They all started out well, eagerly expecting
the bridegroom. How did the wedding ceremony end? Revisiting the Parable of the Ten
Virgins
Jesus
once told a story of ten virgins who were bridesmaids. Carrying oil lamps, they
were supposed to light the path as the bridal party weaved its way through dark
streets to the bridegroom’s house where the wedding feast was held.
This
story is found in Parable of the Ten
Virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13):
“At
that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps
and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were
wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The
wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was
a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At
midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
“Then
all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the
wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
“‘No,’
they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to
those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
“But
while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The
virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
“Later
the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
“But
he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
“Therefore
keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
This
parable comes just after Jesus’ warning to be watchful
in Matthew 24, the well-known Olivet Discourse, where Jesus addressed his
disciples (not the world) at the Mount of Olives. So the parable is meant for
believers.
Jesus
tells his followers to be watchful for no one
knows when He will come again, except the Father (Matthew 24: 36). Just as in
the days of Noah when sinners were caught off guard and destroyed in the great
flood, believers are forewarned to live
uprightly in order to escape God’s judgment when
Jesus returns.
Let us now explore further Matthew 25:1—“The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went
out to meet the bridegroom”. The ten virgins were all believers
who were expecting to meet the bridegroom, Jesus. In the Bible, ‘ten’ is the
minimum number representative of a congregation.
What are the
similarities between the wise and foolish virgins?
Both
the wise and foolish virgins were believers. Why?
First,
virgins suggest purity.
“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to
Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” (2 Corinthians
11:2). Believers are meant to be presented pure before God one day. Christ is
likened to a bridegroom. So we have established that both the wise and foolish
virgins are believers. They are pure, called to be saints.
Second,
notice how the foolish virgins addressed the groom: ‘Lord, Lord, open the door
for us!’ (Matthew 25:11). So they had prior knowledge of our Lord; they were not pre-believers.
Both
the wise and foolish virgins had oil lamps which gave out light. Just
as lamps emit light, believers should let our light shine so that others may
see our good works and give glory to our heavenly Father (Matthew
5:14-15).
The
lamp is a symbol of the Word:
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
The
oil in the lamps is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Lamps without oil (Holy Spirit) are of no
use to the owner. What’s the use of having lamps which fail to give light? (Revelation
2:5).
What is the main
difference between the wise and foolish virgins? It’s their level of preparedness.
While
both groups had oil in their lamps initially, only the wise brought extra oil kept in jars in case the groom got delayed
in order to keep their lamps burning. The foolish virgins did not make any
provision for any vessel to store extra oil.
What can we learn from
the folly of the foolish virgins?
The
foolish virgins allowed themselves to drift along in their faith journey. They
did not constantly seek God to know His will for their lives. They did not seek
the continuous infilling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). The oil
represents the Holy Spirit, the fullness of which they lacked. Notice that they
had oil to keep their lamps burning initially,
implying that they were once active in the faith. But, later, they became
complacent and careless.
Our
faith walk is likened to a journey upstream in a canoe. We have to continue
rowing in order to advance. The moment we slacken—if we choose to drift along—we
will be swept downstream.
It’s so important to
be strong and well-rooted in Christ as the turbulence of the end times can only get worse.
- Rooted and built up
“So then, just as you
received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and
built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and
overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6–7).
- End time persecution, deception and falling away from the faith (apostasy)
“Then you will be
handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be
hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from
the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will
appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of
wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands
firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24: 9-13).
It is implied by Jesus
that if we fail to persevere, if we fall away because of persecution or
become victims of deception, we will NOT be saved (Matthew 24:13). A
most serious warning indeed.
- Things that distract or attract
It is equally
important that we do not allow the cares,
worries, riches and pleasures of the world to distract us and lure us away from the faith,
like the seed which fell among thorns in The Parable of the Sower.
“The seed that fell
among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on
their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature” (Luke 8:14).
How to live wisely and
thus avoid the fate that befell the foolish virgins?
Paul tells us
to live circumspectly, unlike the foolish virgins.
That means we should optimise the use of our time and seek to discern God’s
will that we might live by it. We should not revel in sensual delights that
compromise our morals. Instead we should be continuously filled with the Holy
Spirit (Ephesians 5:15-18). *
Peter tells
us, because of the perilous end times, we should live intentional
and purposeful lives. Love should be the guiding
principle. We should utilise whatever gifts and talents we have been endowed
with to serve others. If we do not have high profile gifts like preaching or
teaching, we can serve in humble ways through the gift of hospitality (1 Peter
4:7-11).
* *
We
need a vision for our lives without which we will live
carelessly (Proverbs 29:18). Abraham looked forward to eternal reward—the city
whose Builder and Maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). Similarly, Moses considered the
reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was
looking to the reward (Hebrews 11:26). He “endured as seeing Him who is invisible”
(Hebrews 11:27). These two heroes of
faith had a vision which motivated them to live purposefully. And this vision
arose out of their intimate relationship with God.
The
foolish virgins thought that, once they were saved, everything will turn out
fine till the day they gained entrance to heaven. Though once filled with the
Holy Spirit (oil), they later became complacent and careless in their faith
walk.
Door shut
‘Shutting
of the door’ is a picture of judgment. Because the foolish virgins had to go out to buy oil to
refill their lamps, they failed to meet the bridegroom and were shut out from
the wedding feast.
After
Noah entered the ark with his family and the animals, the door of the ark was
shut. Shut out from the ark, the sinful world faced God’s judgment, perishing
in the great flood.
I do not know you
Failure
to discern and do God’s will and presumptuous faith could prove disastrous for
many on judgment day. The foolish virgins were shocked to hear these ominous
words, “I do not know you”, just like
the backslidden miracle workers in Matthew 7: 21-23. * * *
In studying this
parable, I can’t help but allude to the gross error of hyper-grace and the
Once
Saved, Always Saved (OSAS)
premise.
The crucial flaw in hyper-grace and the Once Saved, Always Saved (OSAS) premise is
that
it
focuses on what God can do for believers and downplays human
responsibility.
Furthermore, the theme
of judgment is downplayed. In its place, we have
‘feel good’ teaching which
tickles itching ears (2
Timothy 4:3).
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The camp that
overemphasises grace—hyper-grace—states the following (in blue):
The truth is you are
saved by grace and you are kept by grace. It’s grace from start to finish!
Don’t let anyone frighten you into doing dead works, but rest secure in His
finished work. Just as you did nothing to earn salvation, there is nothing you
can do to lose it.
God has already
forgiven all the future sins of believers and, as such, we should put the ‘sin
issue’ behind us and banish ‘sin consciousness’ from our lives. So we no longer
need to confess our sins. When God looks at us, all He is going to see is
Christ’s blood, not our sins whether it is past, present or future. We merely
rest in the "imputed righteousness of Christ".
However, this passage in
Titus sets a different tone as it emphasises personal
responsibility. It articulates very well how we are to respond to God’s saving grace:
“For the grace of God
that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to
ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and
godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the
glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself
for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that
are his very own, eager to do what is good" (Titus 2:11-14).
At this juncture, if you are a
believer, you should be able to answer these questions:
- Is this Parable of the Ten Virgins meant for believers? If so, what are the supportive reasons?
- Is it possible for believers to start out well but eventually get shut out from heaven, like the foolish virgins?
- Is the Once Saved, Always Saved (OSAS) premise valid in light of this parable?
- As believers, how can we live wisely and circumspectly and thus avoid the fate that befell the foolish virgins?
Has it ever occurred to
you that out of the ten virgins—whom we have already established that all are believers—only half made it eventually to heaven? Isn’t that a terrifying prospect?
Is getting to heaven
as easy as hyper-grace and OSAS portray it? Think again. I mean seriously.
It is for your eternal security.
“Enter by the narrow
gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and
those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that
leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).
“If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of
the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Peter 4:18).
Unfortunately, many
cannot see it though it has been stressed so many times. # #
The point that Jesus wants to drive home—that we are to be on our toes, spiritually speaking, before His return—is well-summarised in this passage:
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed
down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on
you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the
face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you
may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to
stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-36).
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REFERENCES
# # To
impress upon believers the need to be watchful and vigilant in light of His
return, Jesus told them several parables. He uses four different illustrations
to underscore the 'Be Watchful' theme
in Matthew 24.
- Faithful and unfaithful servants. Matthew 24: 45-51.
- Parable of Ten Virgins. Matthew 25: 1-13.
- Parable of Talents. Matthew 25: 14-30.
- Sheep and Goats. Matthew 25: 31-46.
* Walking wisely
“Look
carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of
the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but
understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for
that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:15-18).
* * Serving others through our gifts
“The
end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for
the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since
love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without
grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good
stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of
God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in
order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter
4:7-11).
* * * Warning
to backslidden miracle workers
“Not
everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but
only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to
me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name
drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them
plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you
evildoers!’” (Matthew 7: 21-23).
EXTERNAL LINKS TO PARABLE OF TEN VIRGINS
http://bit.ly/1Kn8oxZ
Separation of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25: 31-46 is often mistaken as a parable. It is a description of a future event when Christ will return to judge the church, not a parable.
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