Matthew 25:1-4 1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who after taking their lamps went out for a meeting with the bridegroom. 2But five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3For when the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take with themselves oil, 4but the wise ones took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5But as the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
The parables of chapter 25 continue and illustrate the teachings of chapter 24. Jesus’ parables are a window into customs of first century Israel. This story is about events surrounding a wedding. Many elements of ancient weddings are known but other details are not known. It is tempting to allegorize each of these parables, and some allegory is implied, but we should be cautious not to over interpret each element and miss the larger message. The theme of this parable is implied in the story and made clear in verse 13. Jesus tells another kingdom parable that shows what God’s kingdom is like and how citizens of this kingdom ought to live.
This parable has three major characters. The bridegroom clearly represents Jesus. The plot of the story focuses upon the choices ten virgins make. The first part of the story focuses upon the different choices two groups made when they went out to meet the bridegroom. It is assumed that the bridgegroom was coming into the festivities that the virgins had prepared. They may have gathered around the bride and prepared her for the coming of the groom. Many modern weddings have a similar practice except today the bride and groom meet each other in a chapel or church as part of a ceremony. Weddings often took place in a home.
Three problems develop in this story. The first is a lack of preparation. The five foolish virgins did not prepare their lamps with oil. What good is a lamp without oil? The five wise virgins were prepared and were able to go out and meet the bridegroom. A common practice of that time was that the bridegroom would go to the bride’s home and escort her to his home for a feast. The procession could take place after dark, which it seems to do in this parable. The second problem was the delay of the bridegroom who obviously showed up after dark. The foolish virgins may have had thought that he would come earlier, but he did not. The third problem is that half of the virgins got tired of waiting. Ironically, these were the same ones who did not bring oil for their lamps. We get the idea that they were lazy, unthinking, and in it for themselves. They were not really concerned about the wedding or groom; and by extension, neither were they concerned about the bride and the joys that awaited her.
The messages behind this part of the parable are wrapped up in the action and especially the three problems above. Those who are wise are prepared for the coming of Jesus. The church is the bride of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7). The virgins represent those who prepare the bride for the coming of Jesus, the groom. We cannot falls asleep in laziness and neglect of our mission to prepare God’s people for the coming King.
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