The King s Bridesmaids Matthew 25:1-13 Introduction

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1 Introduction Regret. It seems to small a word to describe the ocean of emotion. Do you have any regrets? About the person you married or failed to marry? About the career you chose or failed to chose? Did you buy Apple or Amazon or Disney stock before it reached record highs? Do you regret not saving your childhood comic collection? We all make choices. We make choices about how we will spend our lives. Arthur Brisbane wrote; Regret for time wasted can become a power for good in the time that remains, if we will only stop the waste and the idle, useless regretting. Most of us have experienced lost opportunities. For some a lost opportunity is as simple and painless as driving past the garage sale down the street. For others it is the tragic decision to postpone the one and only source of salvation from sin. This parable is about the worst kind of lost opportunity. I believe each person on earth is given opportunity to repent of sin and trust Christ as Savior. No one on Judgment Day will rightly or honestly claim innocence or make a persuasive case to Jesus that there was insufficient evidence to admit their own sin and need for a Savior. In the last chapter Jesus answers the questions of the sign of His coming and The End of the Age (Matt. 24:3). Jesus described The Signs that precede His Coming. Jesus describes times of Apostasy (24:4-5;11); people being led astray (24:11); anarchy (24:6-8); apathy and affliction for the saints (24:9-10). Jesus made it clear that He would return literally, bodily; that His Coming would be both certain and secret. He was coming to reward the righteous and punish the wicked. A shift in emphasis is seen in chapter 24:45-51 as Jesus speaks of a delay in coming. Even though Jesus is really coming back, we can expect delays but also must prepare ourselves for Him to come at any moment. Jesus spoke of obedient and disobedient servants (24:45-51). The disobedient servant substituted urgency and expectancy for carnality and brutality towards others and selfishness in living. Something went terribly wrong in the wicked servant s heart! He ceased to expect his Master s return and began to live his life as if his future didn t matter. If we learned anything at all, we learned that we should love the appearing of Jesus Christ, and that His appearing should motivate us to be faithful, obedient and loving! For the Christian, failure to be faithful and obedient and loving results in a loss of reward and a loss of opportunity. Now Jesus likens the Kingdom of God to ten virgins. The person who enters the Kingdom must be prepared. The ultimate form of preparation for the lost is to make sure you have secured salvation. We must be saved from sin, from guilt, from our rebellion against God by trusting Christ as our Savior. Marriage requires preparation. In the Scriptures the Church is called The Bride of Christ. Being married to Jesus requires that we be saved (vv.1-13); that we be responsible stewards (vv.14-30) and that we be practical servants (vv.31-46). The Bridesmaids (vv.1-5) Matthew 25:1 5 (NKJV) 1

2 1 Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Ancient oriental weddings were very different from our own. In the time of Jesus a wedding had three elements: (1) The first element included the arrangement by the parents of the bride and groom. Children did not pick their partners! Parents picked the partners! (2) The second element consisted of the traditional ceremony; when the bridegroom accompanied by his friends, would proceed from his home to the home of the bride and claim her as his own (Walvoord, p.196). This was often referred to as the time of betrothal. The couple would exchange promises and vows in the presence of family and friends. At this point the couple are considered married and cannot terminate the legal contract absent death or legal divorce. If the husband died during this period of betrothal the wife was considered to be a widow. The betrothal could last a few days, or months or perhaps as long as a year. During this time the husband found a job, established a home, suitable for his bride. During the betrothal period the couple did not live together or consummate their marriage; they remained celibate. (3) The element of the marriage was the ceremony of the marriage feast, celebrated in the home of the Bridegroom. The Lord Jesus wants everyone to be ready for His Second Coming. The Lord likens the Kingdom of Heaven to the events involved in a Wedding celebration. Weddings were the supreme social event in the rural villages of the Galilee. People would come from all over the village or the area to celebrate the joyous event. Then makes reference to his unexpected coming in power and glory. Was the world ready for Jesus at His first coming? In depends on who you ask. Many people looked with great anticipation at the coming of the Messiah. Zealots looked for a political ruler who would deliver from the yoke of bondage brought by Rome. Certain religious Jews were looking for the Jewish Messiah to substantiate their brand of Judaism. When Jesus came John writes (1:11); He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. People who rejected Jesus Christ as the Savior the first time had opportunity to believe and repent. What about at His Second Coming? Will people believe and receive Christ as Savior? The disciples were surely familiar with Jewish wedding customs. The ten virgins or bridesmaids were the young ladies who accompanied the Bride. They are unmarried and pure. Who is the Bridegroom in the story? Jesus of course. Who are the ten virgins? The people who profess to know Jesus Christ at the time of His Second Coming. Jesus does not reveal the Bride s identity in the story. Could the Church be already raptured? Perhaps. We can only speculate. Does this parable take place prior to the rapture or during the Tribulation period? Again it depends on who you ask. Ten virgins take lamps and prepare to meet the Groom. The noun translated to meet means literally a meeting. The word was often used to describe a dignitary or important official visiting the region. The fact Jesus lists ten bridesmaids may be important. There were ten commandments given by Moses. It took ten men to form a Jewish assembly or synagogue. That is the place where weddings were celebrated. According to Josephus it took ten men to celebrate the Passover. Ten in the Scriptures speak of completion. The bridesmaids are virgins, the 2

3 custom of the day were the bridesmaids were to be chaste and pure. The word lamps probably is a reference to torches. The same word is translated torches that describes the Temple guards who come to arrest Jesus later (John 18:3). The torches served several purposes. You used the torch to light the way but it also served to set apart the bridal party. The people carrying the torches were special participants in the wedding celebration (much like our wedding party). This is why it was important for each bridesmaid or virgin to have a torch (participation in the celebration). Who are they? These are the people who claim or profess to Jesus Christ and who claim to love His appearing (parousia). Outwardly all ten virgins appear the same! They have on the proper wedding garments and possess the torch. 2Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. But they really aren t the same. This is one of the main points of the parable. Five are wise. Five are foolish. Does the fact that Jesus declares five wise and five foolish mean anything? I think so. The divide between the believer and the make-believer might be larger than we imagine. In the world there are a billion plus people who claim Christ as Savior. Are all professors in Christ possessors of Christ? 3Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. The foolish virgins took their torches but had no oil. They had nothing that would give combustion or light or heat to the torch. A torch that won t light serves no purpose. This is like having a flashlight with no batteries! This is like the person who says they are a Christian they go to Church, they carry a Bible, they have fellowship with the Saints, but there is no light, no burning passion inside. You must have a saving relationship with Jesus. Notice I did not say you must have a burning in your bosom! If you simply know about Jesus but do not know Jesus as Savior you remain in spiritual darkness. The wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps (v.4). The wise possessed the oil. They were not simply professors, they were possessors. What is this oil? Oil in the Bible sometimes speaks of anointing, sometimes it speaks of the Holy Spirit or the presence of the Holy Spirit. I think this oil speaks of light and preparation that allows participation in the celebration! This person is born again by the power of the Holy Spirit or born from the Spirit on High. You may remember another parable of another wedding where Jesus condemns the guest who fails to wear the proper wedding garment (Matthew 22:11-13). The man was cast out because he would not do the one thing the King required; to wear the wedding garment that was provided by the King. Five of the bridesmaids did not have sufficient supplies of oil for their torches. They had a form of godliness but no power. They had no real spiritual life because they did not really belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. 3

4 2 Timothy 3:5; having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! Is it possible to believe in Jesus, go to church and read your Bible and not be saved? Many people are committed to religion or a denomination they are loyal like a fan is loyal to the home team. They embrace Christ religiously, socially or politically or dare I say emotionally! Or even intellectually but they have never been again by the power of God or the Spirit of God? They are torches without oil. They are clouds without rain. They are trees without fruit. It is impossible to deceive the Lord. But is it possible to be self-deceived? The Lord knows His own. The Lord Jesus knows the true spiritual condition of the human heart. Jesus knows who has a believing heart, a prepared heart, an expectant heart. What is the condition of your heart? This parable presents the problem of the make-believer! A make-believer is a professor but not a possessor. Like wheat and tares they have the outward resemblance to the true believer but inside lack the ability to provide true spiritual nourishment. You might be thinking; You mean it is not good enough to simply acknowledge the existence of God, the existence of Christ, the existence of a Bible, the existence of the Church, the existence of the gospel? You must be saved. You must trust Christ personally. Believe and receive Christ. You must be willing to acknowledge your sin and your need for a Savior. You must possess Jesus. He must possess you. You must rely on Jesus and Jesus alone as the solution to your sin and your standing before God. It would appear that there will be real and counterfeit Christians right up to the return of Jesus Christ. But while the Bridegroom was delayed (v.5) they all slumbered and slept. This reinforces the idea of urgency and expectancy. The timing of the coming of Jesus is unknown. The coming of Jesus may seem delayed from a human perspective; but not from God s perspective. The Coming of Christ is right on schedule. Jesus may have been giving His disciples a little hint; the Coming of Christ may not be as soon as you want, but it will be sooner than you think. Jesus says they all slumbered and slept. I don t believe this means they were lazy or illprepared or faithless. All of them got drowsy. All of them slept. Not even the faithful saints will know the day or the hour. The sleep of the foolish bridesmaids might suggest their false confidence, whereas the sleep of the prudent ones could suggest their genuine security and rest in the Lord (MacArthur p. 88). The prepared as well as the unprepared continue in their daily duties. They eat and drink and sleep. It is not the external activities but the internal condition of the heart that matters most. Are you prepared on the inside to meet Jesus? The Bridegroom (vv.6-12) 6 And at midnight a cry was heard: Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him! 7Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. In the parable the bridegroom comes when all are fast asleep. They are awakened by a midnight cry (the voice of an archangel or the trumpet of God?). The people of Israel began to leave 4

5 Egypt at midnight (see Exodus 12:29); And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of the livestock. All the bridesmaids knew the Bridegroom would be coming soon and they gathered a the bride s house waiting for him! All the bridesmaids knew the engagement period was no over; the betrothal period was coming to a close and the wedding festivities were about to begin! They did not know when he would come until they were awakened by a shout, Behold the Bridegroom. Come out to meet him. Look at verse 7. Whatever else this verse means, the virgins face to face the prospect of meeting the Bridegroom. This is where the proverbial rubber meets the road the moment of truth. Both the wise and the foolish, the prepared and the unprepared must face the Bridegroom. The trimming of the lamps or torches probably means the cutting of the ragged edges of the cloth and the dipping of the rags or soaking of the cloth in oil. At this point, the foolish virgins realize they have no oil in which to trim or dip their lamps. They have no way to keep the torch lit. 8And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. 9But 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. There are several important things that must be said about this portion of Scripture. Did the foolish virgins realize in advance that they had no oil? The answer is yes. Does the unbeliever or the make-believer realize their lost condition? Do they know they are without Jesus? I have to say yes! Why didn t the foolish virgins get oil before the Bridegroom arrived? We are not told. People have unlimited excuses to continue in rebellion, unbelief refusing to repent and trust Christ alone as Lord and Savior. We could spend several hours hearing excuses. I keep trying to find a life On my own, apart from You I am the king of excuses I've got one for every selfish thing I do Did they think they could to Heavenly Home Depot and get the oil? Did they think they could borrow the oil from true believers? That s what they try to do in verse 8. You can t borrow someone s else s real relationship with Christ. You can t borrow your mom s faith or your dad s faith or your friends s faith. You can t borrow someone s else s relationship with God. No reason is given for their negligence, no doubt because the reason is irrelevant. Because they had ample warning that the bridegroom was coming and had ample opportunity to be totally prepared for his arrival, noting could excuse their failure (MacArthur p. 90). And nothing will excuse your failure to embrace Christ. 5

6 Were the wise virgins hard hearted for refusing to share their oil? No because you can t share your regeneration with anyone else. Your salvation does not insure anyone else s salvation. You can t impart spiritual life. Only Christ can impart this life. Salvation is a direct gift from God through Christ in believing the Gospel. It is received by faith. Salvation is not like membership at Costco where you can loan your card to someone else. You can t transfer your salvation experience to someone else. The saved cannot become Saviors. We who receive saving grace cannot impart saving grace to others. When the unbeliever dies and faces God in judgment the intercession of the saints does no good. God will not change His mind. If you do not accept Jesus in this life you have no hope in the next life. There is no place where souls get a second chance to receive Christ as Savior. Note the end of the verse. Go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves. Salvation cannot be bought. The buying of the oil simply means securing salvation from the only source God Himself. There is no other name given under heaven where we must be saved. Isaiah illustrates this truth (55:1); Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. Paul wrote that he would gladly face eternal damnation if it would result in the salvation of his Jewish brethren (Rom. 9:3-4). But such a thing is not possible. People who build their eternal confidence on something apart from Christ and the gospel are doomed. 10And 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! 12But he answered and said, Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you. The door is shut. All the chances are gone. The stores are closed. The time is over. The opportunity to participate in the Wedding Celebration is past. Some people live in the painful delusion that they can get saved anytime they want. They can wait until after graduation. They can wait until after they have sowed their wild oats. They can wait until they get married, divorced or remarried. They can wait after they quit their job, they can wait after they quit drinking or drugging. They can wait until after they have drunk well from the cesspool of sin. You may think- How rude how unfair! Why doesn t Jesus give them a second chance? All they are guilty of is forgetting the oil! People apart from Christ will have the door shut before them. Listen to their cries for a second chance (v.11)! God please open the door let us in. Please God. We wore the garments. We carried the torch. We waited with the rest. We have no oil. Look at the reply Jesus gives; Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you. 6

7 Of course you know me. How could you not know me? That s me in the chair. I m in the front row at church. That s me in the spotlight loosing my religion. Jesus is not talking about someone s existence. Jesus is talking about someone s salvation. Whoever hears His Word and believes in Him has everlasting life and will not come into judgment but has passed from death to life. And this is eternal life. That they may know You and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17:3). Jesus Sounds The Alarm (v.13) 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Watch out. Stay alert. Wake up. Look up. Break up with sin. The Last Days according to Jesus will find His return unknown and unexpected. For the fifth time Jesus says watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming (see chapter 24:36; 42;44, 50). Catastrophe will precede His Coming; the rebuilding of a Jewish Temple; the appearance of an antichrist; the shaking of the planet. Conclusion Alfred Lord Tennyson used figures from this parable of the ten virgins in a song directed to the wicked Queen Guinevere, who learned too late the cost of sin: Late, late, so late, and dark the night and chill! Late, late, so late, but we can enter still. Too late, too late, ye cannot enter now. No light had we, for that we do repent; And, learning this, the Bridegroom will relent. Too late, too late, ye cannot enter now. No light, so late, and dark and chill the night! O let us in, that we may find the light. Too late, too late, ye cannot enter now. Have we not heard the Bridegroom is so sweet? O let us in, tho late, to kiss his feet! No, no, too late! Ye cannot enter now. But it s not too late for you! You can enter now. 7