Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten
bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them
were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn't take enough
olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take
along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and
fell asleep. At midnight they were roused by the shout, 'Look, the bridegroom
is coming! Come out and meet him!' All the bridesmaids got up and prepared
their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, 'Please give us some
of your oil because our lamps are going out.' But the others replied, 'We don't
have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.' But while
they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went
in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the
other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, 'Lord! Lord! Open
the door for us!' But he called back, 'Believe me, I don't know you!' So you,
too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return. Matthew
25:1-13
I love this
parable that Jesus told His disciples about the kingdom of heaven. Only found
in the book of Matthew, it gives us Protestants a view into the Jewish customs.
The Jewish couple is betrothed—promised in marriage to each other, but their
wedding doesn’t take place until their home is prepared. The bridegroom goes to
his father’s house and adds on a room—or rooms depending on his wealth. When
his father says that the home is ready for the bride, he sends the bridegroom
to get her. Meanwhile the wedding party, including those ten virgins, have been
preparing for the wedding at the bride’s home—helping her get ready.
The
bridegroom arrives at the bride’s home and after observing some religious
ceremonies he wisks her away to their new home, at his father’s house—where the
wedding ceremony and the festivities take place. The bride’s maids in waiting would come out with oil lamps
to light up the entrance as the groom and his guests arrived. After the
bridegroom procession entered his father’s house, the doors were shut and no
other guests were received. Then the bride and groom would be seated under a
colorful canopy and for the next three to five days the father of the groom
hosted an elaborate and elegant banquet. The wedding feast. Those who are ready go with the bride and groom—those
who aren’t ready miss out altogether. Moral of the story—be ready. The
unprepared girls
had to go buy more oil—and when they arrived at the wedding feast
the door was locked and they were not allowed to enter. Thus they were left out in the cold—the Lord didn’t know them.
The bride
symbolically represents the church, the bridegroom is Christ, and the ten
virgins are said to be representative of the professing Jewish remnant on earth
at Christ’s return. The oil is symbolic for the Holy Spirit—so be wise… keep
yourself filled. Be ready—again, BE PREPARED! We don’t know the hour or
the day that Christ, the bridegroom, will return and take us to His feast. That
is The Banquet we don’t want to miss!
Read the
passage in John 14:1-3…Do not let your
heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are
many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to
prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again
and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. This is
Jesus’ promise to us that He is preparing a place for us in heaven—in His
Father’s house—just like the Jewish bridegroom in this scripture in Matthew.
Lord God, thank you for your plan to have Your Son
prepare a place just for us. We so look forward to the great wedding feast in
Your Heavenly home one day.
© 2016 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
unless otherwise noted.
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