The Parable of the Ten Virgins: What Jesus Really Meant
I’ve been thinking about the Parable of the Ten Virgins and how Jesus related ideas and concepts to the people around him.
You’d think he would make things clear and simple.
“Ok everyone, here are the 3 steps you need to get to heaven….”
But no. He speaks in parables. He asks questions. He quotes the prophets and basically says, “umm…hello, why don’t you remember this? It is written….”
Why Jesus Taught in Parables?
Jesus was never about making things easy for people to grasp.
And yet, at the same time, he revealed the nature of spiritual things—the way the Kingdom of God functions, what it looks like, how it moves.
Those who really wanted it had to seek, search the scriptures, and retrain their minds to think in the faith-ways of God’s realm.
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In Matthew, there’s one parable that has troubled me recently. A section where Jesus keeps saying, “the kingdom of God is like….” I don’t know about you, but I’ve wrestled with these verses for years. They’re baffling, layered, and overflowing with meaning.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25
Lately, the story of the ten virgins has been on my heart. Ten young women waiting for the bridegroom, anticipating one of the greatest moments of their lives. Each had a lamp. Each was waiting. Yet Jesus says five were wise and five were foolish.
That sounds harsh, doesn’t it?
We’re told in church that Jesus loves everyone, accepts them just as they are, always lets them in. But this story seems to suggest something else, doesn’t it?
Wise vs Foolish: What Did Jesus Mean?
The word foolish in the Greek is moros (yes, like “moron”). It means dull, stupid, heedless, absurd. That’s the frame of the word Jesus used.
Wise, on the other hand, is phronimos—thoughtful, sagacious, discreet.
So Jesus suddenly says, “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins…” and we’re left to reconcile these opposites. To my mind, they don’t sit naturally together. Do we even understand God’s way of thinking?
If you haven’t read it in a while, go to Matthew 25 and take it in for yourself.
The Oil And The Lamps: A Kingdom Lesson
The oil—and running out of it—is central.
The mindfulness, or lack of it, is the warning.
The preparedness versus the neglect over time—it’s a sobering picture, even of much of Christianity today.
And when the unprepared go to those who have enough and ask for help, what’s the answer?
Jesus, in the Parable of the Ten Virgins, unapologetically says: “I know you not.”
What a shock.
Is the Gospel Just About Love and Acceptance?
Is the gospel not just love? Acceptance? Tolerating people’s failings?
Evidently, it’s more than that.
Remember Jesus’ question: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” That’s not rhetorical—it’s real.
Truth:
So many look away from the scriptures that say ‘for whatsoever is not of faith is sin‘ (Romans 14:23) and yet it is THE key to life in Christ. We had better make understanding faith a priority, and beyond understanding, doing everything by it.
Faith that Endures in the Last Days
Christianity today seems to be producing church people, not faith people. Even the language of “Kingdom” often gets watered down into entrepreneurship, activity, or how “blessed” you are.
Truth gets corrupted unless you’re diving into the scriptures yourself—unless you’re continually filled with that oil.
Live Prepared: How To Keep Your Oil Full
Jesus said rivers of living water would flow out of us, that those who drink will never thirst. That’s not poetic filler. Those truths are meant to saturate our lives so that wherever we go—whether in business, family, ministry, or daily work—we are the light on a hill.
It’s not about trying harder. It’s about choosing to be.
For me—and for anyone in my sphere—my intent is that we will not run out of oil. The Kingdom is for those who are wise, filled with the Spirit, living in faith and anticipation. I’ve been talking about it for a long, long time.
In these days—when end times are real, when the new world order rises, when the falling away gains speed—you will not be shaken.
That is my prayer. That is my intent.
