ENOUGH OIL?
In Matthew 25:1-13 Jesus told the story (called a parable) of ten young
women (called virgins) who were invited to a wedding feast in their
community.
The ten carried lamps to light the way for the bridegroom if he arrived
for the wedding after dark. Jesus said that five of the young women were
wise and five were foolish.
The wise women showed their wisdom by taking extra oil for their lamps in
case the bridegroom was delayed. The foolish women neglected to do so. The
bridegroom took his own time, and the young women all fell asleep.
Suddenly a cry went up that the bridegroom was coming. The wise women got
up and made their lamps ready. The others realized they were out of oil
and asked to borrow some. "No," said the wise, "there may
not be enough for both you and us. Go to those who sell oil and buy some
for yourselves." While they were gone, the bridegroom came, and the
five who were ready went in with him to the feast. The door was shut.
Later the foolish came and found the door locked. "Open the door for
us!" they shouted. But the bridegroom said, "I don't know
you."
Then Jesus concluded, "In the light of this story, you keep watch,
because you don't know the day or hour of My return."
UNDERSTAND THE WEDDING SEREMONY
Weddings were always held at night in the East. Often the festivities
lasted for an entire week and at any time during that week the bridal
party was expected to appear. The bridegroom, who was the important one at
the wedding (and not the bride, like we are used to!), stayed with his
relatives or friends until all the preparations for the wedding had been
made. As he sat among his friends, he could decide when to begin the
procession to the wedding. The bridegroom would come to get his bride and
they would walk together to the site of the wedding, taking the longest
possible route through the town. There would be various groups of people
waiting at different corners to join the wedding party as they went toward
the wedding. Lanterns and torches were lit to guide them through the dark
streets.
In this parable there are ten young girls waiting
with their lamps to join the wedding party. They were waiting for the
bridegroom to make his appearance.
WHAT DOES THIS STORY MEAN TO US TODAY?
1. Jesus is coming again as the bridegroom of His Church, His Bride…
when He decides the time is right, He will come. He may delay His coming
longer than people expect.
2. To be included in the bridal party we need to be waiting and watching,
we need to be ready for Jesus' return.
3. We need to have plenty of oil for our "lamps" or souls so
that we are ready for Him.
4. We need to be prepared for His return at all times, watching and
waiting and our souls filled with the oil of His anointing Spirit.
TWO GROUPS OF PEOPLE: WISE OR FOOLISH
In this parable Jesus speaks about WISE and FOOLISH women (called
virgins in some translations).
Both groups of women:
· Were waiting for the bridegroom
· Had lamps with oil
· Became tired and fall asleep
BUT only the wise women:
· Took extra supply of oil
· Were ready for the coming of the bridegroom
· Went in to the feast with the bridegroom
The foolish women can be compared to people who
know about Jesus, who go to church, but they are not serious in their
relationship with the Lord. They are "religious" people, but
they are still in control of their own lives, and haven't accepted Jesus
as personal Saviour. They are not filled by the Holy Spirit and there are
no fruit in their lives that show that they are Christians. They will not
be ready when Jesus comes again or when they die. They will hear Him say:
'I don't even know who you are!' (Matt 25:12)
The wise women can be compared to people who live
for the Lord Jesus, who spend time in prayer and Bible study, who are
obedient and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They
will be ready when Jesus come and will go in and join in the feast with
Him (that is to be in Heaven with Him)
THE LAMP
· We as Christians must be like a light: "You are light for the
world... No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead,
everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines
on everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine in front of
people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in
heaven". (Matt 5:14-16)
· The lamp (or light) is also used throughout
Scripture as a symbol of knowledge or understanding. We use it the same
way today. We say, "I'd like a little more light on this
subject," meaning "I need more knowledge of it."
THE OIL
The oil is a symbol of
· God's grace
· A close walk with God
· Obedience to God and His Word
· Intimacy with Him
· Knowledge of God
· The presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit
Enough oil represents spiritual maturity and
stability.
KEEP WATCH
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour (Matt.
25:13).
"To keep watch" doesn't necessarily mean
"to stay awake" but merely to "be prepared."
What does our Lord mean by watching? It means to
know his Word. That is the first step. The knowledge of the Word must go
deeper than the surface. It must be an obedience of the heart, a trusting,
a giving over completely of the control of your life, your will, to the
Lord Jesus Christ. This results in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who
is the One who will hold you steady in the hour of crisis.
Like the bridegroom in the parable, Christ may
delay His coming longer than people expect. We as His followers must be
prepared for such a delay. Discipleship may be more demanding than some
would suspect.
Like the foolish bridesmaids, those who do not prepare adequately may
discover that there is a point beyond which there is no return.
WHY COULDN'T THE FOOLISH WOMEN GET OIL FROM THE
WISE?
Every person should make her own decision to surrender her life to Jesus,
to accept Him as her Saviour. Each person must confess her own sins, and
receive forgiveness - no one can do it FOR you. Someone else's faith
cannot save you… you cannot be saved because your parents are
Christians, or because your husband is saved - you have to make your own
decision to follow Jesus. You have to open the door of your heart for the
Lord Jesus to come in! You can do it right now through a prayer:
Heavenly Father,
I come to you in prayer, confessing that I am a sinner and that I cannot
save myself. I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that Jesus
is your Son, and that He died on the
cross so that I might be forgiven and have Eternal Life in the Kingdom of
Heaven. I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now to
come in to my life and be my personal Lord and Saviour. I repent of my
sins and will worship you all the
day's of my life. Fill me now with your Holy Spirit and help me to be
obedient in every aspect of my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.
HOW CAN I HAVE ENOUGH OIL?
Accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord, and receive the Holy Spirit:
"He saved us. It was not because of any good deeds that we ourselves
had done, but because of his own mercy that He saved us, through the Holy
Spirit, who gives us new birth and new life by washing us. God poured out
the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Saviour. (Tit
3:5-6)
Be under the control of the Holy Spirit
" .. let the Spirit direct your lives" (Gal 5:16), so that you
will bear fruit that is pleasing to God. "But the fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, a quiet mind, kind acts, well-doing, faith, gentle
behaviour, control over desires. (Gal 5:22-23)
Love one another
And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved
you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34)
Love in action
My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true
love, which shows itself in action. (1John 3:18)
Do good deeds
Don't forget to do good things for others and to share what you have with
them. (Heb 13:16)
Feed the hungry, care for the sick and homeless, visit the prisoners (see
Matt 25: 35,36)
Study and obey the Word of God
Understanding your Word brings light to the minds of ordinary people. (Ps
119:130)
Joy, Prayer & Thankfulness
Be joyful always, pray at all times, be thankful in all circumstances.
(1Thess 5:16-18)
Share the Good News about Jesus
Be preaching the Word at all times, in every place. (2Tim 4:2)
Meet with other Christians for church services
We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you
are doing. (Heb 10:25)
ARE YOU WISE OR FOOLISH?
Meditate for a while on this question: which kind of virgin are you? Are
you constantly preparing yourself for the arrival of the Bridegroom? Do
you confess your sins and seek the forgiveness that only our Saviour can
offer? Do you constantly make the preparations for the arrival of the
Bridegroom the most important thing in your life?
PRAYER
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, until the break of day!