Matthew 25: 1-13

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (NIV)

The five wise women had planned very well for the wedding banquet. They not only carried their lit lamps but some extra oil in case the oil in the lamp ran out. The five foolish ones didn’t have the foresight so they just carried their lamps. Maybe they have been used to the bridegroom not showing up as expected during previous occasions. Every night of preparation may have come to naught and so they must have relaxed on this particular day. And so, one of the reasons for their lack of preparedness.

Every time we as a family embark on a trip, my husband constantly reminds my son and me to take at least two sets of extra clothes: one for back-up and another one as a back-up for the back-up. I always used to shake my head wondering why we need to carry extra baggage. Incidentally, there have been several occasions, where the back-up and the back-ups for the back-up have come in handy and saved the day. Lord knows, how thankful I am for my wise husband who had the foresight, despite the cumbersomeness of extra bags.

In Matthew’s recording of Jesus’ parable of ten virgins, Jesus talks about being prepared for His coming. We do not know the day nor the hour of His return. Jesus previously mentioned that neither the angels nor He knows of His return except the Father in heaven. Therefore, He cautions us to be ready. Jesus reminded us constantly to watch and pray. But how do we go about being watchful and praying? Many of us are aware that we should meditate on the Word as much as we can and praying constantly.

Digging deeper reveals more in this parable. The two significant words are ‘lamp’ and ‘oil’. In Psalms 119: 105, the Psalmist relates lamp to word. The Word of God is indeed the lamp that we need in our daily lives. If we didn’t have the Word, how do we go about? Our moral compass is rooted in the Word. Meditating on this Word gives light to the path that we are predestined to walk. A lamp lightens a short path in front of us when we are walking in the dark. We might not even see ten to fifteen steps ahead with such lamps. The role of lamp is to give light for a short distance. Our dependence on the Word of God, which is the lamp, is needed for our day to day lives. Our meditating on the Word daily, is the required amount of light for the day.

Oil on the other hand represents the Spirit. When anointed by oil, the Spirit of the Lord came to dwell with the person. 1 Samuel 16: 13 records of when Samuel anointed David with oil, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David and empowered him. In many instances in the Old and New Testaments, whenever oil was poured on someone, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. From the Holy Scriptures we know that the Holy Spirit illumines the centrality of Christ, reveals the will of God and sanctifies the believer into the likeness of Christ, among many other tasks. How do we gain this power of the Holy Spirit? The more we dwell in the Word of God, the more we depend on the Spirit to reveal to us the truth of God. The more we know the truth, the more we will be transformed by His Spirit into His likeness. We may not stop ourselves from displaying the fruits of the Spirit as we rely on Him excessively.

In the parable of ten virgins, the five wise women, not only carried the lamp, which is the Word of God, they carried extra oil, the Spirit of God. All the ten virgins had oil in their lamps but when the lamps ran dry, the wise ones were able to replenish their lamps with the extra oil. In these last days, most of us are relying on church attendance, doing good deeds, moral living, coming from a Christian family and knowing all the right religious lingo as the basis for our assurance of our salvation. However, a clear marker that we have passed from death into eternity is the Spirit’s transforming work in our lives. The inward renewal brings about a new creation, empowering the believer for Kingdom living. Just filling the lamp for the immediate purpose isn’t enough to survive in this wicked world. We need a back-up ‘oil’ to be fully equipped for the day of Lord’s return.

The five wise women advised the five foolish ones to go out and purchase oil from the store. Not a single one of them stopped to consider that if they went to the store in the middle of the night, they would find them closed. In a hurried manner, they scoured the streets for someone who would be willing to sell them oil. Alas! They found none. They returned back to the wedding banquet where the doors were shut. They had the lamps but no oil. They had the Word but no Spirit. They had the material but no substance. They were not empowered by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Beloved, let us light our lamps with the precious oil of the Holy Spirit. Let us constantly be filled with the Holy Spirit so our oil never runs out. Let us be ready, watching, praying and equipped to meet our Bridegroom.