Pr Joshua Yong

The signs of the times tell us that Christ is coming again very soon. Knowing that Christ is coming again very soon must cause us to be greatly excited. But it is one thing to recognise these signs and be excited; it is another to be ready in light of them. Christ has revealed these signs so that we will be ready and prepared when He returns.

The Jewish wedding custom in those days was such that after the time of betrothal, the groom would come on the wedding day with a procession to receive his bride. There would be virgins who served as bridesmaids who would carry oil lamps and wait along the way for the groom to arrive. When the bridegroom came, there would be a loud warning cry, “behold the bridegroom cometh, go out and meet him”, and the virgins would meet him and escort him to the bride’s house. After receiving the bride, they would then proceed to the groom’s house, along with the wedding procession, where a wedding feast would be held (https://bible-history.com/biblestudy/marriage). The virgins must light their lamps in order to escort the bride and groom to the wedding feast. But the virgins without lit lamps would be disqualified from entering the groom’s home.

The parable of the ten virgins was told to those who profess to be believers to teach them to be ready when Christ returns. This parable warns that not everyone who thinks they are ready is truly ready for Christ’s coming.

1)  A Similar Readiness (v.1-5)

In Matthew 25:1-5, the Lord Jesus Christ likened the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins. All were virgins, all had lamps, and all went to meet the bridegroom. All of them “slumbered and slept”. The slumbering and sleeping here does not describe laziness, but rather represents the long wait for the coming of the bridegroom. These similarities show us that externally and outwardly, there is very little to distinguish the wise and foolish virgins. All appeared pure, because they were virgins, all seemed ready to serve as they carried their oil lamps with them, and all were looking with expectation for the coming of the bridegroom.

Yet there is a difference between these virgins. Some were wise, and some were foolish. The contrast in this parable is not between believers and unbelievers, but between true believers and merely professing believers. But what was the difference between the wise and foolish virgins? The difference was that the foolish “took no oil with them” which points to the lack of preparation and readiness of the virgins. Why would the foolish virgins bring lamps without oil, knowing that it would be a long wait for the groom to appear, and that without lit lamps they would not be allowed to enter the groom’s home?

The parable of the ten virgins was told not to unbelievers, but to those who profess to be believers. Outwardly, there is very little that differentiates a true believer from a professing believer. The professing believer is aware of the signs of Christ’s return, attends church, and carries an “oil lamp,” and seems to be serving actively while waiting with expectation for Christ's return. But in reality, his oil lamp has no oil. He only has the appearance of readiness, but is not truly ready for the return of Christ. Many in the church may not appear rebellious or ungodly, but the Lord declares that they are foolish.

The way to be truly ready is to be genuinely born again and to be sincerely living for the Lord Jesus Christ. A truly born-again believer has a new heart and lives for Christ alone. He communes with God in prayer, and He hears God’s voice through His Word. He has the love of God as the motive for all that he does, and he witnesses for Christ.

2)  Readiness Exposed (v.6-10)

The Bible tells us in verse 5 that “while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.” To “tarry” is to “delay” or to “take time”. The Lord’s timing is perfect, and there is no delay in God’s timetable. But from man’s perspective, it may seem as if there was a delay. The bridegroom’s delay served to test the readiness of the virgins. Those who are not truly ready will be exposed for their foolishness when the Lord Jesus Christ finally comes.

The moment finally came “at midnight”. This occurred at an unexpected time, revealing who was wise and who was foolish. When the cry sounded out, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him”, all the virgins trimmed and made ready their lamps. But only the wise virgins had oil in their lamps. When the moment came, the virgins either had oil in their lamps or did not. If they did not have oil, it would be too late to acquire oil. The foolish virgins pleaded with the wise virgins for oil, but the wise could not share their oil because they needed sufficient oil for the journey ahead. Salvation cannot be borrowed or transferred. No one can believe, repent, or obey on our behalf. Readiness cannot be shared.

Many professing Christians are procrastinating in living their lives for Christ. They may already profess to believe, but they procrastinate to surrender and commit themselves to Christ. They think that as long as they have said the sinner’s prayer, it is enough. They believe that there is no need to live a transformed life. They continue to live for themselves; they do not pray, they do not read God’s Word, they do not walk with God. They claim that they will repent of their sins and get right with God later. They will only start “to get ready when the midnight cry sounds”. But when Christ returns, Christ will return to judge, and all will be exposed. It will be too late to start getting ready then. This does not mean that Christians can lose their salvation, but what it warns us against is a false sense of assurance. The danger is for a person to have false security whereby he deceives himself into thinking that he is guaranteed a place in heaven, when he never actually knew Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour.

3)  Readiness Result (v.10-13)

Matthew 25:10 tells us that while the foolish went to buy oil, “… they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.” Once the bridegroom and bridal party entered the feast, the door was shut. Those who were ready entered and they would get to enjoy and participate in the wedding feast. The foolish virgins pleaded “Lord, Lord, open to us”, but the Lord said to them, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not.”

As long as the door of heaven is not yet shut, we can repent of our hypocrisy and turn to the Lord. But the moment the door is shut, no amount of pleading and repenting will open the door. The Lord Jesus Christ told this parable to awaken anyone who is resting upon their false sense of assurance and security. If you know there is no oil in your lamp, if you know you are not ready for the Lord’s return, you must get ready now.