Who Are You?

Matthew 25: 1 – 13

Who are you?

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose 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, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

The scariest words I have ever heard is from this Gospel in chapter 7. “21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

Stop and think about this statement from our Lord. Can you feel and understand the shock when you come into the very presence of our Holy Lord, Savior, Master, King and God Jesus Christ and you hear Him say, ‘Who are you?’

You live your whole life thinking that you are El Shaddai’s son or daughter and He tells you that he does not know you. There is nothing to say. Your whole eternity flashes before your face as a waste of your life. It does not get any scarier than that.

Today we are going to see this fact describe to us by our Lord Jesus Christ in a Parable.

Another emphasis on the fact that all must be ready for His second coming is found in this next parable. It is the parable of ten maidens who were to go out to meet the bridegroom in accordance with custom, to welcome him with their well-lit, oil-soaked torches, to escort him to the banqueting hall where the wedding would take place. These torches would consist of sticks with rags attached at the end which were soaked in oil before they were lit. When lit they would then burn brightly while the oil lasted. But five foolishly ignored the fact that the oil might evaporate and took no spare oil with them. They thought that what they had in their torches was enough. Thus, when after some delay the call came that the Bridegroom was coming they were unable to keep their torches alight because there was too little oil left in them. The oil was drying out. And they had no surplus oil with which to renew them. Only the five who were ready and had brought vessels of oil with which to renew their torches, could thus keep their torches burning brightly. They went happily in with the Bridegroom into the wedding feast, able to fulfil their duties. The foolish were left outside, trying to find somewhere where they could buy oil, and when at length they arrived at the building where the wedding was taking place (we are not told whether they had obtained oil or not) they were refused admittance. They knocked and pleaded but it did them no good. The Bridegroom would not acknowledge them. For the whole main point of the parable is that they should have been watching and prepared. If they had loved Him they would have been ready. By not being ready they had proved themselves as not being the Bridegroom’s true friends, (they were not ‘watching’), and as not being fit to share in the wedding celebrations.

The identity of the Bridegroom is clear from previous parabolic material. The Bridegroom Is The Lord Jesus, and in the latter case the King’s Son. The maidens clearly represent all who should be watching and ready for His coming. The lives of those who are His are to be like a shining light. That is what identifies them. The oil is whatever is needed to provide that light. This may therefore indicate the special blessing of continuing true faith, and/or the drenching in and renewal of the Holy Spirit (3.11). It is to be recognized as whatever is seen as required to keep the torch burning brightly.