The Parable of the Ten Virgins from the book of Matthew (25: 1-13) is a reminder to be prepared for the unexpected second coming of Jesus Christ. In the parable there were 5 WISE virgins who were prepared and ready for Christ’s return. The other 5 virgins were FOOLISH because they did not prepare themselves for Christs' return and as a result, found themselves shut out of God’s Kingdom. NOTE: Each of these 10 virgins were anticipating the Lord’s return; none were atheists or non-believers, yet 5 were shut of the heaven. Why? Why were 50% of them rejected? My 2 questions today are: What exactly does it mean to be prepared and ready? And, if you are a believer, in which set of virgins would you place yourself? Wise or unwise? Let's look at Matthew 25: 1-13 first.
[Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.]
The ten virgins in the parable represent Christians not non-believers. Jesus is speaking to those who made the confession in their lives to follow Him! What is the spiritual reference to virgins? "Virgins" in this context pursue only Jesus, not other religions, beliefs, or doctrine. They are devoted and engaged only to Him. Virgins are not tainted. They have not committed spiritual adultery by giving themselves to those things but have given themselves solely to Him = virgins in the spiritual sense. Note also that all 10 virgins had fallen asleep waiting for Jesus who tarried long until they heard the cry "the Bridegroom is coming." They were then AWAKENED (called) and went forth to meet Him. Five of the virgins had plenty of oil in their lamps to keep burning and shinning their light until He came after tarrying for so long. But the other five virgins lacked enough oil to keep their light shinning so their lamps went out. We distinctly have 2 sets of Christians Jesus is making reference to in this parable! Let's break it down:
1) It's obvious Jesus is represented as the Bridegroom.
2) Five wise virgins (devoted Christians) were prepared for His return. They are true and faithful to Him and sincere in their walk. They have plenty of oil which kept their lamps burning.
3) Five unwise virgins (Christians in word only) were not prepared for His return. They did no have enough oil to keep their lamps burning. They are, in fact, hypocrites. They 'agree' in word with what the Bible teaches and even accept the Gospel as being truth, but don't practice what they preach (hypocrites). They attempt to live the Christian life but without the oil of the Holy Spirit to keep them going. They have never really put their trust in Christ and they have never nurtured the Holy Spirit which would have enabled them to walk the walk and live out their faith. They may know “about Jesus,” but they do not have a personal relationship “with Jesus.” As a result, there is no change or real evidence of Jesus Christ in their lives. They continue to live for the pleasures and treasures of this world and not for the kingdom of heaven so their faith became stagnant. There is no oil in their lamps because over time what was once there through a so-called conversion is now gone because their oil was neglected in exchange for worldly things and now they are empty. Until Jesus returns for Hs Church, they will not have the strength or endurance to withstand the trials and temptations that face those who belong to Christ because they do not have the Holy Spirit to enable them to do so.
4. Oil represents the Holy Spirit. It is the power that sanctifies, or sets apart a person from the rest of the world, or from hypocrites. It represents the essence of God being in and throughout a true Christians' life.
5. Lamps are the vessel which carry light. Our souls are vessels which produce spiritual Light that shines more and more until the perfect day (Proverbs 4:18)
6. The call at MIDNIGHT in this parable represents when things are dark as in dark and gloomy, disastrous, and uncertain. It is not referring to a literal hour because how could Jesus come at midnight when in other parts of the world it is still morning? Midnight, therefore, infers dubious times, uncertain times, problematic times, hard times, troubled times, disastrous times, even catastrophic. We are headed that way even now. A midnight inference means dark without light. When the world has removed Jesus, the bible, religion, when you can no longer pray or worship God openly or be silenced or cut off for your belief in Jesus things will be very dark.
The key to understanding this parable is not the lamp or the wick, but the oil. Five virgins had enough oil and five of them did not. Without the Holy Spirit, we may have a perfectly good lamp, but no oil to keep it burning. Some people respond to the Gospel and have the correct understanding of the Gospel, but they only have an intellectual assent to it. It has no affect on their lives, no change is evident because they haven’t committed themselves to it even though they label themselves "Christian." This is not enough to save them. Even the demons know who Jesus is, but they are not saved! Sincere Christians are the wise virgins and the foolish ones are hypocrites who think they are saved but never sought Christ to have a personal, sincere, relationship with Him.. Hypocrites profess their love of God and show many outward signs of being faithful to Christ, but the truth is only found within. We might try to fool one another or even ourselves into thinking we’re living for Christ, but God is never fooled. And why wouldn't the wise virgins share their oil?? Because a wise virgin cannot give the Holy Spirit to another person. I cannot give the Holy Spirit to anyone, nor can they get to heaven on my coat tails. True conversion is evident. How? The love of Christ constrains them to live no longer to themselves, but to Him that died for them.
God sees if we have a bitter or hollow heart. He knows if our words and actions are for show.
Time will run out for each of us one day. Don’t be caught off guard and unprepared. Pave your way now with a heart, mind, and soul aligned to God before your time runs out. Your eternal resting place depends on it. The virgins anticipated the groom to come earlier than he did. So it is with us and Christ. Our idea of perfect timing sometimes differs from His idea of perfect timing and we can grow weary "waiting." But we must always be prepared by walking in faith, reading His Word, allowing the Holy Spirit to chastise, change, transform, and conform us. Trust that His timing is truly perfect. In His timing, we’re often called to wait. Don’t let the waiting time lull you into a false sense of having endless time. Don’t be fooled that you can wait and still be prepared when it matters, because you don’t know when that time will be. We must prepare our hearts and souls for the long haul. That includes developing a personal relationship with the Lord, discerning His will for our lives, leading where He follows, and loving one another. None of these things can happen the moment we realize our time on Earth is ending. Lead your life as if the end is today, but be prepared to wait. DON'T BE THE ONE TO HEAR, "Lord, lord, open to us!’ And then He says, ‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you" (Matthew 25:10-12). Think of that!! Jesus said He did not know 5 of the virgins. He didn't say "I kind of know you" OR "I used to know you" OR "At one time I knew you." No, He said I DON'T KNOW YOU" Some version say, "I NEVER knew you!" What a sad outcome for not being prepared and vigilant! Make sure you have oil in your lamps to keep burning until you hear the cry that will call you up to Him."
Until He Comes
-Pat-
No comments:
Post a Comment