The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten young women[a] took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those young women got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. 11 Later the other young women came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13 Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” Matthew 25:1-13.
Let’s dive into this parable a bit, for this parable teaches all of us who wish to follow Jesus the importance of vigilance in an uncertain time and illustrates how each of us is able to “endure to the end” (24:13).
The teaching is addressed to the disciples in private as they sit with Jesus on the Mount of Olives (24:3). In Zechariah 14:1-21, the prophet looks forward to a day when the LORD will stand on the Mount of Olives and be recognized as king over all the earth (14:9, 16-17). The coming of this day is certain, as this parable illustrates with the coming of the bridegroom.
The teaching of the wise and foolish maids illustrates the need to live in a manner that expects the return of the Lord, even when the return is delayed (24:48; 25:5).
The parable opens with a familiar phrase, “The kingdom of heaven will be like this,” like the whole scene portrayed by this parable where some bridesmaids are prepared for the groom and enjoy the banquet and others are excluded by their own lack of preparation.
The banquet itself is symbolic imagery of the final time when there will be a messianic banquet. The importance of a typical wedding banquet at the time of Christ would typically last seven days, and the processions of the bride and groom marked the beginning of the joyous event.
In this story, it is expected that the bridesmaids would await the arrival of the bridegroom and greet him with a procession of light in the darkness. The bridesmaids are waiting either at the brides’ home for the groom to come and fetch her or at the home of the groom’s family where the wedding would take place. All the maids have either lamps or large torches. All are waiting with their lamps lit in eager expectation of the groom’s appearance.
The bridegroom is delayed (25:5), a delay that was not altogether uncommon. But we don’t know why he was delayed. In fact, the reason for the delay is not the bridesmaids’ concern. They should have anticipated that a delay might occur. But the delay illustrates Jesus’ warning in 24:14: “Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
Due to the delay of the groom and the late hour, all the bridesmaids have fallen asleep. Their sleepiness is not the problem, since both wise and foolish alike have become drowsy. The wise brought extra oil for their lamps (25:2–4). Both groups knew that the groom was coming and waited with their lamps burning, but only half considered that the wait in the darkness might be longer than anticipated.
When all the maids were awakened at the announcement of the groom’s arrival, they all began to trim and prepare their lamps for the procession. To the horror of the foolish, however, they discovered that they would not have enough oil to keep their lamps burning. The wise maidens refused to lend their extra oil, because if they gave away some of their oil, they would not have enough. Then what would become of the processional?
For all of us today, the wise maids’ suggestion to go to the dealers to buy more oil may seem ridiculous because the text reminds us that it is midnight (25:6). Where will the foolish maids buy oil in the middle of the night? But the maids actually do find a place to buy oil (25:10).
When the foolish were away making arrangements for more oil, something that should have been made already, the groom arrived. Too the procession occurred without the foolish bridesmaids, and the banquet began.
The foolish returned, ready for the processional. They knocked on the door of the house, but their entrance to the wedding banquet was denied by the groom. They missed the grand procession.
Although these bridesmaids were chosen to accompany the bride and groom, their role as bridesmaids did not guarantee them a place at the banquet. They had initially played the part of wedding attendants. They had waited with lamps lit, for a while, but they did not plan for the long dark time of waiting. As a result, they were shut out of the banquet. The maids’ plea (25:11) recalls Jesus’ warning that not everyone who cries “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21-23).
This parable of the Ten Bridesmaids is summed up in verse 13. The imperative is “keep awake” or “be vigilant.” In this parable, the bridegroom’s arrival was certain. The uncertainty of the timing illustrates the need for constant vigilance.
The earliest readers of this Gospel have already entered the dark days after the crucifixion and resurrection and have begun waiting for Christ’s return. This parable challenges them to be vigilant and live in anticipation of the Lord’s coming.
You and I today may find ourselves wanting to be sympathetic to the foolish maidens. Do you and I really live as though the bridegroom’s arrival is certain? Sometimes we become caught up in trying to determine the day and the hour, while other times we let our lamps run out. To live in vigilance means for all of us to do the tasks in our life that we have been appointed to do in preparation for the Master’s coming. In Matthew’s Gospel, those tasks include bearing witness to God’s kingdom by welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and imprisoned (25:31-46), and by making disciples in all the world
(28:19-20).
How vigilant, then, are you living your life each day?
That is the question we should bring to prayer today.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
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