Matthew 25:1-13
Main Idea: While awaiting the promised return of Jesus, we must stay ready and prepared.
I. Awaiting the King (25:1-5)
Matthew 24-25 (known as “The Olivet Discourse”) is Jesus’ final teaching to his disciples about what will happen at the end of all things and when he will return. In this discourse, Jesus tells five parables in response to a question from the disciples:
Matt. 24:3: As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Some cultural context is needed to understand the story that Jesus is telling
The “10 virgins” = bridesmaids/attendants; those assisting with the wedding procession
The “lamps” were like torches with bundles of cloth wrapped at the end of a carrying stick; they would be lit by the rags being dipped/doused in olive oil.
Wedding festivities in the ancient world would often be drawn out over numerous days; the groom would begin at the bride’s house before a procession to his own home for the ceremony and celebration. They bridesmaids were to light the way for the wedding processional.
The only difference between the “wise” and the “foolish” bridesmaids is their preparedness for the job they are to fulfill. The issue is not that they fell asleep (since both groups do so); the issue is that the foolish slept to their shame, because they negligently do not realize they will not have enough oil.
One of the reasons we struggle with waiting is because we equate it with “inactivity” and as something that is keeping us from what we really should be doing. However, “waiting” in the Chrsitian life does not equal inactivity; there is meaningful work to be done in the waiting.
“Hoping does not mean doing nothing. It is not fatalistic resignation. It means going about our assigned tasks, confident that God will provide the meaning and the conclusions. It is not compelled to work away at keeping up appearances with a bogus spirituality. It is the opposite of desperate and panicky manipulations, of scurrying and worrying. And hoping is not dreaming. It is not spinning an illusion or fantasy to protect us from our boredom or our pain. It means a confident, alert expectation that God will do what he said he will do.” ~ Eugene Peterson
II. The Arrival of the King (25:6-12)
All of a sudden, there is a “cry” that the groom has finally arrived (cf. 1 Thess. 4:16). Jesus has promised his return, though delayed, will be sudden and unexpected (cf. Matt. 24:42-44).
All of the bridesmaids rise to begin to “trim” their lamps in preparation, but the foolish now realize they are in trouble. The wise refusing to share with the foolish is not an act of selfishness, as there is not enough oil to share. Jesus is warning that each individual is accountable to the King; preparation cannot be borrowed or transferred from another.
For the wise who were prepared for his coming, the arrival of the groom is an occasion for great celebration and joy. This is the moment that God’s people are anticipating and longing for. Titus 2:13: “…waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
“We accompany him, we enter his eternal wedding banquet with him, at his side, cleansed from all our accumulated misdoings, freed from our bondage to the power of sin, in fellowship with the Lord Jesus in all his splendor, the one who has loved us even unto death and hell, who comes again to receive those who belong to him.” ~ Fleming Rutledge
For the unprepared and foolish bridesmaids, the arrival of the groom is a sober reminder of judgment. While they were out scrambling for oil, the doors to the marriage celebration were shut. They are separated from the relational presence of the groom, who claims he doesn’t know them (cf. Matt. 7:22-23).
We will be prepared for what we value, and this parable forces us to ask the question: Do we value the things of the Kingdom? Does our preparation reveal a deep concern for the things of God?
III. Staying Alert for the King (25:13)
Jesus concludes this parable by urging: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” “Watch” has the connotation of staying alert, being awake, and being vigilant. Jesus is calling his disciples to be spiritually prepared as they await the King and the Kingdom in its fullness.
Jesus is warning that if we try and wait until his return (or when difficult seasons come) that it is too late. We must have a “storehouse of readiness” to withdraw from in our time of need.
How do we practically “stay alert” as we wait for the King to come?
1. We must abide in him
1 John 2:28: And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
The Groom remarks: “I do not know you” to the foolish bridesmaids who attempt to enter the feast after being unprepared. This is a bit of dramatic storytelling, but the warning is clear: we must prepare by spending time with Jesus.
We’ve been given the means of grace to abide (lit. “live with”) the King until he returns: the word of God, prayer, corporate worship, and the community of the saints.
2. We must prepare with endurance in mind
The foolish bridesmaids would have been fine if the groom arrived on time; it was the delay that revealed they were not ready. In the same way, disciples of Jesus must be more concerned about our lights burning long with endurance rather than hot and bright, but fizzling out quickly.
We need to embrace the daily habits and practices of the Christian life as preparing us for the long-haul and for perseverance in the faith, as we stay connected to the source of the flame. The means of grace are not always easy or enjoyable, but they are forming us more into Christ so we are prepared for his promised arrival.
“This is Christ, who continually with the oil of his grace, maintains the work already begun in the heart by the means of which… the souls of his people prove still gracious. You saw that the man stood behind the wall to maintain the fire. That is to teach you it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of grace is maintained in the soul.” ~ John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress
3. We must remember who we are
The foolish bridesmaids lost sight of the important job they had: they were servants who were to light the way for the procession of the groom.
We – like these bridesmaids- are called to light the way for the groom. We bring the light of the gospel into the dark world, pointing people to the King who is also the Groom who has made a covenant to never leave his people through a covenant purchased at the price of his own blood. Are you prepared and ready for the kingdom that is to come?
