No one wants others to think they are foolish. A foolish person is one who lacks good sense or judgment. They are unwise in their decision-making. Their thinking process seems to be short-sited, thinking only of what they want now. They are usually irresponsible and take the attitude “it will never happen to me.” We all, at some point in life, have been foolish people.
In Matthew 25:1-13, we have the parable of 10 virgins waiting on their groom. They are representative of the bride of Christ, the church, and Jesus is the bridegroom. They are waiting for the groom to come and get them to attend the marriage. Five of the virgins were foolish, and five were wise. They all had the same opportunity, but what they did with that opportunity made the difference.
Matthew 25:1-2 “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.”
They all took their lamps with them. It must have been approaching dark, or they took them anticipating darkness to come. We see that five of them were foolish. They convinced themselves that the groom would not tarry long, and they would be ok. They would be ok if the groom did what they thought He would do. They were deciding how it would be as if they were in charge. They made no provision for their miscalculation of the time of the return. As time progressed, they all became sleepy and all went to sleep. While they were asleep the foolish virgins’ oil burned up. At midnight the announcement was made, “Behold the bridegroom cometh, go out and meet Him.” I can imagine the scurrying around of the ten as they rubbed the sleep out of their eyes and gathered their lamps to meet the groom. Five of them had no problem, they were prepared. These five were the wise ones who took extra oil with them. They did not know the hour of the grooms coming and they certainly didn’t want to miss him, so they took, what I call, a “just in case package.” They looked ahead and prepared. They were making sure they had enough oil to last until the bridegroom came. When the sound came at midnight the foolish wanted to borrow from the wise, and they were told no. If we give our oil to you, we may not have enough. Go and buy what you need.
Matthew 25:3-9 “They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 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.”
There are a few things we don’t want to share with others. We don’t share our toothbrush, we don’t share chewed gum, and we don’t share our Blue Bell ice cream (it’s too good to share). While there are a few things we don’t want to share, there is one thing we can’t share. We cannot share our ticket to Heaven. It’s not a buy one, get one deal. It is an individual decision that we each make and each of us must protect and keep that decision. While the foolish wanted to be ready when the groom came, they were not. Their preparation was short-sited, and they were unprepared. They go to purchase oil for their lamps, but when they return the door was locked and they could not enter. The groom would not open the door. Their opportunity was gone, and their fate was sealed.
Matthew 25:10-12 “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. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.”
Jesus used this parable to teach us to be ready for His return. Only the Father knows when He will return. We must always be ready and watching. Growing up my Father seemed to always be prepared for whatever came along. He never allowed his gas tank to get below a quarter of a tank, he always had plenty of food in the house, and there was always a stockpile of wood for the fireplace and fuel for the furnace.
Are you fueled up and ready for the return of Christ? Do you study to keep yourself ready? Do you follow His commands to watch and pray? Many will not be ready for His return. Many “good” people plan to give their hearts to Christ before they die, but death catches them unprepared. We don’t know when our last breath will be, and we don’t know when He will return. We need to be ready at all times.
Matthew 25:13 “Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
