Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins M.Streich

The parable of the ten virgins, found in the Gospel of Matthew 25, 1-13, relates the story of a wedding night to the “kingdom of heaven.” Told by Jesus, the parable uses imagery recognizable in both Greek and Roman weddings. The action takes place at night and highlights the plight of ten virgins, five foolish and five wise. The parable lends itself to a number of so-called spiritual or meditative applications by contemporary Christians, but at the time of Christ, the details would have been more profound.

 

Preparation for the Coming of the Bridegroom

 

Ancient Mediterranean weddings, notably in Greece, featured the bridegroom arriving in the evening at the home of the bride in order to escort her to his house. Once there, a banquet would take place celebrating the wedding for all of the invited guests.

 

Roman wedding days also ended with the groom escorting the bride to his house in the evening, followed by festivities that could last for days. The reader is reminded of the wedding feast of Cana in John’s Gospel (chapter 2) during which the wine “gave out” on the third day.

 

Ancient Lamps Fueled by Oil

 

In the Matthew parable, ten virgins “took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” Each of the virgins had lamps. These small, hand-held lamps could hold enough oil for only one night. Five of the virgins took flasks of oil with them; they are described as “prudent.” The other five, however, brought no additional oil.

 

The Bridegroom is Delayed in the Parable of the Ten Virgins

 

The actual passage in Matthew 25 states that the bridegroom “was delaying.” It was his choice to arrive late. His delay was not caused by any unexpected actions. Was he testing the fidelity of his brides? The ten virgins, however, “began to sleep,” waiting for the bridegroom.

 

At “midnight” the word was given that the bridegroom was arriving. But the five “foolish” virgins had no oil and their lamps had extinguished. They asked the five prudent virgins to share their oil, but were told to “go instead to the dealers and buy for yourselves.” The sharing of precious oil was out of the question.

 

Unconditional Love and the Blindness of the Foolish Virgins

 

Christians are often at a loss for words by this advice. The five prudent virgins refused to share. They must have known that the five foolish virgins would never make it to the bridegroom’s house. The five prudent virgins persevered and planned ahead, but there was no contingency plan to assist fellow virgins in need of oil.

 

The parable seems to address the issue of unconditional love as well. Surely the bridegroom could have provided for the foolish virgins if they were betrothed to him, but he did not. He was betrothed to ten virgins, but only five were waiting for him.

 

The Wedding Feast Excludes the Foolish Virgins

 

When the bridegroom arrived, he took the five prudent virgins with him to his house. In the ancient world, this procession would have included invited wedding guests, following the wedding carriage aglow with torches of light. Once at the bridegroom’s house, the bride would be ceremonially taken into the dwelling and the guests would enter for a celebration.

 

Once the foolish virgins replenished their oil, they made their way to the bridegroom’s house, but the doors were closed. When they asked to be admitted, the bridegroom sent his answer: “I do not know you.” They missed their opportunity. The parable does not suggest what happened to them.

 

Message of the Parable of the Ten Virgins

 

Verse 13 of Matthew 25 summarizes the intent of Jesus’ story: “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day not the hour.” This can be applied in many ways. Some Christians apply it to the Second Coming of Christ. Others relate it to the everyday spiritual faith journey.

 

Some readers question the use of ten virgins for one bridegroom. Does this suggest plural marriage? Others note the actions of the five prudent virgins that refused to share their oil, knowing that sending out the foolish virgins to buy oil would decrease their chances of seeing and being escorted by the bridegroom.

 

But Jesus began the parable by comparing it to the Kingdom of Heaven. A literal reading and understanding of the parable demonstrates that not all will be at the final banquet, not all will be at the wedding feast. Another application might suggest that some who claim to be of God are hypocrites, whose personal agendas lead to a lack of oil in their lamps. Jesus seems to be asking, “have you enough oil to recognize the bridegroom?”

 

The final verse also indicates the mental and spiritual state of those seeking the Kingdom of heaven: since the time of the bridegroom is not known, it is important to be “on alert.”

 

Source:

 

New American Standard Bible (Chicago: Moody Press, 1973)