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Matthew 25:1-13 (Parable of the ten virgins)

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called Jesus in Jerusalem, and we are currently in a section of Scripture that focuses on the return of Christ. So far, we have looked at the signs of Christ’s return and being ready for Christ’s return. In today’s passage Jesus teaches us about waiting for his return. (Read Matthew 25:1-4 and pray.)

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Today’s passage on Christ’s return comes as a surprise after the first two passages on Christ’s return. When we studied the signs of Christ’s return, we saw that the signs of Christ’s return are all around us and that Christ could return at any time. That led us to the second passage which taught us if Christ can return at any time, we better be ready for his return.

But now Jesus teaches us about waiting for his return. Yes, Jesus could return today or tomorrow or next week. But what if he doesn’t? What if his return is a lot further away than we expected? Then we need to be ready to wait. Personally, we need to reckon with the fact that Jesus has not yet returned in our generation, and historically we need to reckon with the fact that every generation has thought they might be the last.

As we learned earlier, the signs of Christ’s return are cyclical. They repeat themselves in every generation. Jesus said they are like birth pains that repeat but increase in frequency and intensity the nearer you get to the end. The problem is that we’re never quite sure where we are in the cycle. We could be right at the end. Or we could be somewhere in the middle. We don’t know.

So, we not only need to be ready for Christ’s return. We also need to be ready to wait. Some people might be ready to follow Jesus for one or two months or even for a year. But Jesus said the person who stands firm to the end who will be saved (Matthew 24:13) And so, we need to be prepared to follow Jesus for a lifetime if necessary. We need to be ready to wait for Christ’s return.

Jesus teaches us this truth by means of a parable. In today’s passage Jesus shares with us the parable of the ten virgins or ten bridesmaids waiting for the bridegroom. The parable is pretty straightforward. It is fairly easy to identify the bridegroom with Jesus and the arrival of the bridegroom with the return of Christ. Ten is a nice round number, and so the ten virgins or bridesmaids represent all who are waiting for Christ, while their different actions represent those who are prepared to wait and those who are not.

We not only need to be ready for Christ’s return. We need to be ready to wait. So, let’s look at the parable of the ten virgins together.

I. Waiting for the bridegroom (1-5)

The parable begins with all ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Look at verses 1-5 with me:

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.” (Matthew 25:1-5)

There are a number of things we can learn from this first part of the parable.

   A. Christ’s return will be a joyful event for all believers (1)
      – Titus 2:13

First of all, Christ’s return will be a joyful event for all believers. Back in chapter 24, Jesus mostly used negative images for his return – lightning, vultures, a flood, a thief breaking into your house in the middle of the night. But here in chapter 25 he uses a positive image – bridesmaids waiting for the bridegroom to appear.

Why the difference? Christ’s return will be a terrible event for unbelievers, but it will be a joyful event for all believers. The earlier images are meant as a warning to unbelievers while this image of the bridesmaids meeting the bridegroom is meant as an encouragement to believers.

A wedding is one of the most joyful events that take place here on earth, and the return of Christ will be the most joyful event for believers. We’re going to see Jesus face to face! That’s why the Bible calls it “the blessed hope.” We read in Titus 2:13: “… while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13)

The nations will mourn at Christ’s return, but believers will rejoice. For the unbeliever Jesus’ return comes like a thief in the night. For the watchful believer it is the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

   B. Those who are wise will be prepared to wait (2-4)

And then the second thing we learn from this first part of the parable is that those who are wise will be prepared to wait. This is pictured by the foolish and the wise virgins. Jesus tells us that five of the virgins were foolish and five were wise.

So, what was the difference between the wise and the foolish virgins? There is only one difference you find in the parable. The foolish did not bring any extra oil for their lamps, while the wise were ready for any potential delay.

      1) The foolish did not bring any extra oil for their lamps

The foolish did not bring any extra oil for their lamps. In other words, they made a foolish assumption. They assumed that the bridegroom would come sooner than he did, and so they did not make any extra preparations in case he came later than they expected.

      2) The wise were ready for any potential delay

The wise were ready for any potential delay. They didn’t know exactly when the bridegroom would arrive, so they brought extra oil with them. They did not want to miss out on this most joyful of events, and so they were ready for any potential delay.

   C. Waiting is hard (5)

Which brings us to our third point from this section: waiting is hard. Even when you are ready for any possible delays, waiting is still hard.

Jesus says the bridegroom was a long time in coming, and all ten of the bridesmaids became drowsy and fell asleep. Notice Jesus does not say the bridegroom was late in coming, just that he took longer than those who were waiting for him expected.

Jesus will come at the exact time God has decided. He will be neither early nor late. He was right on time for his first coming, and he will be right on time for his second coming, too. It may be longer than what you were hoping or expecting, but he will be right on time. Still, waiting is hard, even when you know the bridegroom is coming.

So, that’s the first part of the parable. This first part focuses on waiting for the bridegroom.

II. The arrival of the bridegroom (6-10)

Next Jesus shares about the arrival of the bridegroom. Look at verses 6-10 with me now:

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 ‘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.’ 10 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.” (Matthew 25:6-10)

There are several things we learn from this part of the parable.

   A. You need to be ready for the call when it comes (6)

First of all, you need to be ready for the call when it comes. It was midnight. All ten virgins were sleeping when the cry suddenly rang out: “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!”

Sometimes in the Bible getting sleepy or drowsy is painted in a negative light when it comes to waiting for Christ’s return, but in this passage, it is just a natural effect of waiting for the bridegroom. There’s nothing wrong with sleeping. Everyone has to sleep.

But you need to be ready for the call when it comes. You need to have made all the necessary preparations. No matter how long you may have to wait, you need to be ready when the sign of the Son of Man appears in the sky and that final trumpet call sounds.

   B. The foolish will be caught unprepared (7-9)

Jesus says his coming will catch the foolish unprepared. Why? Because they weren’t expecting him to take so long. The five foolish virgins didn’t bring any extra oil. They were not prepared for the longer than expected wait, and so their lamps were going out even as the bridegroom arrived. Panicking, they asked the wise to give them some of their oil. But each of us need to be ready for Christ on our own when he arrives. We cannot depend on someone else and their readiness.

   C. Those who are ready will accompany him to the banquet (10)

The foolish virgins rush out to buy more oil, but while they are gone, the bridegroom arrives, and those who were ready accompany him to the wedding banquet. Ominously, once they are all inside, the door is shut.

III. Once the door is closed, it is too late (11-13)

Which leads us to the third part of the parable: once the door is closed, it is too late. Look at verses 11-12 with me now:

“Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ 12 But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’” (Matthew 25:11-12)

   A. Those who were not ready will plead for the door to be opened (11)

When Christ comes, he will gather his people into his kingdom, the wedding feast will begin, and the door will be shut. And now we come to the saddest part of the whole parable: those who were not ready will plead for the door to be opened. They will recognize their foolishness. They will be filled with regret. They will plead with Christ for a second chance: “Sir, sir, open the door for us!”

   B. Jesus will tell them, “I don’t know you.” (12)
      – Matthew 7:22-23

But Jesus will say to them, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” This is similar to Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7: “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 perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:22-23)

We talk a lot about knowing God and Jesus. We often ask people, “Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” And that is all well and good. But the Bible also talks about God and Jesus knowing us. At the last day, the question will not so much be, “Do you know Jesus?” but “Does Jesus know you?” Does Jesus know you as one of his people, as one who has put their faith in him as Savior? Many will plead with him in that day, “Please, please, open the door for us.” But once the door is closed, it is too late. Jesus will reply, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.”

   C. Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour (13)

And then, just in case anyone missed the point of all this, Jesus draws the appropriate conclusion from the parable he has just shared. Look at verse 13:

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matthew 25:13)

If the foolish virgins had known that the bridegroom was going to take longer than they expected, they would have brought the extra oil. The wise virgins knew that they didn’t know when the bridegroom was coming. So, they brought the extra oil. They prepared themselves for a longer wait just in case. Jesus says, “Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matthew 25:13)

CONCLUSION: Christ could return today. Are you ready if he does? Or Christ could return years from now. Are you prepared to wait? We can draw two very clear applications from this parable and from Jesus’ conclusion to the parable.

   1) You don’t know when Christ will return, so be ready now.

The first application is this: You don’t know when Christ will return, so be ready now. We first learned this when we looked at the signs of Christ’s return. Jesus could return at anytime, so you need to be prepared now. The check engine light is blinking. Don’t delay. Don’t leave things for another day. Make things right in your life with God now. You should live every day as though Christ was returning today.

   2) You don’t know when Christ will return, so be ready to wait if necessary.

And then the second application is this: You don’t know when Christ will return, so be ready to wait if necessary. Yes, the signs tell us that Christ’s coming is near, but the Bible tells us that God keeps time differently than we do. The apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 3: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (1 Peter 3:8)

You need to live your life as though Jesus could return today. And you need to live your life as though Jesus might not return until much later.

Waiting is hard. It’s easy to get discouraged waiting for Christ to return. We see the signs, and we wonder why it is taking so long. You need to be prepared both for the short term and the long term. You need to be ready to live for Jesus not just for a season but for the rest of your life.

So, what do you do while you are waiting? That’s what we are going to look at in next week’s message on “Preparing for Christ’s Return.”

© Ray Fowler

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