Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins one of Jesus’s parables of the kingdom of heaven. There are a few symbols to look at here. In this article, we are looking at one section at a time and considering what Jesus is teaching us. First, here is the parable in its entirety. The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins can be found in Matthew 25.
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 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.
10 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.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh (Matthew 25:1-13).
Now, let’s break it down.
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
As Christians, we are “espoused to Christ.” This is a symbolic espousal that demonstrates our loyalty to Jesus above all others and our promise to keep ourselves “unspotted from the world” until He returns.
In this parable, there are two sets of virgins, and both are carrying lamps. What do these lamps represent? As Christians, we are supposed to “let your light shine” so that the glory of God can be known to others. This light is the light of Jesus Christ and His gospel, as well as the light of a faithful Christian whose life demonstrates His teachings. The lamp is the container for the light, but there is no light without oil to fuel the lamp.
In the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, the foolish had no oil with them, but the wise had oil for their lamps. What does the oil represent?
The oil in the lamps might have a couple of meanings, though they are related. The oil can be symbolic of the Holy Spirit and symbolic of a life lived in Christ that is formed by having a true and loyal relationship with Him. How is this accomplished? We will get to that in a moment.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
The tarrying of the bridegroom symbolizes the promise of Jesus’s return. As Christians, we are waiting on His second coming. Why is it that they all slumbered and slept? One of the things that Jesus taught was that we should be watchful and ready for Him. We should also “occupy until He comes,” preserving His teachings and living a life in service to Him. That doesn’t sound like sleeping—however, they all slept, even the wise.
This makes me think of something in the scripture about “awakening to righteousness.” The wise had knowledge of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, but perhaps something about their lives in Christ needed to be woken out of sleep.
What is the midnight cry made in the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins? This is a cry to wake up and be ready because the coming of the bridegroom—the coming of Jesus—is soon.
Christians have debated about the coming of Jesus. Many times, they get carried away with false predictions and teachings, including the teaching that Jesus can come at any time and carry His church away. However, Jesus teaches us what we should look for before His return. See Mark 13.
Jesus says that there will be wars and rumors of wars, but these are not the signs of His return. He also says that nations will rise against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes. He instructs that we should “take heed to yourselves” because many will be persecuted for His sake.
We should focus on our salvation first, get to know Jesus, and trust in Him because He will give us a testimony against those who persecute us. This is of the Holy Spirit, so we do not have to worry about what we will say.
Next, He says that the “abomination of desolation” as spoken by Daniel will be revealed. This idea is reiterated in 2 Thessalonians 2.
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).”
Is the coming of “the son of perdition,” or the false Christ and false prophet, the wakeup call? I do think that is a sure-fire sign that Jesus’s return is soon, but I do not think that is the wakeup call. I think that the Wise Virgins should be ready before that day.
So then, what is the wakeup call? I believe that the wakeup call is something that happens continually as our fellow servants in Christ stir us up out of our sleepiness and into a life that makes us ready to meet our Lord.
We should always be ready, no matter the time. Every Christian, no matter when and where they live, will have to fight against evil—and in a Christian way—by preaching the gospel and living the gospel. Sometimes we get complacent, but right before that crucial midnight hour—right before trouble comes—God through His servants will rouse us and encourage us to be ready to meet that time in faith.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 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.
When the time came to be ready, the foolish were not prepared. They had no oil, so they had no light to shine in the darkness. They ask the wise to share their oil, but the wise refused and instructed the foolish to go to those who sell and get their own oil. What does this mean?
Though many Christians might be asleep, the wise are not so bound up in this world that they cannot readily make themselves prepared to meet the Lord. Why can’t the wise share their oil? I think that is because it is impossible to.
Those who are foolish have spent their lives not only sleeping, but also depleted of Jesus according to His Holy Spirit. Why are they depleted? There must be something about their so-called faith that is empty, and never truly given by the grace of God. If we have sincere faith, then that is an act of grace. We cannot simply give faith to others, and we cannot impart the grace that God gave to us to others. As Jesus said, “many are called, but few are chosen.”
It is interesting that the wise tell the foolish to “go to those that sell.” Christians cannot buy the grace of God that provides us with faith in Jesus Christ that leads to a life lived in Christ. However, there are many who attempt to sell faith, many of which do not lead people to the true faith, but an empty version of it.
Back to the question about how living in Christ is made possible. For those who receive God’s saving grace that grants faith in Jesus, they will eventually find themselves living a faithful Christian life because this is the work of Christ in them. His work is the true oil. Sometimes, we need to wake up and be ready, but this is only possible because the grace of God is for us in the first place. Grace cannot be bought or sold, and neither can the Christian faith.
10 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.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh (Matthew 25:1-13).
Jesus is patient with all who the Father has given Him, and He will not lose a single person. Faith comes by grace, and grace comes by the Father who draws us to Jesus. We cannot receive Christ unless it is first given to us by God. The Holy Spirit teaches us who Jesus is so that we can repent of sin and be forgiven. The Holy Spirit also empowers us to live for Jesus, freeing us from sin in this present world by writing the righteousness of Christ in our hearts.
However, there are many who seem to be Christians, but they do not truly have faith. Jesus deals with this patiently, not willing that any of His should be left out. However, this patience will one day come to an end. He does not know them because He never knew them, and they never truly knew Him.
Jesus says that we should be ready because we do not know when He will return. He says a lot of things, and if the grace of God is for us, then we will hear and obey. The fact that we can hear and obey is already an act of grace—all things are by grace and through faith.
Grace is a gift from God, and one that not only means forgiveness, but relationship with Jesus that leads to a life lived in Him as He works in us to free us from our sinful natures overtime in this present world, and we will be joined together with Him forever. This is a process, so we patiently pursue Jesus knowing that he is a “rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” So, let us seek Him in faith, and He will work all things out. Trust Him. Turn to Him with your whole heart, and don’t let anyone get in your way or corrupt your relationship with Him.
There are many who “sell” Jesus that have corrupted the simplicity and power of the gospel, and many buy from them. This is not just about Christian merchandise, but also about instruction. There are many who claim to fill Christians, but they only leave them depleted. However, many who have listened to them are not foolish, but simply the wise who need to wake up and make themselves ready. If the grace of God is for them, then they will.
Those who faithfully fill other Christians will instruct them in the true simplicity of the gospel and what it means to live out our faith. They will provide correction as needed, compassion for their struggles, and trust in the grace of God to work out all things in their fellow servants according to His timing rather than pushing traditions and false teachings that are not oil, but more like hot air.
This is part of a series of articles discussing the Parables of Jesus. You can visit the link for quick access to more articles within this series.
In the free digital book, “These Things Saith He,” you can find a discussion on the 7 churches of Revelation. Within the churches, 5 are rebuked. Could this be a link to the 5 virgins? In any case, I do believe that it would be wise to repent of these errors, and in doing so, we can be better prepared to serve Jesus no matter what times of darkness might be ahead.
