"Five of them were foolish, and five were wise."
Read: Matthew 25:1-12
The parable of the ten virgins
Do you think anyone today would have been bold enough to talk to the five foolish bridesmaids about how they've been managing their walk with Jesus? Can the churches and the pulpits even bring it up anymore?
What's the problem?
They didn't take enough oil.
What is the oil?
Let's begin by saying that these bridesmaids are disciples carrying the the gospel of light. They're companions, children of God, not unbelievers. Their main purpose is to attend to Jesus Christ the bridegroom and his gospel. And these believing disciples must take every precaution that they are not deceived by the appearance of false Christs. They do this by knowing and understanding God's word. Disciples must be sure they are ready at all times for Christ’s return. Not only having a lamp (belief), but keeping it filled with oil ( the works of The Holy Spirit), lit, and held forth to light the way. They shouldn't be alarmed or caught off guard by the times and tribulations. This oil lamp business is literally about faithfulness in light of the end. It's what's meant by the term "in Christ".
The oil is the Holy Spirit enlightening us with the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is mentioned in the parable that the oil is to be purchased. Hmmm 🤔 Purchased. It's not by osmosis? Which means that a price is to be paid to obtain the oil. What is that price? Obviously these five virgins didn't take the walk to the dealers to get the oil. You've got to walk the walk, take the time. And having not traveled to the marketplace they couldn't have purchased the word with their time and energy. They have no gospel principle within them. They have the profession, but no heart for his word. Instead they act under the influence of external inducements. They ride on the waves of the Christian culture, all oatmeal but no salt.
The five virgins without the oil represent easy believeism followers of spiritual influencers. They enjoy the benefits of a Christian community without an abiding love for Christ's word and Holy Spirit. They're like the masses who flocked to Jesus when the crowds were excited and vast. And when the darkness came they ran off. When Jesus began teaching about hard times and hard truths, they left. And many joined later with the crowds that cried "crucify him!"
The world is a dark place, the believers need more than a belief in what someone told them about being a part of the wedding march, they need the light of God's word to help them light their way to the wedding. We're living behind enemy lines and we don't know at what time our Lord will return. So we're going to need to keep our own light bright, so that when he does return, we can find own our way.
What does that mean, "find our own way"?
The imagery being used in this parable is that of a wedding precession ultimately leading the bride to the wedding feast and the presense of the bridegroom. As the wedding party is walking along, each has his or her own lamp. Everyone has a lamp and it's that lamp light that signifies for each of the party-goers their right to entry into the wedding feast. Some people follow along without an oil lamplight, or maybe they've fashioned together a temporary torchlight made out of a stick and some rags and pitch they've picked up along the way, they're called party-crashers. And the door closes very quickly on them.
Suddenly life is empty— no oil!
There is no time to begin again.
Without warning the end has come. Life narrows in around us. Great walls of regret begin to slowly press in on us. And the whole time we keep hearing that voice on the other side of the door, “I do not know you.”
The gospel writer Matthew had no doubts about the fate of these five virgins who had no oil. “...these will go away into eternal punishment,” he says at the end of chapter 25.
I believe that eternal punishment is the darkness of chaos without the light. Walls crushing in around us, narrowing our choices, no more oil to purchase, no more time to take. The very thing we resisted getting for ourselves while we were walking in the benefit of the lights of others. Now it's dark, and the only word we hear is, “I do not know you?”.
This is hell.
Silence, but for your own breath and heartbeat. Silence, but for your teeth grinding in anger. Silence, but for those words, “I do not know you?”