Not back to normal (get ready)
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1 corinthians 11:23-26
23 Yo recibí del Señor lo mismo que les he enseñado a ustedes: Que la noche que fue entregado, el Señor Jesús tomó pan,
24 y que luego de dar gracias, lo partió y dijo: «Tomen y coman. Esto es mi cuerpo, que por ustedes es partido; hagan esto en mi memoria.»
25 Asimismo, después de cenar tomó la copa y dijo: «Esta copa es el nuevo pacto en mi sangre; hagan esto, cada vez que la beban, en mi memoria.»
26 Por lo tanto, siempre que coman este pan, y beban esta copa, proclaman la muerte del Señor, hasta que él venga.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
///
26. The Ten Virgins: What It Means to Be Ready (Matthew 25:1-13)
(Matthew 25:1-13 ).
1 »En aquel tiempo, el reino de los cielos será semejante a diez vírgenes que tomaron sus lámparas, y salieron a recibir al novio.
2 Cinco de ellas eran prudentes y cinco insensatas.
3 Las insensatas, tomaron sus lámparas, pero no llevaron aceite;
4 en cambio, las prudentes llevaron sus lámparas y también vasijas con aceite.
5 Como el esposo se demoró, todas cabecearon y se durmieron.
6 A la medianoche se oyó gritar: “¡Aquí viene el novio! ¡Salgan a recibirlo!”
7 Todas aquellas vírgenes se levantaron, y arreglaron sus lámparas.
8 Entonces las insensatas dijeron a las prudentes: “Dennos un poco de su aceite, porque nuestras lámparas se están apagando.”
9 Pero las prudentes les respondieron: “A fin de que no nos falte a nosotras ni a ustedes, vayan a los que venden, y compren para ustedes mismas.”
10 Pero mientras ellas fueron a comprar, llegó el novio, y las que estaban preparadas entraron con él a las bodas, y se cerró la puerta.
11 Después llegaron también las otras vírgenes, y decían: “¡Señor, señor, ábrenos!”
12 Pero él les respondió: “De cierto les digo, que no las conozco.”
13 Estén atentos, porque ustedes no saben el día ni la hora en que el Hijo del Hombre vendrá.
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.
2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3 When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take oil with them;
4 but the wise ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps.
5 When the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’
7 “Then all the virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’
9 “The wise ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell oil, and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.
11 Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’
12 “He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!’
13 “Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.
Introduction
How many of you have ever run out of gas?
In most audiences, this would be nearly everyone.
I cannot verify these statistics, so I caution you that they may be flawed. It would appear that every year at least a half million people call for help because they have run out of gas.
Besides flat tires, dead batteries, and misplaced keys, running out of gas ranks right up there in the reasons why people call for roadside service.
One might understand this happening a generation ago, when gas gauges were not entirely accurate, and when all the warning lights of our day were non-existent.
But now we have warning messages that our fuel is running low (giving us perhaps an hour more of driving), and then additional progressively urgent warnings indicating just how many estimated miles of driving we have left.
One must say that most people who run out of fuel are “without excuse.”
Why, then, do we do it, seemingly as often today as people did years ago, when all of the advantages of technology were not available?
We’ll come back to this question at the end of our message.
In our text, it is not gasoline that is lacking, but olive oil “ the fuel burned in the lamps of Jesus’ day. And, I believe we will discover that the five foolish virgins did not really “run out” of oil; they never had it.
The Context
Before we get to the parable, we would do well to remind ourselves of the context.
In response to the disciples’ request to know what sign would signal our Lord’s coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3 ),
3 Mientras Jesús estaba sentado en el monte de los Olivos, los discípulos se le acercaron por separado, y le dijeron: «Dinos, ¿cuándo sucederá todo esto, y cuál será la señal de tu venida y del fin del mundo?»
3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus spoke to them about the last days.
He made it clear that the end would not come immediately, but only after considerable time and troubles (Matthew 24:4-31).
Our Lord issued various warnings (Matthew 24:4-5, 10-11, 23-28),
against those that would deceive
betrayal, false prophets
the coming of the Lord, no one knows
Mt 24:27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
27 Porque la venida del Hijo del Hombre será como el relámpago que sale del oriente y puede verse hasta el occidente.
we may not know the day or the hour but we know the times.
just as we know the seasons, the Lord let us know what the times would be like.
37 As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.
38 For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.
39 They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be.
mt 24:37-39
37 La venida del Hijo del Hombre será como en los días de Noé;
38 pues así como en los días antes del diluvio la gente comía y bebía, y se casaba y daba en casamiento, hasta el día en que Noé entró en el arca,
39 y no entendieron hasta que vino el diluvio y se los llevó a todos, así será también la venida del Hijo del Hombre.
The parable of the fig tree is employed to teach us that there are certain signs which indicate the “season” of His return.
When the fig tree begins to sprout new leaves, we can be assured that summer is near.
So, too, when we see “all these things” “ that is, the things Jesus has just described, including the abomination of desolation “ then we can be assured that the season of our Lord’s return is at hand.
Specifically, we can see this in relation to the flood.
No one “ not even Noah “ knew the exact day or hour that the flood would come.
I believe we can safely say that at least Noah knew the season. We can see this when we read in Genesis 7:13
13 On that same day Noah along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, entered the ark, along with Noah’s wife and his three sons’ wives.
13 Ese mismo día, Noé y sus hijos Sem, Cam y Jafet entraron en el arca, junto con la mujer de Noé y las tres mujeres de sus hijos,
“...Then the Lord shut him in. 17 The flood engulfed the earth for forty days. As the waters increased, they lifted the ark and raised it above the earth “(Genesis 7:12-17).
Genesis 7:16–17 (RVC)
"... Después el Señor cerró la puerta.
17 El diluvio duró cuarenta días sobre la tierra, y las aguas subieron y levantaron el arca, y ésta flotaba por encima de la tierra.”
Noah had spent many years building the ark.
He knew that the season for divine judgment was near, but he did not know the exact day.
Then one day God gave orders to board the ark.
It was God who closed the door, and then He sent the flood.
The people of Noah’s day had no “early warning” that the flood was coming.
When judgment came, it came quickly, and without warning; there was no opportunity for those under judgment to change their minds and to board the ark.
//
The same will be true in last days (Matthew 24:39). There will be no dramatic indications that “the day” or “the hour” (of judgment) has come.
Two men will be in the field, going about their normal daily routine; one will be taken, the other will be left.
Two women will be grinding grain, just as they normally would; one will be taken, the other will be left (Matthew 24:40-41).
The application is now spelled out in verses 42-44. Since no one can know the day or the hour that the Lord will come, we must be constantly in a state of alertness, ready at any moment.
Jesus illustrates His point with the example of a burglary. If the owner of the home had known the hour when the burglary would occur, he would have made sure to prevent it.
Firemen are trained and equipped to fight fires. They know there will be fires, but they don’t know when.
And so they are in a constant state of readiness, even when they sleep. Their clothing is all laid out so they can quickly dress and get to the fire. Ready everywhere
We, too, must be ready, Jesus tells us. We do not know the hour of His return, and more than this, the coming of the Son of Man will be at a time that we don’t expect. From the context of chapter 24, I am tempted to think that while His return will be preceded by very difficult days, the actual day of His return will appear to be trouble-free, much like the day Noah and his family entered the ark. (I’ll bet the sky was blue and clear all day long.)
When Jesus returns, people will be going about their normal routines because there will be no sign of imminent danger. We therefore must be ready at all times.
Just what does being alert look like? In Matthew 24:45-51, Jesus describes how He desires to find His disciples when He does return “ going about the tasks He has assigned them. The “faithful and wise slave” knows that his master may not return for some time, but he also knows that he has been instructed to feed and care for his fellow slaves (Matthew 24:45).
And so he uses the time of his master’s absence to fulfill his mission. And because this is his normal routine,
his master will find him at his appointed work when he returns, even though the hour of his return is unknown (Matthew 24:46-47).
The evil slave interprets his master’s prolonged delay very differently. He concludes that his master’s return is yet in the distant future.
He may also assume that he will be given some forewarning, so that he will have time to “clean up his act” in time to look good for his master.
And so he uses his master’s resources for his own use and ignores his master’s instructions. This man will be cut in two and assigned to hell with his fellow hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 24:48-51).
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
There are several things we need to consider before we attempt to interpret this parable.
First, we need to recognize that this is a selective account.
There are many details omitted.
From where is the groom coming?
Where are the virgins waiting?
What will happen there?
What role do the lamps play in this ceremony and celebration?
And, perhaps most notable,
where is the bride?
She is never mentioned. It is obviously the groom who is central to this story (after all, it is about the coming of the Messiah at the end of the age).
Second, we may not be looking at a typical wedding.
I doubt that in most wedding celebrations the groom would exclude bridesmaids for forgetting to bring oil for their lamps.
I doubt that arriving late, as five of the virgins did, would keep them from gaining entrance to the celebration.
This seems to be a rather exceptional situation, and not a typical event.
Thus, knowledge of how wedding ceremonies were conducted in those days (largely gained from sources outside the Bible) will not prove that helpful. This extra-biblical information is not the key to understanding our text.
Third, we need to set aside our 20th century assumptions about weddings, bridesmaids and lamps.
Specifically, we must not think of these lamps in terms that are familiar to us.
The word which is used for “lamp” here (lampas) is not the normal term for “lamp” in Matthew, or in the New Testament.
It is used five times in this parable of the virgins in Matthew 25, once in John 18:3, once in Acts 20:8, and twice in Revelation 4:5; 8:10).
The lampas is more of a torch, a larger, brighter “lamp” than that which is normally used inside a house.
In John 18:3, the lampas was the torch held by those who came in the night to arrest Jesus near the Garden of Gethsemane.
There were many of these larger lamps in the room where Paul was teaching in Acts 20:8 (thus the extra warmth which must have contributed to the young man’s sleepiness and fatal fall).
From what I have learned, this lampas was not like any of the oil lamps my wife has collected. There was no glass chimney, no neat wick or adjusting device, and no attached tank in which oil would be stored. It was more like a large, flat, bowl, with a rag or rope-like “wick.” Apparently this kind of lamp could be attached to a pole, and used as an outdoor torch to illuminate one’s steps in the darkness.
The word “trim,” employed by almost every translation, is a word which is found ten times in the King James Version, but only once (here in Matthew 25:7) is it rendered “trim.” This gives us a modern-day mental image of a bridesmaid (virgin) adjusting the wick upward in her glass-topped lamp, lighting it with a match.
I think she was preparing the lamp by fixing it to a pole and then lighting the rag or primitive wick.
Fourth, we need to rid ourselves of the false conception that the Five foolish virgins ran out of oil.
The text is clear on this point; the five foolish virgins never brought any oil with them.
A footnote in the NET Bible indicates that the word “extra” is not found in the Greek text, but has been supplied because the context implies it. I don’t think so at all. Surely the author is able to clearly supply this detail, so crucial to the interpretation of this parable. But he did not. Why do we wish to think they brought any oil with them? Perhaps it is because we read that the virgins claimed that their lamps were “going out” in verse 8. Would they all have been burning their torches for lighting the inside of the house where they all waited and slept? Would there not be the normal lighting in that place? Why would all five run out at the same time, just when they were preparing their lamps?
I would understand that the lamps were transported without oil in them.
If they traveled in the daylight, these lamps would not have been needed on their journey to the wedding place.
The reason the wise virgins brought oil was because the oil was carried in flasks and added to the lamps at the time of need. There must have been some residue of oil on the rag or wick of the five empty lamps, which quickly burned out, only moments after being lit.
This would explain why all five torches went out at the same time. Perhaps, too, these foolish virgins minimized their foolishness by describing their plight as “running out” so as to look less foolish.
Not only is the text clear about the foolish virgins bringing no oil with them, it is difficult to interpret the parable if, indeed, they did run out of oil. The diference between the five wise virgins and the five foolish virgins is salvation. These five foolish virgins were not once saved, but then “ran out” of salvation. They were lost, and never had it. They never had oil. They were just empty lamps. They looked useful, they seemed to give promise of light, but they never produced it. Let us not seek to supply what the author has purposefully omitted (any oil) in a way that makes us feel better about the story. We are not supposed to feel good about these five foolish, oil-less virgins.
With these things in mind, let us seek to paraphrase the story. There was a wedding, to which ten young virgins were invited as participants. It would seem that in some way they were instructed to bring lamps, so that at the right time they could form or lead some kind of torchlight procession. All ten virgins brought their lamps, but only five brought the necessary oil as well. They all waited for the groom to arrive. Time passed and darkness set in. The groom tarried longer than expected and so all ten bridesmaids (virgins) slept until he arrived.
Suddenly, at midnight someone cried out that the groom was approaching.
All ten virgins are awakened by this cry, and they begin to prepare their lamps for ceremonial service. The need for these lamps is now particularly obvious (it is midnight, pitch dark). The five foolish virgins ask the five wise virgins to share their oil, but their request is denied. It wasn’t that the five wise virgins didn’t care; it was because there would not be enough oil for all ten lamps.
Better to have a torchlight parade with five working lamps than with ten non-functioning, lightless, lamps.
The foolish virgins were told to go purchase their own oil, which they did.
But during their absence the torchlight parade took place, and the groom, accompanied by the five wise virgins entered the celebration hall.
The doors were then closed. Later, the five foolish virgins arrived, with oil, but it was too late.
That part of the festivities had already been completed. There was no need for the services of these five virgins, and they were not allowed to enter and join in the wedding celebration. Even though the five virgins pled, “Lord, Lord ... ,” they were sent away with the words, “I do not know you!” Our Lord then concludes this parable by applying it to His disciples (and thus the church). He urges His disciples to stay alert, because they, too, do not know the day or the hour of His return.
As we consider the interpretation and application of this parable, we should begin by observing that it is but one of several parables in this discourse. All of the parables have to do with what we do and do not know about the coming of Christ at the end of the age. Jesus assures us that we should be able to discern
the season (the general time-frame) of His return (Matthew 24:32-34). One particularly significant indicator of the season is the abomination of desolation and Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31). But while we may know the season (within the span of a generation), we cannot and will not know the day nor the
hour of His return. Because we do not know precisely when He will return, we must be constantly in a state of alertness. We must be ready. This parable is about being ready. It highlights one aspect of what it means to be ready.
All of the parables in this discourse have to do with being ready for His return, but we are seeking to discern the unique message of this parable. What is it that this parable teaches or underscores that we don’t find in the other parables in this passage? In a moment I will make some observations which should help us identify the unique message of this parable. But first, let’s consider what this parable shares in common with the other parables in this section.
This parable, like all the others in this section, Jesus tells to His disciples privately (see Matthew 24:3). So far as I can tell, neither the crowds nor the Jewish religious leadership are present. This is private instruction, for those who are followers Jesus, or who think they are.
We should keep in mind that Judas was among the twelve who heard this parable, and he was not a true believer (John 6:64, 70-71; 13:2, 10-11, 18-20).
This parable, like the others in this section, instructs us to be ready, when Jesus returns to this earth (compare Matthew 24:42, 44, 50; 25:13).
This parable is consistent with the rest of this discourse in that it indicates that the Lord’s return will not be nearly as soon as the disciples suppose.
While the people were listening to these things, Jesus proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately (Luke 19:11).
“When the bridegroom was delayed a long time, they all became drowsy and fell asleep” (Matthew 25:5; compare 24:6, 48).
This parable, like the others, portrays the return of Christ as sudden and unexpected (compare Matthew 24:37-41, 43, 50; 25:5-6). In part, it is unexpected because so much time has passed.
This parable, like the others, is based upon the premise that we do not know the day nor the hour of our Lord’s return:
“Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13; compare 24:26, 42-44, 50).
This parable, like the others, indicates that the Lord’s coming will distinguish one group of people from another (compare Matthew 24:37-41, 45-51; 25:1-12, 31- 46). The one group enters in with our Lord, to enjoy fellowship with Him. The other group is kept out, and assigned to eternal torment.
This parable, like others in this section, indicates that this distinction between believers and unbelievers, between those who will enter the kingdom of heaven and those who will be confined in hell, may not be apparent until the coming of Christ.
It is at the second coming, when men stand before our Lord, that their true spiritual status (and thus their destiny) is known. Several times in the Gospels, Jesus makes it clear that there will be some surprises (regarding who is in the kingdom and who is not) when He returns.
The Unique Contribution of the Parable of the Ten Virgins
What, then, is the unique contribution of the parable of the ten virgins? Several clues to the unique message of this parable should be noted.
First, we see that this parable describes what the “kingdom of heaven” will be like at the time of the second coming.
Some would say (and I would agree) that this parable describes the condition of the church at the second coming. Jesus is speaking here (as in this entire discourse) to His disciples; He is not speaking to His adversaries, the Jewish religious leaders, nor to the crowds. Thus, this parable, like the others in this section, should serve as a warning to the church.
Second, we should observe that for some period of time the five foolish virgins were almost indistinguishable from the five wise virgins.
The five foolish virgins addressed the groom as “Lord” twice (Matthew 25:11). The five foolish virgins looked just like the five wise virgins. They all were invited to the wedding
celebration, and they all came, expecting to participate in the wedding. The five virgins were not di"erent from the five wise virgins, except for one thing “ the foolish virgins brought their lamps but no oil.
Third, none of the ten virgins knew when the groom would arrive, and all ten slept when he took longer than expected to arrive.
We do not find the five foolish virgins asleep, while the five wise virgins are busily at work. All slept, and all were awakened by the news of the groom’s approach. The emphasis here is not really on working, as it is in the earlier and later parables. This is because our salvation is not the result of our works, but of His work on Calvary (
Ephesians 2:1-10).
Fourth, we are initially surprised (and even disappointed) that the five wise virgins will not share their oil with the foolish virgins.
This is not because the five wise virgins were selfish. In the context of the story, sharing their oil may have meant that all ten would run short of oil. But when we come to the interpretation of this parable, we can see that the saved cannot share what they have in Christ with the lost. The lost will not enter heaven based on the salvation others have
received. Each person is accountable for his own choices (see Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:20; Jeremiah 31:29-30).
Fifth, we Find it emphasized here that once our Lord returns, there is neither the time nor the opportunity for the Five foolish virgins to change their course of
unbelief.
There is a “point of no return,” after which one’s rejection of Christ cannot be reversed. For some, this “point of no return” is death:
27 And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment, 28 so also, after Christ was o"ered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly await him he will
appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation (Hebrews 9:27-28, emphasis mine).
For others (for those who are alive), the second coming of Christ will be the point of no return. We see this in 2 Thessalonians 2:
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival. 9 The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders, 10 and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved. 11 Consequently God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false. 12 And so all of them
who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12).
In our text, the five foolish virgins are not given the time to reverse their folly, once the groom has come. They had their opportunity, and they lost it. Now it is too late.
Sixth, the outcome is either heaven or hell, and thus the key element is salvation.
watch out for look alikes
that i am not one
those who run out of gas fell into a false confidence by the fact that everything appears to be fine at the moment.
, those who run out of fuel are those who wrongly suppose that they still have plenty of time to get it later.
our only hope is in Jesus, our Savior
we are either sure or we hope to have enough time when we need oil in our lamp
First, there is the promise of His Word that all who believe in Jesus Christ as God’s provision for our sins will be saved:
Those who are Christians no longer fear death, as they once did as unbelievers: Those who are Christians have a hunger for God’s Word:
Those who are Christians now see spiritual truths, to which they were blind as unbelievers:
Those who are Christians have the internal witness of the Spirit:
Those who are Christians desire to know Christ more intimately:
Those who are Christians are happy to leave this life behind, and yearn for the day when Christ returns:
My friend, do these things which characterize Christians characterize you?
Do you have these “vital signs” of spiritual life?
If not, then confess your sin and trust in what Jesus did for you on the cross of Calvary.
https://bible.org/seriespage/26-ten-virgins-what-it-means-be-ready-matthew-251-13