest words in the Bible, words none of us want to hear: I do not know you! Earlier in 7:23, Jesus will speak those same words to those who did good works in this lifetime but failed to believe in him. The same theme will echo throughout chapter 25. Good intentions is not good enough to get into the wedding banquet.
Verse 13 makes the point clear and applies it to the listeners with the keyword watch. Pay attention and be ready. Be doing what you are commanded to do. Do not fall asleep, which leads to compromise and sin. The command to watch repeats the call from 24:42-43. It implies spiritual and ethical readiness by living out kingdom values as faithful and wise followers of Jesus.
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