During a prayer time just before Hanukkah–the Festival of Light, the following story Yeshua taught came to my mind:
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
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.’
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.
11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’
12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” – Matthew 25:1-13
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, William Blake, ca. 1799–1800, watercolor, pen and black ink over graphite
In the parable of the ten virgins, Yeshua tells a story of a group of virgins, perhaps bridesmaids or torchbearers for a procession, chosen to participate in a wedding. Each of the ten virgins carries a lamp-torch as they expect the bridegroom to arrive at some point during the night. Five of the virgins are wise and have brought oil for their lamps. Five are foolish and have only brought their lamps. The parable of the Ten Virgins stresses the need for readiness in the face of uncertainty of the time of Messiah’s return. The actual day of his return will be unexpected and trouble-free, much like the days of Noah!
What does being alert look like? In Matthew 24:45-51 Yeshua describes the faithful and wise servants who know their task and are busy with it. They occupy themselves fulfilling their assigned mission while the master is gone. And because this is their normal routine, the master will find them faithful when he returns, even though the hour of his return is unknown.
The need for readiness brings to my mind stories I heard from my father, who was a fighter pilot during the Cold War. When they had a duty, they had to be ready to be off the ground and in the air in under sixty seconds, day or night, 24 hours a day. During a duty they were waiting in full gear, ready at a second’s notice for the enemy’s arrival. That’s readiness! Emergency services like doctors, firemen and others have to be ready for any crisis. When they have a duty they must be in a state of constant readiness, even when they sleep, because they don’t know the hour a crisis might happen. Just imagine what would have happened if the firemen at the fire station were drunk when the alarm went off! Or if an ambulance was out of gas and had a flat tire when an accident happened! Imagine the confusion and the excuses. I’m even tempted to write a comedy skit on the subject.
However the parable of the wise and foolish virgins is different, it’s not about an enemy’s coming, or crisis like an accident or fire. It speaks of the bridegroom’s arrival. The story is based on a Near Eastern wedding tradition. After the marriage ceremony at the bride’s home, a welcoming party escorts the newly-married couple to the bridegroom’s home for the reception. The attendants guide the procession with their lamps.
To be continued…
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