Are You Prepared?
Imagine that you and a set of friends were planning a road trip. In one car, one friend made sure that the car was full on gas, one made sure that the tires were in good condition, one brought a map, one brought emergency food and water, and yet another brought a portable charger. This group knew what was needed to make the trip a success and was prepared, they got to the destination safely with no issues. The second car however, had another story. The friend that was in charge of filling up the car misjudged how much gas was needed for the trip and forgot their card to pay for gas, one friend forgot to get that squeaky wheel looked at that eventually lead to a popped tire, one friend thought the bag of emergency food and water was taking up to much room and left it behind, one friend thought that there would be enough cell service and they wouldn’t need a map, and the last remembered the portable charger but did not bring any cords to charge their phones. This car never made it to the destination. While this might seem a humorous story when you consider the actions of the people in the two cars and compare it to the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13, we see that there is a much bigger picture here.
In the parable, it is not a destination that the ten friends are trying to reach, instead is it for an appointed time. More specifically a wedding feast. For those who do not understand the marriage customs of the Jews (specifically Galilean region), after the engagement the bridegroom would go away to prepare a house for his beloved. The bride and groom would not see each other again until this house was prepared and the father of the groom told his son that it was time to bring his bride home. This would not occur until after midnight on an unknown night, the groom and his friends would then go to bring home the bride, who while the house was being prepared was preparing her wedding gown with her friends. Once the bride and groom were reunited the feast would begin, but if you were not prepared to go outside to meet the wedding party you were not allowed into the feast.
We see a similar situation occurring in Matthew 25:1-13. The ten women all set out to meet the bridegroom, and when the arrival of the bridegroom was delayed the women began to fall asleep (25:5). When the announcement that the groom was on his way came the women rushed to trim their lamps, and five discovered that they did not have enough oil to keep their lamps lit. The foolish five demanded oil from the five that came prepared (25:8) but in the end had to rush to the market to buy more oil, thus resulting in arriving after the door to the wedding feast was closed. They were not allowed entry while the five that were prepared were allowed into the wedding feast (25:10-12).
This parable is being played out before our eyes even today. Everyone can be found in this parable, you are either part of the prudent five who had oil or you are part of the foolish five who, when the groom arrived, had to leave and look for oil. Now before we continue, we need to understand what the oil represents. The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners” Isaiah 61:1. The action of having an anointing typically happened for two reasons, first was to make something apart as being holy and dedicated to the Lord. The second reason was to commission with authority on a person. It is ironic that the Church, which is set apart and dedicated to God as the Bride of Jesus Christ, is also signified as given and will be given authority. This falls hand in hand with the idea of the oil in the five prudent virgins being those who are truly saved and have the Holy Spirit of God in them. However, if you are interested in knowing more of such symbolism look into Exodus 30:30, Leviticus 4:3-5, Numbers 3:3, 1 Samuel 16:13, Zechariah 4:1-6, and so many more.
If those who have the oil are those who are saved in Jesus Christ and have the Holy Spirit of God in them, then who are the others? Those who belong with the foolish five are the false believers in the church. They are the ones who believe that they will make it to the feast, in actuality the kingdom of heaven, based on association or on their works. They believe that by going to church, volunteering to help in the church, and/or surrounding themselves with true believers, that this will be enough to get them to the kingdom of heaven. They believe that the true believers they surround themselves with or the good deeds they do will be enough to keep their lamps burning. But they failed to see what is truly needed, they are not one of those who is recognized as having oil because they have never accepted that Jesus Christ is the only means to salvation. And as we have seen in the parable, the foolish five have their lamps snuffed out and are unable to make it to the feast.
The prudent five on the other hand, have realized that the bridegroom may be delayed, yet eagerly wait for Him. They have the assurance of the oil that they will be ready when the time comes. What an encouragement for those who are saved, who realize that the Holy Spirit or the “oil” is inside of them. When the announcement that the bridegroom is on his way and the feast is about to begin, they have enough oil and will be allowed entry to the feast. The prudent five are the true born-again believers. They have accepted Jesus Christ’s free gift of salvation and are anxiously awaiting His return. They know that the bridegroom may delay but stand firm in the faith even through hard times and times of uncertainty. It cannot be stated enough that the knowledge that Jesus Christ will return for His bride, the church, keeps the prudent going. They are the ones who even in the times that we are seeing now and even when things in this world get worse, their faith is not shaken. And when Christ returns for His bride, those who are prudent, who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, will be allowed entry into the wedding feast, the kingdom of heaven.
Do you know which group you belong? If you have any doubt in your mind, or you know that you belong with the foolish, repent, accept and receive that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He was born of a virgin, completed a perfect life, died on a cross for your sins, was raised to life on the third day, and is currently seated at the right hand of God. Accept Him as your Lord and Savior and you will be given enough “oil”, the Holy Spirit, to keep your lamp lit. Remember it is truly a free gift of eternal life which is found in no other name than Jesus Christ, and with His Holy anointing you will be able to read the parable and truly know which group you belong in. For those who are saved and have oil, we need to be watchful and know the signs of the times we live in, for a day is coming where we will finally have an answer to, ““Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Matthew 25:13
Seek the Truth and encourage one another,
Alex