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. 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.” (Matthew 25:1 – 9)
In Matthew 25, Jesus gives us guidelines to observe as we await His return. The parable of the ten virgins points to the issue of preparedness.
In this parable, the bridegroom represents Jesus. The virgins represent believers of Jesus. The wedding points to the time that Jesus is united with His bride – the Church.
While the bridegroom was delayed, the ten virgins slumbered and slept. In the Bible, sleeping sometimes symbolizes unreadiness. However, the point of this parable is not to stay awake, but rather to stay prepared. As a matter of fact, we rest in Jesus while we are expecting His return.
At midnight the cry was heard, “The bridegroom is coming, go out to meet Him.” I Thessalonians 4:16-17 tells us there is a shout soon to be heard:
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Notice that the five foolish virgins were lacking oil for their lamps. They had been prepared for a short time, but not for the long haul. You know, the Christian life is much more a marathon than it is a sprint. We must be prepared no matter how long the wait.
The five foolish virgins desperately said, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” The five wise virgins said “No, lest there should not be enough for us and you: Go buy some for yourselves.” At first glance, the response of the five wise virgins appears to be selfish in nature. Keeping in mind that Jesus was teaching about preparedness, we readily see that each of us is required to prepare ourselves. The words of Apostle Paul support this:
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)
Paul was telling the Philippians, “Whether I am with you or not, it is your responsibility to obey God and to work out your own salvation.” Likewise, our preparedness is our responsibility.
Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.
Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter — Breanna.
Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.
by leaps and bounds 
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