In Matthew 25, Jesus uses the backdrop of Jewish wedding practices to help us understand important aspects of the end times. Jewish weddings were significant social and religious events.
The bridegroom (chatán) was the expected focus: he went to prepare a place, then returned to claim his bride and lead her into full marital fellowship. When all the preparations were complete on his side of things, the groom came for his bride in a procession where the groom, often at an unexpected hour, came with his companions to the bride’s home. He would gather the wedding party and guests along the way to pick up his bride and return to the groom’s house for a great wedding feast and celebration that could last days, sometimes even weeks. The feast was a major expression of joy and a covenant relationship that was finally fulfilled!
Matthew 25:1-13 (ESV)
“‘The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight, there was a cry, Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.’”
Jesus is sitting on the Mount of Olives with His disciples, teaching them different things about the end times. This parable is one of a few pictures Jesus gives of His return, recorded here in Matthew. The idea of Jesus the Messiah as the expected bridegroom finds its roots in Old Testament passages like Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea (Is 54:4-6, 62:4-5; Ez 16:7-34; Hs 2:19). In those passages, Yahweh is portrayed as the husband of His people. Jesus readily places Himself in the place of Yahweh in His parables. Jesus is doing this again here in Matthew 24 and 25 – He is the bridegroom!
The virgins represented in our text were young, unmarried women – usually the bride’s friends or relatives – and would have been of marriageable age and socially expected to be virgins. According to verse 1, they got their things together, specifically mentioning oil lamps, and gathered to wait for the bridegroom to come.
Weddings often had nighttime processions. So, those escorting the bride or groom carried their own lamps or torches to light the way. The amount of oil for lamps mentioned was a practical matter, as well. Not having enough oil meant the lamp would go out, effectively disqualifying someone from fulfilling their role in the wedding procession.
The virgins are gathered in the same place (v. 1). Verses 2-4 show us that some are rightly prepared for the unexpected time the bridegroom would come – the wise – and some are not rightly prepared – the foolish. Because the bridegroom didn’t announce exactly when he would return, his arrival was often unexpected. This was a normal part of the custom and meant that every participant involved with the wedding had to remain ready. There was a need for faithful preparedness.
Verse 5 creates the needed tension in the parable and tension for us today. We are also drowsy, and we are sleeping, waiting for the bridegroom to return. Just like in our parable, the bridegroom’s arrival will be what determines who the wise and foolish virgins are. Some are right and faithfully prepared as we wait for the return of the bridegroom.
However, some are not rightly and faithfully prepared, who will be shut out in the end. There is coming a call, as there was in verse 6, “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.”
Therefore, how do we know if we are rightly and faithfully prepared? How do we know what we should be doing while we wait? We need to check our oil.
1) Respond To the Invitation (v. 1)
All the virgins were gathered in the same place and thought they were all in good standing. How do we know where we stand? Did you respond to the invitation? When any invitation is given, the appropriate thing to do is to respond with a “yes” or with a “no”. An invitation has been given to everyone, and it requires an RSVP. Each of us is invited to the wedding and the celebration!
This invitation is seen throughout Scripture, in the Old Testament and New Testament. Isaiah 55:1 and 3 says, “Come, everyone who thirsts . . . 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant . . .” We know the foundational offer of salvation in John 3:16, stating God gave His Son so that "whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life". Romans 10:13 repeats the “universal” invitation: "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved". In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in . . ." The invitation has been sent out to all people alike. But you must respond.
In Christian circles today, we have flipped the gospel upside down. There’s too often a promotion of our happiness and ease of life as the need and result of turning to Jesus for salvation. Christ didn’t die on the cross and defeat death to make our lives better! He did all that to pay what was owed for our garbage attempt at life – each of our lives full of sin, full of failed attempts at good, and full of self-righteousness. Jesus died for us, only to rescue us because of His love and grace toward us. For that reason alone, we should turn to Him in response to the invitation!
The gospel invitation is not about us. The gospel invitation is about a God who loves people and desires a relationship with those who’ve spurned Him and turned to themselves. Only because of His grace and mercy, we get what we don’t deserve and don’t get what we do deserve through Jesus.
The invitation has a deadline for the RSVP. Once we breathe our last breath on this earth, the invitation expires. There is no second chance after death. No way to be prayed into or out of anything. There is no exception because of our life circumstances. There is no way to enter once the door is shut. (cf. Mt 25:10-12) At the end of life or at the return of Jesus, it will be too late to get ready. This side of eternity, you must “Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord”, meaning you admit and turn from your sin and self-leadership to His leading and His commands. (cf. Rm 10:9-10) Following Jesus as your Savior is the first step in determining if you are among the wise or foolish virgins. Don’t wait. Turn to Jesus today!
2) Live it out: (vv. 2-5)
After we respond with a “yes” to the invitation, we need to live it out or remain ready. The focus is not on the virgins in this passage, though we learn a lot about them in verses 2-5. The wise are only called “wise” because they are prepared for the bridegroom’s coming. (v. 4) Both the wise and foolish wait and sleep. (v. 5) No praise or blame is given to either group for becoming drowsy and sleeping. But there is a distinction that comes between the two that the wise had both their lamps and extra flasks of oil. (vv. 3-4) The foolish virgins knew about the need for oil in their lamps. Their mistake was in not having the extra oil for the delay of the bridegroom. They had failed to take along extra flasks of oil.
What should we make of the flasks of oil? We aren’t told here. We always want to be careful reading into Scripture things that aren’t there. One thing we do know, first and foremost, is that this parable points out the personal nature of our relationship to the Lord. Our commitment and desire to follow Jesus and then see Him face to face when he comes for us should encourage us to prepare appropriately. We’re told what we should be doing elsewhere in Scripture while we anticipate His return. Scripture doesn’t leave us guessing about what a faithful life looks like as we prepare for Jesus to return.
In the Old Testament, in Micah 6:8, the LORD reminds us “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with . . . God . . .” There’s Proverbs 3:5-8 reminding us that as we trust in the Lord with all our heart and follow His leading, it brings healing and refreshment to us. Just a few chapters before our main passage today, in Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus boils everything down into this: Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.
This is the foundation that every other command flows out from. The character and fruit of a believer are described in Galatians 5:22-23 as being full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We could go on and on with other passages like being a living sacrifice from Romans 12:1-2, our everyday Christian conduct described in Colossians 3:12-17 (which I read last week in our service), and James 1:22-27 that encourages faith lived out.
Most of us have heard all these verses before. We get to where we are always taking in, never acting on things, each new day. We become what James warns against in functioning as hearers of the Word only and not also being doers of the Word. (cf. Jm 1:22) We "have what we need" so new moments with new realization and information don't change our function.
We have learned beyond our needs but never put it into practice. Another man, Dallas Willard, says it this way: “We are educated beyond our obedience.” If you are not living out your faith in “word and deed” every day, you should question where you really stand with the Lord. (cf. Mt 7:16-20) Are you truly saved? Check your oil…
One way we could sum up the bulk of the commands we must follow in Scripture would be to say it like this: Love God fully… Love people genuinely… Stay rooted in God’s Word… Grow in Christlike character… Live differently from the world… And engage in God’s mission of sharing the gospel with everyone. Check your oil and make sure your flasks are full. Do what you, as the church, are to do this side of heaven. Live it out.
3) Invite Others To the Wedding (vv. 6-13)
One of the most important aspects of living it out is that we invite others to the wedding.
We're told He is coming in verses 6 and 13. We must turn to Him and follow Him, anticipating His return. Upon His return, no one will have another opportunity to turn to Him.
One of the most joyous things about being a part of the wedding party procession in the Jewish practice was picking up other guests along the way. In the wedding procession, the crowd and the excitement grew larger as they worked their way to the wedding and feast. One of the foundational passages for our vision statement as a church of “Connecting people to Christ and His followers” is Matthew 28:19-20. There, Jesus says, “Go... and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Each of us is to make disciples. It starts with us telling others about the gospel and inviting them to be a part. We then teach them and walk with them to do the same thing repeatedly. We have the privilege of inviting others to be a part of this wedding procession to the feast!
In verses 7-9, we learn something more about the nature of the invitation. Although it is universally offered, each person is personally responsible for how they respond. All the virgins had the invitation and functioned the same. (v. 7) They heard the bridegroom coming and got up. They all cut the wicks on their lamp to light them again, but there was a problem. In verse 8, the foolish said, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” Even though the wise virgins were prepared, their foresight and their preparedness couldn’t benefit the foolish virgins. (v. 9) The wise couldn't make up for the lack of foolishness.
We can't accomplish salvation for anyone, let alone salvation for ourselves. That’s why it is imperative to tell others about the invitation so they can encounter the only one who can accomplish their salvation. Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6)
Too often, we wish for the wrong thing. We long for the day for Jesus to come back, but if we aren’t careful, we pervert that hope by thinking Christ’s return is simply to rescue us and take us to comfort away from all the evil around us. Instead, we need to understand that Jesus’ promised and eminent return means that there will be people shut out of heaven who will spend eternity in hell. Yes, we want Jesus to return! We should desperately want people to come to Christ before it’s too late. While we live out our faith, we need to make sure we invite others to the coming celebration!
In verse 10, the door is shut after the bridegroom returns for those who are ready. There’s a plea in verse 11 from those who weren’t ready to enter the marriage feast.
Verse 12 is sobering: “‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’” The Greek verb phrasing more conveys a broader understanding of “I have not known you and do not now know you”. It isn’t that the foolish virgins were once “known” and then forgotten, but that they were never known in the first place. This response to the unprepared isn’t callous. The response is the rejection of those who, despite appearances, never prepared for the coming of the kingdom.
The word gospel means “good news”. This parable is heavy in a lot of ways. But the good news is that there’s a wedding feast waiting for those who are prepared when the bridegroom comes. The outcome of the wedding was the feast, a symbol of joy, fellowship, and covenant fulfillment. This is the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb”. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is the consummation of Christ’s union with His Bride, the Church. In Revelation 19:6-7, it says, “‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready . . .’”
That is the hope and joy we hold this side of Heaven as we are busy with being rightly and faithfully prepared as we wait for His return.
Verse 13 sums it up. “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Be prepared and faithfully watch for His return. Friends, check your oil.
