I want to start off today by naming a few random items. As I name these items, I want to know what do you think of as I name these things. A flashlight. A battery-operated radio. A cell phone charger. And bottled water. What do you think of? Usually when we gather items like these it is because of some extreme weather that is approaching like a hurricane. Our message today is about being prepared.
There never has been nor never will be such a thing as a surprise hurricane. We usually know at least two weeks in advance that a hurricane is coming and they are able to predict pretty closely where it will make landfall. Many people will take steps to gather these items that I've mentioned in advance in order to be prepared and have what they need when the storm hits. In a similar way, we can take steps of preparation so we will be ready when Christ returns.
I share a true story of a man that says that when he was a teenager, he worked at a fast-food restaurant at the mall. The owner often left teenagers alone to run the store at night. The main thing he asked was for someone to always be near the cash register, which this man said he faithfully did. After all, they knew the boss could stop by anytime unannounced.
One slow night he was working with two other teenagers who were in the back laughing hilariously. They called out for him to join them, but he kept telling them no. They persistently kept calling to him. Finally, he gave in and left his post at the register and went to the back. He said that literally seconds later the boss came in. He quickly darted back to the front, but it was clear the boss was not happy. He wasn't at his post, which meant he was not prepared for the boss's arrival.
The same thing can be true in our spiritual lives. I am not talking solely about Christ's return today. We should live our lives in such a way that every day people see Jesus in us. And then, when Christ returns, we’ll be unashamed before Him. In today's passage from Matthew 25 Jesus used a parable to show us how to be prepared at all times. PRAYER
Jesus tells a story about 10 virgins on the night of their friend’s wedding. In Jesus’ parables, the characters in the parable usually refer to someone in the crowd of spiritual importance or to some teaching He wants to share with them. In this story, the bridesmaids apparently represent all of humanity waiting for Jesus's coming. Let's get into the story.
Matthew 25:1-5 - “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take oil with them; 4 but the wise ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. 5 When the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
In order to understand this parable, we need to know a little bit about the cultural background that concerns Jewish wedding customs of the first century. Before a couple was married, they went through a period of betrothal. They weren't fully married yet, but they were viewed as husband and wife. After about a year of a couple’s binding betrothal, the groom went to the bride's home to bring her to his home for a 7-Day feast.
The groom didn't do this alone. He was accompanied by a wedding party that escorted the couple to the bridegroom's home. In Jesus's parable, the wedding party included 10 virgins. The virgins are young women of marriageable age. These were the bridesmaids. It was a great honor not only to be invited to the wedding but also to be a part of the wedding party.
Part of the bridesmaids’ responsibility was to light the path for the processional. The lamps needed for this were more than likely a long pole with olive oil drenched rags at one end. To keep them lit, you needed a good supply of oil. Since the wedding was typically an evening ceremony, people would know that you needed to bring extra oil for your lamp.
The bridesmaids in Jesus's parable were divided into two groups, and which group they were in depended on their level of preparation. The foolish virgins seemed to want to go to the wedding celebration; however, they didn't respect the groom enough to think about the necessary preparations involved. On the other hand, the wise virgins thought ahead, bringing enough oil to complete their duty.
Jesus was telling this parable in the context of His teaching about His second coming, so we can see that the bridegroom represents Jesus. The wise virgins are the true believers. The foolish virgins are those who may profess a belief in Jesus, but they haven't prepared for the end of life by seeking a real relationship with Him.
There is a wedding feast mentioned in the book of revelation.
Revelation 19:9 – “Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These words of God are true.”
You see, all are invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb, but only those who accept the invitation through faith and trust in Jesus will be able to attend.
Jesus throws a little twist in His parable in verse 5 when He says that the groom was delayed. Jesus wanted His followers to wait patiently for His return but also to be prepared for the unexpected. You can probably think of someone who wastes their time and procrastinates on important things. This was the situation with the foolish virgins. They should have taken extra oil so that their lamps wouldn’t go out.
When the bridegroom was delayed, it led to the bridesmaids falling asleep. We shouldn't look in a negative way at the fact that they all fell asleep. After all, it was night time. When you think about it, the wise virgins could rest because they were fully prepared. It was the foolish virgins who shouldn't have slept until they were fully prepared with full flasks of oil.
Matthew 25:6-8 – “In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’7 “Then all the virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’
All 10 bridesmaids were called out to meet the groom. It was at that time that the foolish virgins realized they hadn't prepared for this moment. They didn't have extra oil. They weren't concerned enough to take the necessary steps to avoid getting into this predicament. There's no specific reason that is given for their negligence. Now they had run out of time.
So here comes the groom in the middle of the night when most people are deep in sleep. Jesus was just stressing that it was an unexpected hour and it reinforces the principle that we should always be prepared for Christ to return. The bridesmaids were needed to light the torches for the processional. At this point, it became clear that the lamps would need to be trimmed and more oil added to keep them lit.
There's a lesson especially in this portion of the parable for us to take heed. The story is unfortunate because the foolish virgins hadn't brought enough extra oil to keep their lamps burning for an extended period of time. They neglected to fully prepare for the task that was given to them and now it was too late.
The wise virgins had brought enough oil for their own lamps, but they didn't have any oil to spare or to share. And here's our lesson. Being prepared for Jesus's return is an individual matter. Being prepared for anything in our life when it concerns Jesus is an individual matter. That preparedness cannot be transferred or shared. Just as parents do their best to prepare their kids for adulthood, they can't do their living for them. We can't make choices for others. We can only prepare ourselves.
Matthew 25:9 - “The wise ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell oil, and buy some for yourselves.’”
Just like the foolish bridesmaids couldn't rely on the wise bridesmaids to provide the oil they should have had, we can't depend on others to make us right with God. We can learn from them and be encouraged by friends and family. We can be instructed by great spiritual teachers, but we have to make our own decisions for our spiritual journey. Since salvation is a direct gift from God, the saved person can't operate as savior to another person. Those that have received God's grace don't have the ability to pass that on to someone else. Each person has to prepare himself or herself for the coming kingdom. In other words, just because your mama or daddy or your grandma or Grandpa have gone to church all their lives, that is not going to get you into the kingdom of God. You must prepare yourself.
Do people prepare for things? Yes, they do. But people tend to put preparation for other things above their spiritual lives. Many prepare for their careers, their finances, and their relationships, yet they ignore the importance of spiritual preparation. It's the individual’s response to the call of Christ that will determine their eternal future. No one has a second chance after Christ comes back.
Matthew 25:10 - “When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.”
The bridesmaids had gone to get the lamp oil that they should have brought in the first place, but when they were ready to enter the wedding banquet, they found the door was shut. They begged to be let in. This reminds me of what the apostle John wrote in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 1:7 – “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. So it is to be. Amen.”
The door remains shut even to these bridesmaids who were initially a part of the wedding party because their lack of preparation was an insult to the bride and groom. The virgins were most likely friends of the family who had been honored by the opportunity to serve in the wedding party. The problem was that the 5 foolish virgins didn't return that honor. They've been invited to play a specific role in the festivities, but they chose not to do what was necessary to fulfill that role. This was more than just a mistake; it was an insult to the bridegroom.
Matthew 25: 11-13 – “Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’ 12 “He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!’
13 “Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.”
So, the parable comes to an abrupt sad ending. When the foolish bridesmaids went to get more oil, the groom arrived. The groom wasn't even going to think of pausing his wedding procession to wait on them. Those that were ready, those that were prepared, were able to go into the wedding banquet and they shut the door. This shut door pictures the unbelievers being shut out of the kingdom of God. Many people assume that if you're not too horrible a person, you'll go to heaven when you die. But the Bible is pretty clear when it tells us that those who do not know Christ will be shut out of God's Kingdom forever.
And so, here WE are, still waiting for Christ. What are we supposed to do? We are supposed to be prepared. Being prepared means to literally live as much like Christ each day of our lives. Until Jesus returns, we're called to grow in our relationship with Him. And as you grow, you will become more and more prepared for His return.
Salvation is an intimate personal relationship with God. Knowing Jesus is not merely knowing things about Him and information about God. Even though learning about Jesus is important, our salvation is about personally knowing God, entering into a relationship that is initiated by Jesus and received by us through faith and trust in Him. That means that the Christian Life is a lifelong journey of growing closer to the one we know through faith.
In the parable, the time for entering the wedding banquet had passed. That means that the groom would not be changing his mind for any reason. That is an indication to us that once Christ returns, we won't have any last-minute attempts to make things right with God. It will be too little, too late.
So Jesus sums up this parable with a closing statement that He had said earlier in Matthew 24:36 and 42. “Therefore be alert, because you don't know either the day or the hour.”
Our job as Christians is to stay continually awake, constantly keeping watch. So, let's walk with Him and be fully prepared as we watch for the return of the one who loves us. And by always preparing, we are drawing ourselves closer and closer to Jesus while we show our respect, love, and trust of the One who loves us. Besides, the beauty of the Christian Life is that we get to start over with Him day after day, minute after minute.
Did you mess up with Jesus this past week? OR maybe even today you have messed up with Jesus. Isn’t it a wonderful thing to know, that just as the sun came up this morning, we can start anew with Jesus. You can start fresh with Him right now.
Come to this altar, and say, “Jesus, I know I don’t need to inform you that I messed up. I’m sorry and I ask for Your forgiveness.” And I assure you that at that moment you are forgiven. You can start over, right now with Jesus.
Do you know Him? Do you know my Jesus? If not, I invite you to come and accept Him as your very own as we pray.
