The Gospel of Matthew: Pastoral Thoughts on the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)

I find the content of the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24 -25) intriguing, interesting and challenging to properly interpret. The Apostle Paul’s instruction to Timothy is quite personal for me; as a pastor and seminary professor. I desire to accurately preach and teach God’s Word. I do not want to lead anyone astray. I do not want to make a mistake.

Therefore, I began to seek out godly men of whom I respect and highly value as sound teachers. I wanted to know their thoughts on the various genre’s contained in Jesus’ discourse regarding His return. What follows are some selected comments which proved helpful for me, and I trust for you pertaining to the Parable of the Ten Virgins. May you be encouraged.

“Parables are meant to communicate one main point. The main point here is: A people of God are being instructed about how to get ready to meet the bridegroom. The bride doesn’t even show up in this parable. But we may, then, collapse it into other teachings and say: Okay, we treat this as the bride, even though they are ten virgins leading the bridegroom into the bridal chamber. So, don’t stumble over these details. Go for the main, central thing,” explains Dr. John Piper.

Matthew 25:2–4, “Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.” All ten of them had a job to do. They had lamps. The lamps were supposed to be ready, ignited when he comes. Light. “Prepare the way of the Lord” (Matthew 3:3, quoting Isaiah 40:3). He is coming. Light your lamps. Lead him in. This is their job. This is a job. These ten women have a job to do, and they are supposed to be ready to do it. That is the situation.”

“Five of them are foolish. They are not taking seriously their calling to give light. They are neglecting the only means by which their lamps can do any good. What good is a lamp in that culture which has no oil to burn so it can make light? Their job was to provide light when he comes. If they go off, they are candles without wicks, as it were, light bulbs with no electricity, lamps with no sufficient oil, torches with no fire.“

“They liked their position. They could have left if they didn’t like it. They liked being lamp carriers. “I have a lamp. I have a lamp. I have a shiny lamp” — with no attention to its emptiness. Their foolishness was to think that mere religious form was sufficient. Their foolishness was to think that power for light can be borrowed in the last minute. Have you ever heard anybody talk about getting saved like that? “I will just wait. I will just wait.” That is really dangerous,” states Dr. Piper.

A college friend of mine said those words to me when I shared the Gospel to him. I was a new believer in Christ. He listened to what I said but then remarked he would wait until he was about to die, and then he would receive Christ as his Savior and Lord. He wanted to go to heaven and did not want to go to hell. However, he also did not want to live for Christ while on earth. He enjoyed the pleasures of sin too much.

That conversation occurred some 50 years ago. I often think about Frank and wonder if he is still alive. I also wonder if the Lord’s grace broke through his heart of stone and turned it into a heart of flesh. What about you?

Soli deo Gloria!