Jesus continues the Discourse through chapter 25, which consists of three parables, the first of which we’ll take a look at in a moment. Before we do, I think it would be helpful for us to review what a parable is. A parable is a story that someone tells to convey a moral or ethical lesson in most cases, but it can also convey other lessons. Most of the time parables are used to help someone see a difficult situation without any confrontation, and Jesus used a lot of parables. Parables are never understood to be intended literally; even a literal method of interpretation recognizes the metaphorical nature of a parable. Normally, there is a person or thing in the story that represents the listener, from whom or which the listen may gain insight into their own situation.
Remember: Parables are never to be taken literally.
In this text, there are several elements to consider: There is a bridegroom, there are virgins, lamps, light, darkness and oil. Finally, there is a wedding feast. When the bridegroom finally comes for His bride, only half of the 10 virgins are prepared for his arrival. It is a dark night, and they must light their lamps as they hasten out into the darkness to meet the groom, but those who are unprepared do not have enough lamp oil for their lamps to remain lit, so they rush off to the store to buy some, while the other five go out to meet the bridegroom. He sees their light and comes running to them, and they all go into the wedding feast together. Sadly, the ones who were not prepared are late and are not recognized when they try to enter the banquet.
Now then, aren’t you glad you aren’t trying to take this parable literally? If you were, you’d have the dubious honor of explaining the ethics of a groom who is scheduled to marry ten women at once!
Back to the story: The bridegroom represents Jesus, who is returning after a long absence to the scene; the second coming. The virgins represent His Bride, the Church. The oil represents preparedness. The darkness represents this dark world, devoid as it is of the light which is His Truth. The lamps represent His Bride, the Church, shining the light of His Truth to a dark world. The wedding feast represents the union of Christ and His Church in eternity upon His return.
Jesus’ last line here is telling: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (13)
Those virgins who were prepared for the bridegroom’s return: Were they watching for signs, or were they watching for the Bridegroom?
The answer is that they made sure they were prepared at any and every moment of every day, in case he should come for them, and they watched for his coming. The ones who were not prepared were looking for signs so they would know when to get ready.
If Jesus returns today, will we be ready?
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“The ones who were not prepared were looking for signs so they would know when to get ready.” Very telling and insightful. Paul said we should examine our hearts to see if we are of the faith. The first, prepared, were looking for their groom in anticipation. Bags packed, so to speak, ready to leave at a moments’ notice. The unprepared did not have a heart for the wait. They were distracted and off track. They were part of the fringe but not the family.
Amen!
Good thought.
Although I would say it is not so dubious or difficult to explain ten wives for that time in history. Even for the literalists the idea of being prepared for the second coming or for the coming of individual judgment is pretty clear, isn’t it?
One might suspect that Jesus condoning the notion of one man marrying ten women at one time might somehow conflict with His teachings on marriage… not to mention the Law. 🙂 As for your other point, I suppose that would depend on which teacher we’re talking about.
My reading of this has been of ten bridesmaids. Those peeps knew how to party!! And the bride would be tucked up inside waiting out of sight. Those peeps knew how to conservative!! Not sure Jesus was plucking any moral guitar strings. Simply weaving a parable around how the peeps did weddings. Doesn’t change the parable, merely the height of eyebrows raised?? 🙂
It isn’t a moral thing, since it isn’t literal. 🙂
BUT… it continues a picture of our relationship with God that starts in Genesis in which marriage is a picture of that relationship, and that continues here, as in Paul’s writing, and winds up in Rev. 19… it’s a beautiful picture, and might be why so many folks are so sensitive when we discuss the nature of what marriage is today. Naturally, the multiple “virgins” in Matt. 25 mirror the corporate “church” being the bride of Christ… it isn’t me or you or him, it’s all of us.
I am ready for Him to return and working to get others ready. If His return was soon 2000 years ago, how much sooner will it be today? Live ready. Thanks for the post.
Thanks Tom; well said!
This parable is just too weird. I have never felt I well understood it, but I suppose that’s not unusual. Even though Jesus always seemed a bit disappointed when his apostles did not get the meaning of his parables, He always took the trouble to explain them. So I guess all we can do study, pray, say what we think they mean, and listen to what others have to say.
Like you I could not figure out why any sane man would want to marry ten women at the same time. Even in a parable that sounds crazy. So I have tended blow off this parable — not good thing when it is the Bible. When I read your interpretation, I decided it was time to do a bit of online research. Thank you for the prodding.
I guess you got the basic thrust of the parable. However, when paulfg calls the ten virgins “ten bridesmaids” (on August 1, 2014 at 1:45 pm) he may have a point.
It is easy to find commentaries on Matthew 25:1-13 that call the ten virgins the brides of the bridegroom. Some people even use this parable to suggest that Jesus did not frown on polygamy. Nonetheless, others point to the Jewish wedding customs of that era. These think that given those customs Jesus’ audience would have understood these virgins were friends of the bride, not brides of the bridegroom.
What about the text itself? With respect to this question, the various Bible translations I looked at don’t help much. They all repeat essentially the same story (as they should), but as I read the text more carefully I did notice one detail I think important. What the five unprepared virgins missed is the wedding feast. Was that a euphemism for being married to the bridegroom? Why use a confusing euphemism?
Unfortunately, if we see the ten virgins as bridesmaids, that also leads to a bit of confusion. Because we are the Church, we want to see the ten virgins as representative of the Church (at least those five virgins who were prepared). Yet Jesus’ audience would have had no such concern. When Jesus gave this parable, the Church still did not exist. So I am not even certain we should equate the five prepared virgins with the church, but that interpretation seems common. Therefore, I probably need to think more about the context of this passage.
Anyway, this parable make my head ache, and it is bed time.
As an aside, can you imagine how the apostles managed to listen to Jesus for three years? There is no doubt they had a wonderful experience, but they also must have spent endless hours trying to unravel His parables and teachings.
Is it any wonder that people speak of becoming a Christian as being born again? That’s the point when the Bible BEGINS to start making sense. As a Christian, we have a lamp with oil in it.
Tom and Paul! I am so sorry that I dropped in that little wisecrack… 🙂
Let’s not forget that this is a parable and that as such it is not intended to be taken literally, and so whether or not they are brides, bridesmaids or merely invited guests is irrelevant… forget about it!
Tom, I mentioned this in my reply to Paul, but consider the parable as an extension of the picture of marriage as the illustration of our relationship with God, going all the way back to Genesis, and carrying through the NT and ending up in Rev. 19. Paul really nails it down in Eph 5:21 ff. while talking about marriage. Notice how Paul ends the discussion:
“29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”
He ties it back to Genesis “for this reason a man will leave…” Jesus said that in reference to the Genesis account in the Sermon on the Mount, and going forward, Paul tells us that this whole discussion of how man and wife are to relate is really about Christ and the Church… oh and by the way, husbands really should love their wives… see that in the last verse?
In the Bible, the whole business of bridegrooms, virgins and banquets is a “type” of the relationship between Christ and the Church from Genesis to Revelation… so when Jesus teaches a parable about this, it is naturally understood as such. *Maybe we need a “Bonus Post”!)
There is nothing to apologize for. If a marriage between one guy and twelve virgins does not deserve a wisecrack, what does?
The reason we have so many different Christian sects is that too many of us will not discuss and work through our different interpretations of the Bible. Here our differences are small. As you say, whether the virgins are brides, bridesmaids or merely invited guests is irrelevant to the main point.
Unfortunately, we have a tendency to be selective about which facts we consider relevant to the main point. Thus, some people use this parable as an endorsement of polygamy. Hence, that is my “excuse” (not that I really need one) for discussing this passage (really the historical context).
After checking further, I have found some translations that use the expression “bridesmaids” instead of “virgins.” I did a systematic search using the English translations at biblegateway.com. The translations that use the expression “bridesmaids” include the NRSV, CEB, CJB, EXB, GW, PHILLIPS, TLB, NOG, NCV, NIRV, NRSVA, NRSVACE, NRSVCE, RSV, RSVCE, and the VOICE. Many, as you can see, are variations of the RSV. Since I own a copy of the NRSV, I decided to check it. When I realized it uses the expression “bridesmaids” I decided to look more carefully at the other English translations at biblegateway.com.
With the exception of the NRSV, I almost never use those other translations. Moreover, I read the NRSV with more skepticism than any other translation I generally use. Nevertheless, Matthew Henry (and I guess we would both agree Henry knew his Bible) includes this brief paragraph in his thoughtful and very detailed commentary on The Parable of the Ten Virgins (or Bridesmaids).
I suspect you have read Henry’s commentary on this passage, but I had not until this morning. It is funny, but the more I study the Bible the easier it gets. For example, I use to find Henry’s commentaries bewildering. Now, as I read his commentary on this passage, I realized I was reacting with delighted surprise, realizing Henry was showing me aspects of the passage I had not noticed before.
Anyway, thanks again for inducing me to study this passage. I look forward to your Bonus Post.
Hey Tom!
If I’ve encouraged people to think, study and go deeper, than I’ve done what I set out to do; thanks for that! It’s kind of fun to look at how these words are translated because not only are there insights to be gained as to the actual meaning of a text, but there are insights to be gained as to the viewpoints of the translators themselves, and this is a great example. Bride, bridesmaid..? The Greek wod being translated is “parthenos” and you’ll never guess what it actually means… it means “virgin” or “a marriageable maiden” so all of this is a matter of interpretation based upon presupposition. However we care to view it, the outcome is the same!
Love this! Oh hallelujah I am ready for Him!!!
Me too!
Some have thought that our Lord’s final words to the foolish virgins could hardly have been spoken to believers when he said… “I do not know you.” In the Gospel of John, Jesus said, “I know my sheep and they know me.” In this parable, when Jesus says I know you, what he is saying is “I see you”. Jesus is looking out of the brightly lit banquet hall into the dense spiritual darkness outside. And in that darkness, they should have been shining like the wise virgins…as burning and shining lights. But because of the lack of the infilling of the Spirit, their light was quenched and they could not be recognized in the darkness. And so Jesus says… “I do not see you.” They were practically indistinguishable from the unbelievers around them because they have neglected to seek the provision of the oil of the Holy Spirit’s infilling presence.
Nicely put!
The last time I read this parable the thing that really stood out to me was the fact that the five wise virgins could not share their oil with the foolish. We can’t make someone else ready, and we can’t rely on someone else to be prepared for us!
So true!
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