Wedding⤒🔗

Who does not look forward to a wedding? Surely those who heard Jesus preach this parable could easily have imag­ined its setting. In ancient Palestine, a marriage normally had three stages: engagement, betrothal (which made the engagement legal and binding), and the wedding ceremony itself. These ten virgins in our parable would have gathered as attendants of the bride at her home shortly before the wedding ceremony, waiting for the procession to the groom’s house, where the ceremony would take place. They are hold­ing torches, long poles with oil-lamps tied to the top.

The bridegroom, however, stays away longer than antic­ipated. When he finally arrives, only five of the ten virgins enter the marriage supper with him. The central message of the parable is found in the separation that happens within this group of attendants.

Warning←⤒🔗

Our parable pictures the visible church as ten virgins. All ten of them have been invited to the wedding. All ten of them have responded positively to the wedding invitation. All ten of them attend the bride on the way to the wedding feast. All ten of them have lamps with them, which at first all give light. Finally, all ten grow drowsy and fall asleep when the bridegroom’s coming is delayed. What happens to separate the group?

First of all, the delay of the bridegroom (v. 5) revealed that some had insufficient oil. Secondly, the cry announc­ing the imminent arrival of the bridegroom (v. 6) sent five virgins scrambling for oil, thus taking them away. Thirdly, the shutting of the door to the wedding (v. 10) makes a final separation between the two groups.

What, however, is the root cause of the separation? Early in the parable, we are told that five of the virgins are “wise” while the other five are “foolish” (v. 2). Those who were wise “took (extra) oil in their vessels with their lamps,” while those who were foolish “took their lamps, and took no (extra) oil with them” (v. 3-4). Jesus highlights the “watchfulness” of the virgins with extra oil (v. 13). They anticipated a potential delay and saw the possible need for additional supplies of oil. In the end, those additional supplies made all the difference for them. Jesus applies the meaning of the parable as follows: “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (v. 13).

Watchfulness←⤒🔗

Watchfulness could be defined as that grace of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer that sees things in the light of Christ’s coming, and in anticipation of how things will then be made manifest. By nature, we lack this watchfulness. We might be careful to live a successful life in this world; that could be called an earthly, unsanctified kind of watchfulness. But the unbeliever cannot and does not pay the same kind of attention to the thought of life beyond death. He sees things in an earthly light. He does not see any need for spiritual watchfulness, nor would he know how to watch. But when God works His grace in our hearts and calls us out of dark­ness into His light, He gives us His Holy Spirit, and with this Spirit comes the grace of watchfulness.

Practically speaking, spiritual watchfulness has several aspects:

1.  A watchfulness against sin. When looked at in the light of eternity, sin becomes a very serious thing. It is crucial that believers are careful and watchful against sin. Solo­mon reminds us to keep our hearts diligently (Prov. 4:23). Even after grace, we can be so misguided about our own hearts and actions. Regular self-examination is crucial. We need to see where sin has found inroads into our lives, where coldness has set in, where unbelief has found a foothold. We need to confess sin and seek to mortify it through the Spirit’s grace.
    
2.  A watchfulness through the means of grace. The means of grace strengthen and support a watchful spirit. The primary means of grace, of course, is Scripture. God’s Word not only reminds us constantly to be watchful, but it also directs us to distrust the world and its think­ing. By nurturing faith, Scripture also will take our focus from this world and fix it on the world to come. Prayer and attendance to family and public worship will help us to commune with Christ, and communion with Christ will help prepare us for communion with Christ at His coming. It’s noteworthy that the Bridegroom says to the five foolish virgins: “I know you not” (v. 12). That means that they never had a true relationship with him. Use the means of grace faithfully, praying that a true and liv­ing communion with Christ would be established and strengthened through them.
    
3.  A watchfulness for the Savior’s coming. Christ repeatedly stressed that His coming, though certain, would be unexpected. It would happen when people did not expect it (Luke 12:40). True Christians should stir themselves up to be ready at any time, to have at all times what is needed should Christ return. Frequent reflection on Christ’s beauty and heaven’s happiness will help cultivate a readiness to meet Christ in the air (1 Thess. 4:17). Actively striving against worldliness and a worldly mind­set expresses a watchful spirit. Praying for Christ’s com­ing, like the Bride of Revelation (22:17), will excite such a spirit, and evangelism in our families and communities will help increase a readiness for Christ’s coming.

It is not too late to begin being watchful. Let us confess our lack of watchfulness, our preoccupation with this world and with the things of time and sense. Let us pray for grace to live in the light of eternity. Let us pray to be made ready to meet Christ at any time. The parable is clear about the consequences of a lack of watchfulness: those who foolishly neglect their duty to watch for Christ’s coming will be unprepared to meet Him, and will ultimately be sent away from the marriage supper of the Lamb. Christ’s words, “I know you not” (v. 11) will be terrible indeed.

Study Questions←⤒🔗

1. Prove from the parable that the five foolish virgins do not represent people from the world, but rather profess­ing Christians.
    
2. Some think they can be Christians without it affecting their lives very much. What does the fact that the foolish virgins only had a minimal amount of oil with them say to this?
    
3. How is the delay of Christ’s coming a mercy from one angle and from another, a test of our watchfulness?
    
4. Why is it more difficult for those of us in relatively free and rich societies to be watchful? How should we fight against this?
    
5. Think of someone whom you know, from your fam­ily or circle of friends, or someone you have read about, who you think lives a life of watchfulness. How does this watchfulness show itself in practical ways?
    
6. After being shut out of the wedding feast, the fool­ish virgins cry, “Lord, Lord, open to us.” In answer, the bridegroom says that He does not know them. Jesus had earlier warned that not every one that says to Him, “Lord, Lord” will enter into the kingdom of heaven. What does Matthew 7 say is needed?