Sermon Tone Analysis

Chapter 25

Read and summarize

The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide.

Additional material taken from sources listed at the end

Look for

— Prayers ( Blue )

— Promises ( Green )

— Warnings ( Red )

— Commands ( Purple )

The Signs of Christ’s Coming — Part 8, The Fate of the Unprepared (Waiting for Christ’s Return ) ( 25:1-13 )

( 25:1-13 ) “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.

— Jesus told the following parables to clarify further what it means to be ready for His return and how to live until He comes

— In the story of the ten virgins ( 25:1-13 ), we are taught the importance of being spiritually prepared to meet Christ when He returns to earth, because after He appears, unbelievers who are then alive will have no further chance for salvation

— The story of the ten talents ( 25:14-30 ) shows the necessity of using well what God has entrusted to us

— The parable of the sheep and goats ( 25:31-46) stresses the importance of serving others in need

— No parable by itself completely describes our preparation; instead, each paints one part of the whole picture

Ten Virgins

— This parable is about a wedding

— After chapter 12 Jesus only spoke in parables.

A parable is a word picture.

It is an elongated simile or metaphor.

It can be short or long.

Para means to lay alongside.

So it is a story laid alongside a truth to demonstrate their parallel realities.

— On the wedding day the bridegroom went to the bride’s house for the ceremony; then the bride and groom, along with the great procession, returned to the groom’s house where the feast took place, often lasting a week

— These virgins were waiting to join the procession, and they hoped to take part in the wedding banquet

— But when the groom didn’t come at the expected time, five of them were out of lamp oil

— By the time they had purchased the extra lamp oil, it was too late to join the feast

— When Jesus returns to take His people to heaven, we must be ready

— Spiritual preparation cannot be bought or borrowed at the last minute

— Our relationship with God must be our own

Going Deeper

A Jewish marriage consisted of three parts

Part One was the engagement

— This was arranged by the father of the bride and groom and amounted to a contract

— The couple had little, if any, direct involvement

Part Two was the betrothal

— The bride and groom exchanged vows in the presence of family and friends

— At that point the couple was considered married and could only be broken by divorce

— If the husband died during the betrothal the bride was considered a widow

— At this point the marriage has not been physically consummated and the couple has not lived together

Part Three the wedding feast

— The feast could last a week

— It began with the groom coming with his groomsmen to the bride’s house

— Together the bride and groom and their attendants would parade through the streets; the procession was generally begun at night, and lamps and torches were used by the wedding party to illuminate their way and to attract attention

— At the end of the feast period, a close friend of the groom, who was like a best man, would take the hand of the bride and place it in the hand of the groom, and the couple would be for the first time left alone together

Jesus’ focus

— As the parable unfolds, Jesus focuses first on the bridesmaids, then on the bridegroom, and finally on the warning that the parable is given to reinforce

Q: What is the primary lesson of the parable of the ten virgins ( 25:1-5 )?

The Bridesmaids ( 25:1-5 )

( 25:1-5 ) “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

— Jews considered the number ten as representing completion

— The attendants were virgins because it was the custom that bridesmaids be chaste young women who had never been married

— The bridegroom is Christ Himself

— The ten virgins are professed disciples of Christ who claim to love the prospect of His appearing and who demonstrate outward readiness for entrance into His kingdom

— In appearance the ten were indistinguishable (remember the tares & the wheat 13:24)

— They were all dressed appropriately in wedding garments and all had the required torch to carry in the wedding procession

— But they are not all alike, which is the point of the parable

— A torch without fuel is worthless, and a profession of faith in Jesus Christ without a saving relationship to Him is infinitely more worthless, because one is left in spiritual darkness (cf. 2 Tim 3:5; James 2:17 )

Q: Who is the Bridegroom and what time did He come ( 25:6-12)?

The Bridegroom ( 25:6-12 )

( 25:6-12 ) “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.’

— At midnight most people are typically deep in sleep, just as the bridesmaids were

— The bridegroom’s arrival at that time underscores the unexpectedness of Christ’s return

— The foolish bridesmaids had no oil

— It was not that they were unaware; they were unconcerned

— They had ample opportunity; they knew He was coming; nothing can excuse their failure

— The point of the wise bridesmaid’s response was not that they were selfish; their own oil was not... enough to share

— Just as one person cannot transfer physical life to another person, neither can he share spiritual life

— When the Lord appears at the end of the Tribulation, many professed Christians will frantically realize their lack of spiritual life

— They will not have heeded Paul’s advice to the Corinthians, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.

Test yourselves.

Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”

( 2 Cor 13:5 )

Going Deeper

— All of the bridesmaids knew the groom would be coming soon and they were gathered at the bride’s house waiting for him

— They were well aware that the engagement and betrothal periods were over and that the final festivities were about to begin

— But they did not know precisely when He would arrive

— In the same way, people living during the end of the tribulation will have seen all the signs of His coming and will know that His appearing is imminent

— But they will not know the moment of His arrival until they see Him “coming on the clouds of the sky” ( 24:30 )

In the parable of the ten virgins ( 25:1-13 ), we see the importance of being spiritually prepared to meet Christ when He returns to earth, because after He appears, unbelievers who are then alive will have no further chance join the wedding procession (in this case a symbol of salvation).

This is much like the time of Noah when he "preached" for 100 years, then the flood came and it was too late.

(xref Genesis 6 and Matthew 24:38).

There comes a time when it is too late to be ready for Jesus return.

What does it take to be ready?

The story of the ten virgins uses as an example the necessity of having "oil for their lamps" (having the Holy Spirit) as a prerequisite to join the wedding procession.

The Bible speaks of oil, (usually olive oil) over 200 times.

The connection as a metaphor of the Holy Spirit’s presence and action is clear in the ritual of anointing prophets, priests, and kings.

For example, when the prophet-judge Samuel anointed David with oil to be the new king of Israel, the next statement is that “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward” (1 Sam 16:13 nasb).

This leads us to the conclusion that having the Holy Spirit (oil for the lamps) is essential for becoming ready to meet Jesus.

What does this mean for us?