August 20, 2006
Mt 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mt 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mt 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mt 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mt 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mt 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mt 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mt 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. {gone out: or, going out}
Mt 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mt 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mt 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mt 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mt 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Travis Johnson - Woven into our scripture lesson is the Eastern custom of a wedding. This parable opens at the point where some of their friends are waiting to join the procession & go in w/him to the marriage feast. There does not seem to be much difference in their external appearance.
They were all virgins; they all took their lamps; they all slept while they waited; & they all went forth to meet the bridegroom. Yet there was once vital & essential difference between them: Five of them were wise & five of them were foolish. Five of them were prepared; five were unprepared.
Bob Deffinbaugh - In response to the disciples’ request to know what sign would signal our Lord’s coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3), Jesus spoke to them about the last days. He made it clear that the end would not come immediately, but only after considerable time and troubles (Matthew 24:4-31). Our Lord issued various warnings (Matthew 24:4-5, 10-11, 23-28), because during these troubled times there would be many interlopers, who would seek to turn men’s attention and affections away from Jesus, the true Messiah.
1. The Five Foolish and Five Wise
2. The Unforeseen Delay
3. The Festivities Begin
4. The Future result is up to us
1. The Five Foolish and Five Wise
a. Mt 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mt 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mt 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mt 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Greg Buchner - in Jewish thought and writing, oil was symbolic of good works.
Barnes - And five of them were wise. The words wise and foolish, here, refer only to their conduct in regard to the oil. The one part was wise in taking oil, the other foolish in neglecting it. The conduct of those who were wise refers to those who are prepared for the coming of Christ--prepared by possessing real piety, and not merely profession. The conduct of those without oil expresses the conduct of those who profess to love him, but are destitute of true grace, and are unprepared to meet him.
Bob Deffinbaugh - Firemen are trained and equipped to fight fires. They know there will be fires, but they don’t know when. And so they are in a constant state of readiness, even when they sleep. Their clothing is all laid out so they can quickly dress and get to the fire. You might see the firemen in the store, buying food. But they also have their portable radios in hand, ready to rush out if word of a fire is received.
All ten of the bridesmaids were waiting; five were unprepared for the unforeseen delay
2. The Unforeseen Delay
You along with me have heard all of our lives; the second coming of Jesus is close. The key point is to not fall asleep while we are waiting for the second coming. We must be busy about the Father’s business.
b. Mt 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
c. Barnes - The bridegroom tarried. That is, while they waited for him. It was uncertain at what time he would come. He delayed longer than they expected.
d. Catch this point, they were all sleeping, but the five with plenty of oil were still prepared.
Mt 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mt 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mt 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Joseph Wallis - There must be alot of unsaved people in the visible church today when statistics say:
1 American out of 12 attends church regularly.
7 out of 10 children quit church before the age of 15.
5% of reported church members cannot be found because they don’t exist.
105 cannot be found.
20% never pray.
25% never read their Bibles.
30% never attend church.
405 never give to any cause.
50% never go to Sunday School.
60% never go to Sunday night services.
70% never gives to Missions.
80% never go to Prayer Meeting.
95% never win anyone to Jesus.
Truly there is a difference within the church between the
true and the false believer.
Mt 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
JFB – The virgin attendants of a Bride, whose duty it was to go forth at night with lamps, and be ready on the appearance of the Bridegroom to conduct the Bride to his house, and go in with him to the marriage.
Due to the delay the Five foolish were not able to go in to enjoy the festivities.
3. The Festivities Begin
e. Mt 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
f. The Foretold Gospel - The feast in the bridegroom’s house was considered the most important part of the marriage
g. Norm Story - The foolish are not prepared or ready to do what is expected of them, they could not provide light to honor the procession; which within that peasant village cultural context, would be a major insult against the bride & groom.
Mt 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mt 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mt 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made. The bridesmaids had the lamps to light the way, which was a rough basically a torch on a pole. When the five foolish arrived, there services were no longer needed (lighting the way) the festivities were under way.
Gary Sheely – Speaking of the bridesmaids - They had right desire, and an emotional attachment for the groom, but no depth of nature and conviction. When the groom was delayed, they ran out of that which lit their lamp. And if you are trying to maintain your faith by running from one emotional high to the next, you will not have what it takes to be ready when He comes again.
Being Prepared depends upon each of our own choices.
4. The Future result is up to us
h. Janell was expecting Jeff to show up. She was dressed up and waiting patiently. However, by the time he was an hour late, she figured she had been stood up. So, she took off her nice dress, put on her pajamas, gathered all the junk food in the pantry and sat down to relax with the dog. As her favorite show was just coming on, the doorbell rang. It was her Jeff. He stared at her wide eyed: "I’m two hours late, and you’re still not ready?"
i. Understand this picture of a wedding; Dwight Pentecost explains, Previous to the actual wedding in those days, there were invitations extended to all of those who were invited to the marriage feast. (Much like it is today). At the time for the banquet, a second invitation would be sent out announcing that the marriage feast was prepared. While the bridegroom went for his bride all guests would assemble and wait for the presentation of the bridegroom to an inner chamber.
j. Mt 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
k. written byIgnatius about 110 A.D.,"the last days are upon us. Weigh carefully the times. Look for Him who is above all time, eternal and invisible." just a couple of decades after the apostle John wrote Revelation.
l. An influential Christian named Martin in about 375 A.D. wrote, “There is no doubt that the Antichrist has already been born. Firmly established in his early years, he will, after reaching maturity, achieve supreme power."
Hippolytus, wrote in the year 236 A.D. that Christ was sure to return by 500 A.D.
The years surrounding the year 1000 were filled with predictions about the imminent return of Christ.
In the 1500’s, Martin Luther wrote, "We have reached the time of the white horse of the Apocalypse. This world will not last any longer . . . than another hundred years."
Christopher Columbus who was a student of biblical prophecy. wrote a volume called "The Book Of Prophecies," in which he predicted that the world would end in the year 1656. He even wrote, "there is no doubt that the world must end in one hundred fifty-five years."
In 1992, Harold Camping. wrote "1994." Another date set. In 1993, he wrote another book called, "Much More Evidence That 1994 Could Be The End Of The World." 1994 came and went.
I do not know the day or time of the return of Jesus, but what I do know is ….. out lamps have to be lit to be in the procession
I am asking you the question this morning.
Are you ready for the coming of Christ?
Is your lamp trimmed, are you ready to meet the bridegroom? Your good works will get you to heaven, you cannot get there by following what your parents do, you can’t get there just because you’re a member of the church, or you have prestige in the community. You have to admit you have a need and your lamp is out. I would much rather be humbled in front of a few here now, instead of waiting to late and the door being shut.
