Matthew 25 “Being Prepared for Jesus’ Return”

READ: Matthew 25

Verses chosen for meditation: Matthew 25:1-13

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵ As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. ⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷ Then all those virgins rose 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, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. ¹¹ Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ¹² But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ ¹³ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

REFLECT

In this parable of the 10 virgins, Jesus drew parallels between the kingdom and a Jewish wedding. Jesus represents the bridegroom, and the virgins are those claiming to be Christians. However, only half were prepared for Christ’s coming. As a result, those not prepared were shut out, not being able to join the party with the bridegroom, which is the kingdom of heaven.

What a horrific outcome we see here! To avoid this, the message is clear here: be prepared! Most of the Jews were not ready when Jesus came some 2000+ years ago, hence they have not gone in with the bridegroom. However, Jesus hopes for better things in his church.

The virgins who did not bring oil were complacent, not preparing for the possibility of a night wedding. Those who brought oil were ready for anything that might jeopardise their entry into the banquet hall, be it delays, sudden arrivals, or at a time they did not expect. V12 warns that we should stay vigilant, for no one knows when Jesus will return. By then, it’s too late to say we want to make amends or to start getting ready.

RELATE

We are met with a few surprises here. 1^st is that the virgins might seem similar (bringing lamps), but they are not. We can all be looking like followers, being in Church or in Christian company, yet we can be strangers to Christ. It’s possible to have a lamp that looks good, but there’s no oil in it. It’s a surprise that one day, Jesus might say to us “I do not know you” (v12), because in our living, we have been treating Jesus like a stranger.   

Another surprise is that we can’t borrow certain things. Some may think if the wise virgins were such faithful followers, why didn’t they display compassion and share some oil (v8-9)? The oil here however represents things that we must possess ourselves. It’s not something that could be shared. Faith, readiness and holiness are some of those things. We simply can’t place responsibility on others for our faith, but must own it.

The 3^rd surprise is that there are times when it’s truly too late. It’s a surprise because we live our lives as if there’s always time, so we don’t heed warnings as much. When the bridegroom comes, it’ll be too late to make preparations. It’s too late to say, “If I had known you were coming at this time, I would’ve done this and that.” Our opportunities to be prepared have always been there. Don’t dally.

So how do we get ourselves prepared? What does bringing oil look like in our lives? It means to live out our Christian lives consistently, and to be in for the long haul. We must have a long-term view and expect to be in for the whole journey. We can’t say “I did a lot in the past, so now I can let up.” The kingdom does not work like our retirement plan. Our salvation was never earned by works anyway, so it’s not about amassing how much works by when. We can’t also say “there’s still time. Let me pursue these things first. There will come a time where I grow closer to God and be more faithful.” The urgency of the gospel compels us to make a decision now, especially when life on earth is so fleeting and unpredictable.

True faith, with Christ in us, will make us want to be good stewards for God throughout, no matter the season of life. Therefore, we remain consistent in the pursuit of holiness throughout our journey. We are inconsistent if we only think of God or be close to God during church or in small groups, but relegate God as a side or non-existent character in most parts of our lives.

REST

Jesus uses these final parables in this chapter to tell us the need to account for our lives. Are we ready to account now if he were to come suddenly? We know neither the day nor the hour (v13). His return will hit us unexpectedly. This may sound scary to us, but that’s only if we are not prepared. If we are, then Jesus’ return is a joyous event, as it should be. So let’s build our faith to be ready for that time, anticipating that moment with joy, rather than in fear of missing out.   

Chris Chong