Subscription Lists

Refreshment in Refuge

    by Gina Burgess

Ten Virgins
Date Posted: October 25, 2015

What are your first impressions of the first parable found in Matthew 25? What does it say to your heart?

Just as Jesus spoke to the people of His day through parables to teach them, God speaks to us through these same parables. Sometimes they made no sense to the disciples, so they asked Jesus to explain. Sometimes they made perfect sense to the people of that day, but because today we are not as familiar with first century society, these parables don’t make sense to us.

The first thing to take note of is that Jesus is comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to 10 virgins, five foolish and five wise. It is not exactly like it, as noted in the following parable. Since the Bride in not mentioned, therefore she is not needed for the illustration and the virgins take the place of the Bride for the illustration’s comparison.

(If this does not make sense to you, then let me know your thoughts. I have struggled with this parable for several years now, and have concluded that the difference in words used in these two adjacent parables – compared to with exactly like – means that Jesus was taking some leeway with His illustrations. I would like to know what your thoughts are on this.)

Understanding that the 10 virgins are the professors of Jesus Christ, this parable makes more sense especially when we consider that Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites.

Calling them virgins, Jesus calls attention to their beauty and purity. Professors of Christ live outward lives that make God proud to call them His children. They are holy, peculiar people, and live accordingly. At least this is how the religious leaders of Jesus’ day lived, strictly according to the Law, neither veering to the right nor to the left.

So the virgins wait for the Bridegroom, and when He comes will wait upon Him. It compares well with Christianity. We definitely are waiting for Jesus to snatch us away, but in the meantime we do our best to act in such a way to do Him honor. We not only strive to honor Him, but also believe, look for, love and long for His coming. As Christians we are the Light on the Hill, those who light the way for others to believe and have faith just as we do.

Jesus plainly states that what made the five foolish was that they did not take oil for their lamps. They did not prepare for the job of lighting the way for the Groom. Lamps provide light for the feet and light the path—the Way to go. David sang about it in Psalm 119. What we need to consider here is that the five foolish virgins had the lamps. They the outward appearence of being who they claimed, but were not equipped with the fuel for the light.

Of course Jesus does not need humans to light His path for Him. That is another reason why this parable only compares to the Kingdom of Heaven rather than being exactly like it. However, the lost absolutely do need the Light of Jesus to spiritually see the way to go, and how to repent.

Since the girls had no idea when the Bridegroom would arrive, the whole point here was on being ready with the light which meant extra oil would be needed if the groom didn't come within the 15 minutes of light the small handheld lamps gave. Therefore, the major emphasis was on being prepared and ready for when the Bridegroom came. The parable is not so much about whom the 10 girls are, but that 5 were wise to have oil for their lamps and therefore ready, but the other 5 did not, therefore since they were not ready the groom said "I do not know you!"

So what does the oil represent?

The oil most likely is the Holy Spirit. Most of the scholars I have studied confirm my conviction here. I have heard it preached that being ready with the oil meant those girls had the Holy Spirit and only those in possession of the Holy Spirit can go into the wedding feast.

The right solution is to be found in regarding the oil as symbolic of the Holy Spirit, or even the grace of God. This is a truly scriptural notion, as declared by the use of oil in holy rites. Accepting this view, we should say that the ten virgins had so far alike taken and used the grace of God, but that they differed in this—that, while the wise maintained the supply of grace by constant recourse to the means of it (oil) the foolish were satisfied with their spiritual state once and for all, and took no pains to keep their spiritual life healthy and active. In other words, they retained the outward show and form of faith, but neglected the true inward life of faith; they had the appearance without the reality.

The unpardonable sin is not accepting Jesus as Savior. It is the only unforgivable sin. The 5 that were not prepared did not have Jesus as their Savior...they did not have the Oil, so they did not have the Light, so they were left outside where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Consider this: Oil for the lamp is usually noted to be olive oil...olive oil at its best is the Extra Virgin Oil that comes from the first pressing, for olive oil was extracted by beating the tree with sticks to cause the olives to fall pressing the olives in a stone press. The Garden of Gethsemane means the "oil press or oil vat".

Olive oil is used as food, medicine, and fuel for lamps, cosmetics, soap, and lubricants... Jesus provides all of these. He is food for the hungry, He heals, He adorns His beloved Bride, He anoints her with His anointing.

Consider Jesus in The Oil Press, the Garden of Gethsemane:

He allowed Himself to be pressed in that Garden that night, and on the cross the next day. He was pressed, but not crushed. He was persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, so that the surpassing greatness of this power is from God and not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7

Jesus prayed until he could say “Not my will but Thine be done.” Since the Word is a lamp...then what ignites the lamp? It can only be God Himself that lights the lamp. Our puny bodies do not have the power to ignite anything.

However, we can definitely keep our lamps lit by consistently filling our lamps with the Oil of the Holy Spirit through consistent Bible study, through praying without ceasing, through washing ourselves in the water of the Word.

Watch, be ready for the Groom. It is impossible to live the Christian life without Jesus in the heart. We can’t do it on our own. But Jesus can.

The five foolish virgins may have been pristine and pure on the outside, but on the inside they were full of dead men’s bones. They were hypocrites trying to get inside with the Groom through their works and on their own never realizing how fruitless that is.

So… what’s in your lamp?

(Special thanks to Donna Lear for the Extra Virgin Oil illustration.)

Was this article helpful?
Rate it:

"Today's Little Lift" from Jim Bullington

Mercy and not Sacrifice (Sept. 24, 2010)

Read Article »
Biography Information:

Gina Burgess has taught Sunday School and Discipleship Training for almost three decades. (Don't tell her that makes her old.) She earned her Master's in Communication in 2013.

She is the author of several books including: When Christians Hurt Christians, The Crowns of the Believers and others available in online bookstores. She authors several columns, using her God-given talent to shine a light in a dark world. You can browse her blog at Refreshment In Refuge.

If you'd like to take a look at some Christian fiction and Christian non-fiction book reviews check out Gina's book reviews at Upon

Got Something to Share?
LiveAsIf.org is always looking for new writers. Whether it is a daily devotional or a weekly article, if you desire to encourage others to know Him better, then signup to become a contributor.