Parables of Jesus—
The Parable of the Ten Young Women (Virgins)
By Joyce Webb 2008
A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
Jesus told stories so people could understand things about heaven.
The Parable of the Ten Young Women (Virgins)
Matthew 25:1-13
Jesus told the story about 10 young women. These women were not yet married. So they were called virgins.
They were waiting for the bridegroom to come get the bride. The bride was their friend.
This was a Jewish wedding, so things were done differently than we do in our weddings.
In the Jewish weddings of long ago, the bridegroom (man) would go back to family’s farm or place. He would build a house and make a place for his new wife.
When all was ready, he would ask his father to come look it over.
The father was the one who decided if all was ready and it was time to go get the bride and have the wedding.
The bride has some idea of when the bridegroom would come for her, but she did not exactly when. Often the bridegroom came late at night.
A group of young women friends of the bride and groom were waiting along the way for the bridegroom to pass by to come get the bride.
Because it was evening the women took lamps.
These lamps burned oil.
Five of the women took extra oil. They were being wise because they did not know how long they would have to wait.
Five of the women did not bother to take extra oil. They were called foolish.
It was a long wait. They all fell asleep.
Finally, at midnight, they heard the cry “The bridegroom is coming!”
All of the women woke up. Their lamps had gone out.
The five wise women put in more oil and started their lights again.
The five foolish women had no more oil to use. They wanted the five wise women to share with them. The five wise women said, “No, because then we would not have enough to last for ourselves. Go into the town and buy oil for yourself.”
The five wise women were ready and waiting for the bridegroom and he took them along with him into the house where the wedding party was.
The five foolish women had gone to town and by the time they got back the bridegroom had already gone into the house and closed the door.
The women knocked at the door and asked to be let in, but the man at the door said, “No, I do not know you. You can not come in.”
Jesus said, “Watch, for you do not know the day or the hour when the Son of Man comes.”
In several places in the New Testament Jesus says that he is like the bridegroom. The bride is the group of believers who follow Him.
Several places in the Bible it tells about Jesus’ coming in the clouds to
take away the believers and take them to heaven.
In Revelation we read about the “marriage supper of the Lamb (Jesus)”.
The believers are at the “marriage supper”. This happens in heaven– while on earth it is the time of the great tribulation (time of great trouble). Revelation 19:7, 9
The meaning of the parable:
Many people will start out looking for Jesus to come. They will be Christian believers. They believe that Jesus will come and take them up to heaven to be with Him.
We know Jesus will come and take us up to heaven but we do not know when. So we wait. Years go by. We are still waiting.
Things will be happening in our world that will let us know that Jesus’ return in the clouds is near.
The Bible tells us some of the things that will happen. This is called prophecy. Prophecy is telling about things that will happen in the future.]
Governments will be changing. Laws will be changing.
People will not like Christians. It will be hard to be a Christian. Some of the Christians will give up. They will think is too hard to keep on being a Christian.
Some Christians will be just be tempted by sin and will go back into their old ways.
They will not have the spiritual strength to wait until Jesus comes.
They will give up.
Some Christians will be too busy with their life to live for Jesus. They forget about looking for Jesus to come. They will think they have a lot of time yet before He comes.
The Bible says that when Jesus comes in the clouds, it will happen quickly like a blink of an eye. I Thessalonians 4:14-18
I Corinthians 15:52
People whose heart are not right with God, will not have time to get ready. It will happen too fast. They will not have time to pray for forgiveness.
If you are not ready, you will be left behind.
Jesus warned the people to stay ready all the time.
Be like the five wise women who had extra oil and stayed ready to meet the bridegroom.