Devotional for Fall 2020 Semester

 

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

August 10 Devotional for Fall 2020 classes

Dr. John Sterling

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the prudent answered, saying, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. And later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ But he answered and said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.” —Matthew 25:1-13

We know from scripture that the bridegroom is Jesus.    Jesus is coming again. He gave us explicit instructions to be ready for His return. The readiness of the people of God depends upon their knowledge of truth, their obedience to truth, and their patience and faithfulness. In Matthew 24 and 25 we find some of the verses in the Bible that give clues to those days prior to His coming.  Elsewhere in scripture we find many instructions to help us always have an attitude of readiness, not just for His coming, but our service to Him.  We are told to make ourselves ready, spiritually, mentally, and physically to be “fit” for the work that God has called us to.  In Leviticus, this verse lays a foundation for the parable of the ten virgins:

“Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually.” Leviticus 24:2.  If the mission requires light, you must have enough oil for the lamps to be ready at a moment’s notice.

Those who were (have been) schooled in God’s Word, we understand the imperative: we have to DO some things to “get ready”. Salvation is free (nothing we CAN do to earn that) but our sanctification (the process of growing closer to God) involves discipline on our part-preparation and practice to be ready for the next “mission”.  In the Army, leaders report that their elements (squads, platoons, companies, battalions, etc.) are “mission-ready, sir!”   We have trained, and equipped ourselves to accomplish whatever we have been called to do.

Half of those virgins (young women who make up part of the wedding entourage) were called to provide light.   Light is produced by the lamps which require olive oil as the energy source. Part of the responsibility of the lamp-bearer is know how much oil will be required to accomplish the mission. Also implied is that the preparation for the mission must take place while we are engaged in another mission: the mission of daily living.   There is no special time set aside for training and material acquisition prior to receiving your “marching orders”.  Once activated, the preparation must be fully accomplished.

No doubt all of the ten virgins were engaged in something when they received the call. The Bible does not provide details so they are not important but we may surmise that whatever they were doing, they had short notice to drop that and report to the wedding feast prepared to accomplish the mission- to provide light for the wedding party inside the wedding chamber.

The ten virgins are divided by the narrative into two groups: the wise virgins and the foolish virgins (There is no middle ground here. You are one, or the other.)  The five foolish virgins must have had  some oil in their lamps, because they said, “Our lamps are going out.” They were “semi-prepared”.   Semi-prepared is not enough. You have to come to the wedding fully “mission-ready”.  Perhaps they thought they might avert disaster by some “late-stage” action. Maybe they didn’t take the assignment seriously in the first place.  Maybe they hoped for some kind of undeserved leniency.  So, the “foolish” virgins  were advised to try to go buy some more.    But it was late, the opportunities to acquire more oil were gone. By the time the bridegroom arrived, it was too late to buy oil.  They missed their “window of opportunity”.

“And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Afterwards the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’” Matthew 25:10-12.

Do you see the finality here? When the deadline is passed, there are no more opportunities.   The score is “pass-fail”.    No sliding scale or grading on the curve. Whether you are “in” or “out” depends upon whether you took the warnings and instructions seriously.

I want to apply this principle to two different current events.    First, this is the beginning of a new semester at college, and we have a lot of new Freshmen who are poised to launch a whole new chapter of their lives.   Some have been preparing for this for a few years. Others, have managed to get this far mostly by dumb luck and/or the grace of God.  For those new college students, this is the message: Read the syllabus, read carefully and complete all assignments on time, and ask the instructor if you need assistance. Manage your time wisely, anticipate setbacks, and plan for contingencies. You will be like the wise virgins.

The other application for this parable is the social breakdown we are experiencing in American culture.  I address here a different audience, with different issues and challenges, but the principles are the same.  When we abandon first principles and reject God and His instructions, are become blind to the “signs of the times”. If we do not prepare for what must certainly be inevitable social collapse and systemic failure, then we will experience catastrophic destruction at the personal and national levels.  Like the foolish virgins, we have been warned, and we have been given opportunities (and second chances) to “get it all together” for these times.  Failure to heed the warnings will result in total systemic failure and we have no one to blame but ourselves.  Our preparation must include spiritual study and practice, mental discipline, and our physical and economic health. You may wish it were not so…you may not believe it will be so… but if it is true, it will be true no matter what you believe about it.  

No matter what you are going through, or where you are in life right now, the time is right for you to take action.  The warnings are clear to all who are paying attention. If you are not seeing it, you are not paying attention. The “fix” is also clear: seek God while He may be found. Do today what you can do to prepare.  Never gamble what you cannot afford to lose. Don’t procrastinate. Once the doors are closed, there will be no one to help you.  Quite literally, there will be Hell to pay.

John Sterling

Aug 7, 2020