The Parable of Then Ten Virgins – Be Ready!

The Parable of Ten Virgins reminds us that we Jesus is coming again and that we must be ready for this event which draws closer every day!

The End of the Series

We have come to the end of our look at the parables of Jesus, and to finish the series off, we will be focusing on the parable of the ten virgins, found in Matthew 25.  This parable was told during a private conversation Jesus was having with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, two days before he would be crucified.  His followers had asked Him what signs would come in the last days. 

The Parable of The Ten Virgins

After sharing a few things with them, His focus shifted on the need for them, and all people, to be found ready for the return of Jesus, and doing His work.  To illustrate this point, He spoke these words:

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 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.’ 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. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Matthew 25:1-13

The main lesson of this parable, which goes along with everything that Jesus had been speaking about concerning the end of the age, is that he would be returning, and that no one would know the time of His return.  In Matthew 24:36 Jesus says to them

But concerning the day and the hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

Matthew 24:36

The Next Major Event

 According to the Bible, Jesus came to earth, died on a cross for the sin of mankind, was buried, and on the third day rose again.  Forty days later, Jesus ascended into heaven.  Now, the next major event according to the Bible is when Jesus will return. 

There are a few interpretations as to how this will take place, but among the most common are that He will first come at what is called the rapture of the church, when all those who believe in him will be called up to meet Jesus in the air. This includes the resurrected bodies of believers who had died, and all of those who are still alive.  This event then begins a period of 7 years called the great tribulation, at the end of which Jesus will physically return to earth, setting foot on the Mount of Olives, and establish a Kingdom on earth that will last for 1,000 years. 

Now, some Christians don’t believe they are separate events, or may interpret the timing of these things differently, but that doesn’t really matter to the purpose of the parable, or even to our salvation.  In fact, the parable doesn’t even vary in meaning if you want to apply it to the rapture of the church or the physical return of Christ to earth.  The lesson remains the same in both cases, and that lesson is simply, be ready.

What Does it Mean to be Ready?

It’s a direct statement, but it can also seem a little vague.  What does it mean, or look like, to be ready?  How do we make ourselves ready?  Also, who is supposed to be ready?  I feel that this is a good parable to end the series with, as it touches on several themes that Jesus has spoken of throughout His entire ministry, including in many of the parables we’ve looked at. 

Again, the audience for this conversation is the disciples of Jesus, and while it is easy to suggest that this means the lesson is for believers only, we must remember that at this time Judas Iscariot, the man who would betray Jesus, is still among the group.  So, there is an element of warning here to those who don’t believe, who are portrayed in the parable as the virgins, or maidens, who took no spare oil with them.  Note at the end of the parable the bridegroom says to them “I do not know you” and they are not permitted to enter the home.

Two Categories

Therefore, the story breaks down all people into two categories, those that are known to the Lord, and those that aren’t.  We can look at that today as those who have trusted in Jesus for salvation, and those that have not.  Notice that all the women in the parable had the same opportunity to be included in the group that went into the home of the bridegroom.  This is especially important, as it reminds us that every single human being who has ever lived, or ever will live, has the opportunity to accept the gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ.  No one is excluded. 

Signs of The End

Consider the subject that Jesus was speaking on just prior to this parable. How there would be all kinds of signs that time was coming to an end, which would lead to His return, we see that many of them could be true of any generation.  In Matthew 24, Jesus says,

Many will come in my name, saying I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, and earthquakes in various places.

Matthew 24:5-7

Luke also records that Jesus said there would be pestilences, or epidemic diseases, throughout the world as well.

Things That Are Prevalent

Again, it’s easy to dismiss these signs as things that are always prevalent in the world, but perhaps we don’t always pay attention to just how prevalent they are.  For example, just in 2022, there were 44 different armed conflicts, ranging from minor fighting to major wars, and claiming the lives of almost half a million people.  In the same year, 2022, there were 173,511 earthquakes throughout the world, almost 2,000 of which registered 5.0 or higher on the Richter scale. 

There are 3 countries in the world today in a declared famine, and more than 30 others that do not produce enough food to feed their population.  As for pestilence, not only are we still coming through the global Covid pandemic, but we are still seeing a rise in the rates of things like cancer and other diseases that claim the lives of millions each year. 

Now, I am not offering all this to say that these are guaranteed signs that the Lord is returning now, I realize we could pull similar statistics from just about any generation.  What I am saying though, is that while the exact timing of His return may catch us off-guard, like a thief in the night, nobody should be surprised if Jesus comes again, even today. The conditions set forth are adequately met.  That’s why we need to be ready.

The End Times

I will admit there are a lot of things that are difficult to understand about what we would call the end times, and much that is still shrouded in mystery.  There are differing viewpoints as to who can be saved, if anyone, after Jesus returns for the church and the great tribulation begins. 

Many believe that it will only be the Jews who are able to recognize Jesus as Saviour during that time, others believe that there may be a small number of gentiles as well who can believe, but in any case, they will be made to endure the hardships of that time, which the Bible says will be much worse than anything we have ever seen throughout history. 

And if there is a chance that we will not be able to be saved during that time, do we want to take that chance, do we want to be caught shopping for oil when Jesus returns, only to chase after him for help and hear the words “I do not know you.”?

The Importance of Trusting in Jesus

This is why it is so important to recognize who Jesus is and put our trust in Him alone for salvation.  We don’t know if we will get another chance to believe and be saved from our sin which separates us from a holy God.  Being ready is about being certain that when the time comes to enter into heaven, into the Kingdom of God, that we will be fully welcomed, accepted in Christ as children of God.  Known, intimately, by the creator of all things. 

Accept Jesus

That can only happen if we have made the personal choice to accept Jesus Christ for who He is.  The son of God, who came to earth as a man, and died on a cross to take the penalty for our sin.  The Bible says the moment we believe in Him, and what he has done for us, we are saved.  Our sins are forgiven, and we receive the gift of eternal life.  We will be included in those who are called by Christ, to be with Him forever. 

This is Faith

This belief is called faith. Faith is the oil that keeps our lanterns burning.  Not just being there. There are many people in the world today that go to church every Sunday, that try to live the best lives they can thinking this will gain them favour with God.  And while these are good things in and of themselves, they aren’t what’s needed.  If we have never put our faith in Jesus to save us, our lanterns will be out when the Lord returns.

We Must be Ready

There is so much more I could say to the believer in Christ about being found doing the work of God while we wait for Christ’s coming.  I’m not going to.  Not that it isn’t important, the Bible tells us to live Holy lives just as God who called us is holy.  We should live lives that bring glory to God in everything we do.  But more important than that, is to be sure that we have placed our faith where it belongs, that we have in fact trusted in Jesus.  That we are sure that we know Him personally.  That we are ready.    

What have you learned from the Parable of The Ten Virgins? What is your response to Jesus’ parables? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStream