Preparations Have Been Made (or have they)?

One of my favorite chapters in all of Scripture is Matthew Chapter Twenty-Five. Jesus is winding down His earthly ministry taking place just two days before the Passover at which He will celebrate a final meal with those closest to Him. Following dinner they will escape to a solitary garden to pray before He is arrested.

In this passage Jesus tells us three stories and over the next few days we will cover each of the three.

The first story is one of preparation. In verses one through thirteen, Jesus tells of ten virgins. Five of these virgins were wise and the others were foolish. All ten were virgins, all ten filled their lamps, all ten went out to meet the bridegroom. But the Bridegroom delayed, and did not show at the time they thought that He would. As a matter a fact, by the time the announcement came that the bridegroom was about to enter, all of the virgins had fallen fast asleep. Being roused from their sleep, they trimmed their lamps and prepared to go out and greet Him.

Here is where the story turns, for the five foolish virgins had not brought extra oil and began to ask the wise if they might borrow some. The five wise respond wisely. “There is not enough for all of us. Quickly go to the market and purchase some”. While away the bridegroom enters, the wise virgins are there to greet Him and they are escorted into the feast. Later the foolish come and beg entrance, the bridegroom says to them “I don’t know you”.  The word “know” here means to have intimate knowledge of. It speaks of closeness, intimacy it even goes on to indicate the closeness between a husband and a wife.

Ten virgins we have in all, five are wise and five are foolish. All are virgins, all are pure, all have oil, all have lamps, all go out and all fall asleep. But then Jesus, the bride groom, doesn’t do what those that are pure thought He would. (Stop and consider how often that happens, only all the time) When Jesus doesn’t arrive when He was “supposed to”. Whatever that is, as if we are the ones that can say what He is “supposed to” do or when He is “supposed to” arrive. Then when He doesn’t show in man’s time, but He is God and shows right when He has meant for all eternity to show.

We have the foolish virgins who have done everything right except one thing: they thought the bride groom would come according to their time line… BUT He doesn’t, and because He doesn’t they haven’t enough oil. As so many that are foolish often do they try to get some oil, some anointing, some intimacy, from those that seem to have extra. But understand this is not extra oil, this is just enough oil to stand when the standing is needed. Some may ask why do we pray so much, why do we worship so much, why do we remain in the word so much? My friends it’s not extra it is only enough. When the bridegroom arrives I want to be among those that are “known”.