25:1-13 What does this story of the ten virgins teach?
25:1-13 What does this story of the ten virgins teach?
This is called the parable of the Ten Virgins. It is only recorded here and is a continuation of Jesus’ discourse in Mt 24 about the events that will take place on earth during the time of the Great Tribulation just prior to His second coming. We need to read at least part of that discourse to better understand what Christ is teaching here because this parable has been used down through the ages to teach many different things in the contemporary church (cp Mt 24:27-51). There are three parables included in those scriptures, all pertaining to the uncertainty of the time of Christ’s return: the parable of the Fig Tree in Mt 25:32-33, the parable of the Goodman of the House in Mt 25:43-44, and the parable of the Two Kinds of Servants in Mt 25:45-51. The core teaching in all of them is faithfulness, preparedness and watchfulness in view of the second coming of Christ, and the same teaching applies to the parable of the Ten Virgins (cp also Mk 13:28-37; Lk 12:35-48). It needs to be restated here that the church is not in view in any of these teachings - it is raptured, or caught up to heaven before the emergence of Antichrist and the onset of the Great Tribulation (cp Ro 5:8-10; Eph 5:1-7; 1Th 4:13-18; 2Th 2:7-9; Rev 3:10). But by way of application the teachings in both Mt 24 and Mt 25 are relevant to all believers in any age until Jesus comes back, whether in the air to rapture the church, or on land to defeat Antichrist.
The parable of the Ten Virgins has been used variously to teach among other things that there are two kinds of Christians – wise and foolish; the oil is the baptism in the Spirit; the rapture will take place at midnight or in the middle of the Great Tribulation; only those baptized in the Spirit will be saved; only those baptized in the Spirit will celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb; the door of mercy will be closed to the Gentiles after the rapture and the five wise virgins represent the true church, etc, etc. The list goes on, but none of these teachings have any grounding in scripture whatsoever. They only detract from the real meaning of the parable – that of Christians always being in a state of readiness for when Jesus returns. The bridegroom’s response to the foolish virgins’ knocking on the door echoes what Jesus also teaches inMt 7:21-23 (cp Mt 7:21-23). Not everyone who calls Jesus Lord will enter into the eternal Kingdom of Heaven – only those will who have prepared themselves for His return. The kingdom will not be open to those who profess to belong to Christ but have no Divine resources within, (cp Lk 13:23-27). See also comments on Mt 7:21.
This is called the parable of the Talents. There are many profound truths to be gleaned from this parable and we need to study it carefully to fully understand them. What this parable teaches has a double application – present and future. In Mt 25:29 Jesus reveals a very important principle with regard to the believer’s reward and state in the future Eternal Kingdom. What he receives then will depend on what he possesses of the kingdom now. His position and inheritance of the future kingdom will be in proportion to his dedication and consecration to the service of God in the present earthly aspect of the kingdom. The basic teaching of this parable is that God has given every believer spiritual gifts and graces according to each believer’s ability, and that these gifts and graces must be put to use in God’s service (cp Ro 12:3-8; 1Cor 12:1-31; 2Cor 5:17-19; Eph 4:7-16; 1Pe 4:7-11).
God means us to use these gifts and graces for the extension of His kingdom. They are not given to us for our profit, but for His. The believer who does not use his gift or grace for God’s glory is the same as the servant in the parable who hid his talent in the ground (cp Mt 5:14-16).
There is a tendency among some Bible commentators to downplay the punishment the servant received in the parable of the Talents. They teach that symbolically it compares only to loss of rewards in heaven, but that is not what the parable is teaching at all. The servant was not punished simply because he failed to return a profit to his master. He was punished because underlying his failure to return a profit was his prior intention not to even invest his master’s money (cp Mt 25:24-25). He had no intention of putting his master’s money to work, and then he justified himself for not doing so by finding fault with his master, and accusing him of unfair business practices. He was condemned by his own words (cp Mt 12:35-37 with Lk 19:22).
He was not a true and faithful servant as the other two were. He was found to be untrue and unfaithful, and the punishment he received is the equivalent of one who merely professes faith in Christ being condemned to hell. Not everyone who calls Jesus Lord is going to heaven (cp Mt 7:21-27). The slothful servant’s prior intention not to put his master’s money to work is reminiscent of the guest in the parable of the Marriage Feast in Mt 22 who had pre-determined not to put on a wedding garment. Their punishment was the same (cp Mt 22:2-14). The parable of the Talents illustrates the attitude of many professing Christians in the contemporary church. They are prepared to do the work of God on their terms, but not on His. They accept that part of the Bible that conforms to their theology, but reject the parts that do not. But God has the final word (cp Mt 25:28-30 with Mk 4:21-25).
The Kingdom of God would soon be made manifest that all can see it alike, and Jesus admonishes us to put into practice what we hear. It is not to be hidden, but used in the service of God. What we do with the truth we receive will determine whether or not we will be given more, or lose even that which we already have. This is a stern warning to believers to beware what they hear, and a promise that if they hear aright – if they use what they hear in the service of God – more truth will be given them. We also see in the parable of the Talents the biblical pattern for promotion in the New Testament church. Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Apollos and Titus to name a few, were all promoted after proving their faithfulness in lesser areas of ministry first. God promoted them just as Jesus teaches here, and this confirms our opening statement that what a man receives in the future eternal kingdom will depend on what he possesses of the kingdom in its present earthly aspect. (See also comments on Mt 3:10, 7:13-14, 7:21, 12:30; Lk 19:11-27; Jn 15:2, 15:4-6, 15:16; Ro 2:13; Jas 1:22-25.
This judgement takes place after the Tribulation and Jesus defeats Antichrist at the battle of Armageddon. It is generally called the Judgement of the Nations, although in fact it will be individual people who will be judged because Jesus separates them from each other into “sheep” and “goats” (cp Mt 25:32-33). The sheep represent those individuals who will go into the Eternal Kingdom (cp Joel 3:2, 12; Zech 14:16). The goats represent those who will be cast down to hell. “All nations” who will be gathered before Jesus in Mt 25:32 are the Gentiles who survive the Tribulation. Their judgement takes place prior to Christ setting up His millennial reign on earth, to determine who of them will go into the millennium. The basis of the Gentile’s judgement will be their failure to extend mercy to the Jewish believers during the Tribulation (cp Mt 25:34-40, 41-46). Although the application of this teaching is toward the Gentiles who survive the Tribulation, the teaching is relevant to all Christians of all ages. Believers today must also extend mercy to the least of God’s children, whether they be Jews or Gentiles (cp Mt 5:7).