Have you ever caught yourself assuming you have more time than you do—sleeping a little longer, postponing the hard conversation, putting off the thing that matters—and then felt a small pang of regret? Matthew 25:1–13 brings that familiar ache into the realm of faith: we long for security, for welcome, for certainty that we belong to the one who comes for us. This parable presses that longing against the reality of God’s kingdom—inviting both honest self-examination and a hope that is not merely wishful.
In Matthew 25:1–13 Jesus tells of ten bridesmaids waiting for the bridegroom. Five are called wise because they bring extra oil for their lamps; five are called foolish because they do not. When the bridegroom is delayed, all sleep. At midnight a cry announces his coming; the foolish discover their lamps going out and beg the wise for oil. The wise refuse, and the foolish leave to buy more. While they are gone the bridegroom arrives, the ready ones enter the wedding, and the door is shut. Jesus ends with the warning: "Keep watch, for you do not know the day or the hour." This parable appears only in Matthew’s Gospel (not in Mark, Luke, or John), shaped by his concern for readiness and the coming kingdom.
The story tells us something urgent about Jesus and the kingdom: the coming of the bridegroom is both promised and unexpected. Jesus is both patient and decisive; he calls us to persistent readiness, not anxious striving. The parable exposes our tendency toward complacency—assuming proximity to Christ without the ongoing life that relationship requires. Yet it also carries grace: the groom comes to celebrate; entrance into the feast is real and joyful for those who live in expectancy. The oil—interpreters differ—points us toward the life of faith: the Spirit, a devotion that endures, lives of love, and the habits that keep our lamps burning.
Today, practice a small, concrete readiness: choose one spiritual rhythm you will actually keep this week—five minutes of Scripture at breakfast, a weekly confession with a friend, a nightly thanksgiving before sleep. If you’re tempted to “buy oil later” by promising future change, start now. Tell someone your plan so it becomes living practice. Live like the bridegroom might arrive—watchful, loving, and full of hopeful expectation.
In Matthew 25:1–13 Jesus tells of ten bridesmaids waiting for the bridegroom. Five are called wise because they bring extra oil for their lamps; five are called foolish because they do not. When the bridegroom is delayed, all sleep. At midnight a cry announces his coming; the foolish discover their lamps going out and beg the wise for oil. The wise refuse, and the foolish leave to buy more. While they are gone the bridegroom arrives, the ready ones enter the wedding, and the door is shut. Jesus ends with the warning: "Keep watch, for you do not know the day or the hour." This parable appears only in Matthew’s Gospel (not in Mark, Luke, or John), shaped by his concern for readiness and the coming kingdom.
The story tells us something urgent about Jesus and the kingdom: the coming of the bridegroom is both promised and unexpected. Jesus is both patient and decisive; he calls us to persistent readiness, not anxious striving. The parable exposes our tendency toward complacency—assuming proximity to Christ without the ongoing life that relationship requires. Yet it also carries grace: the groom comes to celebrate; entrance into the feast is real and joyful for those who live in expectancy. The oil—interpreters differ—points us toward the life of faith: the Spirit, a devotion that endures, lives of love, and the habits that keep our lamps burning.
Today, practice a small, concrete readiness: choose one spiritual rhythm you will actually keep this week—five minutes of Scripture at breakfast, a weekly confession with a friend, a nightly thanksgiving before sleep. If you’re tempted to “buy oil later” by promising future change, start now. Tell someone your plan so it becomes living practice. Live like the bridegroom might arrive—watchful, loving, and full of hopeful expectation.
Matthew: 25:1-13
Jesus tells of ten virgins awaiting a bridegroom—five wise who brought extra oil and were ready when he arrived, and five foolish who ran out of oil and were shut out. The parable warns to stay watchful and prepared because the hour of the Lord’s coming is unknown.
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