The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Notes
Transcript
Matthew 25:1-13 New King James Version
Matthew 25:1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Matthew 25:2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Matthew 25:3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
Matthew 25:4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Matthew 25:5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
Matthew 25:6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
Matthew 25:7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
Matthew 25:8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
Matthew 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
Matthew 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
Matthew 25:11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’
Matthew 25:12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour [in which the Son of Man is coming].
Normally the bridegroom with some close friends left his home to go to the bride’s home, where there were various ceremonies, followed by a procession through the streets—after nightfall—to his home. [1]
Six Specifics of Christ’s Return:
1. The return of Jesus may be longer than expected (Matthew 25:5).
a. Matthew 25:5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
i. 2 Peter 3:3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
ii. 2 Peter 3:4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
iii. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
2. The return of Jesus will be sudden and unexpected (Matthew 25:6).
a. Matthew 25:6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
i. Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
ii. Matthew 24:43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
iii. Matthew 24:44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
3. The key is to always be prepared for Christ’s coming (Matthew 25:2-4).
a. Matthew 25:2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
b. Matthew 25:3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
c. Matthew 25:4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
i. The portable torches for outdoor use would be bundles of cloth mounted on a carrying stick and soaked with oil. The jars held the oil into which the torch was dipped before lighting. A torch without a jar of oil was as useless as a modern flashlight without a battery.[2]
d. Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour [in which the Son of Man is coming].
4. No one else can be prepared for you (Matthew 25:7-9).
a. Matthew 25:7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
i. We do not know whether the torches had been lighted when the girls first set out, but if so they would not have stayed burning while they slept; even a well-soaked torch would not burn for much more than a quarter of an hour (Schweizer, 466). [3]
b. Matthew 25:8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
c. Matthew 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
5. Once Christ returns, it will be too late to prepare (Matthew 25:10-12).
a. Matthew 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
b. Matthew 25:11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’
c. Matthew 25:12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
i. Everyone in the procession was expected to carry his or her own torch. Those without a torch would be assumed to be party crashers or even brigands.[4]
ii. Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
iii. Matthew 7:23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
6. The only way to be prepared is to have a personal relationship with Jesus (Matthew 25:12).
a. Matthew 25:12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
[1] Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 513). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
[2] France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew (pp. 948–949). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co.
[3] France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 949). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co.
[4] Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 513). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.