The Ten Virgins
Matthew 25:1–13
“Then 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. Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘What if there isn’t enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
World English Bible
Midnight, and a shout splits the dark: “Behold! The bridegroom is coming!” Ten lamps flare awake. Five burn steadily. Five gutter and die. In that flickering moment the only difference between the women is revealed: not their dresses, not their intentions, not even their stamina, but a small vessel of oil that some carried and some did not.
Notice first what does not distinguish them. All ten were invited. All ten took lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. All ten grew drowsy when he delayed. The wise slept as soundly as the foolish. Jesus is not scolding tiredness; the wait is long and they are human. The dividing line is preparation: the wise carried reserves for a longer wait than they expected, while the foolish gambled that the lamp itself (the look of readiness) would be enough.
Then comes the detail that offends our instincts: the wise refuse to share. “What if there isn’t enough for us and you?” This is not stinginess; it is the parable’s sharpest point. Some things cannot be borrowed. You cannot run your lamp on your spouse’s prayer life, your parents’ faith, your church’s vitality. A real history with God (the oil of a life actually lived in His presence) is non-transferable at midnight. The foolish rush off to buy in an hour what can only be gathered over years, and while they are gone, the door is shut.
“Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.” The bridegroom’s words are not a memory lapse; they are the verdict on a relationship allowed to lapse until nothing real remained beneath the costume. So Jesus leaves us with His warning: “Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour.” Watching does not mean date-setting or anxiety. It means living today so that His arrival, whenever it comes, finds something real burning in you. Fill the vessel now: unhurried prayer, Scripture taken seriously, obedience in small things. The delay is long on purpose. It is where oil is gathered.
Reflect
- If Christ’s return interrupted my life tonight, would He find a real, current relationship, or a lamp that only looks ready from a distance?
- Whose oil have I been trying to run on: a spouse’s faith, a church’s energy, a past season of closeness with God?
- What slow, unglamorous practice could I begin this week that actually fills the vessel rather than polishing the lamp?
Pray
Ask God to show you honestly whether your lamp has oil or only the appearance of it. Commit to one concrete practice of presence with Him this week (unhurried prayer, Scripture, quiet obedience), and ask Him to meet you in it. Thank Him that the delay is mercy: time given to be made ready.