Are You Ready?

The Lord Jesus, near the end of His earthly ministry, was asked by his disciples about the end of the age. He gave general information about the world’s cultural climate and the certainty of His coming but refrained from offering details (Mt 24:3–44). Instead, He concentrated His instruction on the need to be prepared. How they would finish their collective ministry was more important than knowing the date for Messiah’s reign. To that end, He presented three clarifying scenarios comparing two different attitudes. Two of these scenarios dealt with household servants (Mt 24:45–51; 25:1–13) having similar characteristics. Each example began with the servants according to their abilities and positions going about regular duties in the service of the master: tending crops and engaging in commerce. These servants expected the certain return of their master at an undetermined date and conducted themselves accordingly for the master’s benefit. For their faithful service, the servants received a reward commensurate with the duties assigned. Following these examples, Jesus described the opposite attitude. Even though the servants knew the master returns eventually, they were derelict or negligent of their duties, even making excuses for their behavior. In the end, the master identified their true nature, evil and lazy, and delivered a just recompense. We can easily relate to the first and third scenarios, but the middle parable is a bit different. Stepping through the parable, similarities unfold.

Wise and Foolish Virgins
Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

At weddings of the day, bridal attendants would wait for the coming of the bridegroom and accompany him and any others in an entourage to an evening wedding feast, ergo the lamps. The number of virgins would vary depending on the wealth of the bride’s family: Jesus used ten for ease of illustration, communicating of what sort these virgins were. The foolish took lamps but no precautionary spare oil, while the wise made sure they were amply prepared for the duration of their wait. Notice that all ten understood that the bridegroom was coming. They understood their welcome to join the wedding banquet. They understood their need for illumination in the impending darkness. The only unknown was the hour of arrival. Apparently, the bridegroom delayed his coming beyond what was customary so that the virgins fell asleep waiting, setting up the event triggering the emergency that eventually separated the two sets of virgins.

And at midnight a cry was heard: “Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!” Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” 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.” 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. Afterward, the other virgins came also, saying, “Lord, Lord, open to us!” But he answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.” Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. (Mt 25:1–13)

Finally, the bridegroom’s coming was announced, and the virgins trimmed their lamps. Those who failed to bring reserve oil discovered to their dismay that they had insufficient fuel and requested some from the others, but to no avail since the reserves were sufficient only for the intended lamps. This crisis forced the five to leave, seek out a merchant, and purchase more for the rest of the evening. To their horror, upon returning the door was shut and no amount of pleading succeeded to gain admittance: they were utterly rejected.

That Seems Rather Harsh
We understand the concepts of obedience with reward versus disobedience with punishment, but the middle one puzzles. The foolish virgins were admittedly unprepared, but why would this negligence prevent their entrance? Why punish them so harshly for seemingly coming late to the party? And though the servants in the first and last parables were showed themselves to be evil and lazy, these virgins were only unprepared. Should there not have been leniency?

Those who refuse to heed and obey the Word of God are depicted in Scripture as foolish because they follow their own mind. The foolish virgins identified as such because they lacked faith, not because they erred one time. The point of the three parables was to describe the final coming of the master/bridegroom to receive his own things. The virgins were ultimately rejected because they, as the aforementioned servants, had not been faithful, and this lack of faith manifested itself with the result of a just condemnation. Jesus used the parables to teach different ways that people display faith (or lack thereof) and how their actions are a clear determination for receiving their commensurate recompense.

Negligence Matters
At the final reckoning, all nations will be divided into two groups with each receiving punishment or reward based on life evidence (Mt 25:31–46). As relates to the virgins, we see that the simplest of deeds (in this case the reserved oil) served to demonstrate that the five wise understood that their duty was to be always prepared, showing the evidence of faith in that certainty. Conversely, the foolish virgins did not do their duty. It is not that they were actively impudent or rebellious toward the bridegroom, rather their lack of faith manifested itself in negligence. As a result, as one of the goats at the last judgment, they receive:

“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do this to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment (Mt 25:45–46).

The foolish virgins were not and found themselves banned from entering the feast. There remains a final marriage supper when will take His bride. Only at that supper, there are no attendants. There will only be the Bridegroom, Christ, taking His bride, the Church, and she shall be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints (Rev 19:8). And how does one do righteous acts? By being made righteous. And how is one made righteous? But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness (Ro 4:5). Righteousness can only be gained when you understand that all your righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Is 65:1) and receive the righteousness of God by grace through faith on account of the cross.

The question, then, remains: the Bridegroom is coming; are you ready?