Matthew 25:1-13 is a parable that Jesus told and for a very long time I didn't know what it meant and it felt quite scary. Please read it for yourself. But I pondered on questions like,
Did the foolish know they were foolish? Like they knew enough to know where to go to get their own oils, so in other words, they were all waiting for the bridegroom, so they had a good head knowledge of this bridegroom and where the oil was sold. It's interesting that they were in the company of the wise, doing exactly the same thing as the wise! They all fell asleep! That wasn't the problem. They probably dressed like, smelt like, talked like and hung out with the wise.
Were the wise selfish? If they knew they were wise, could they not discern the foolish? Why weren't they their "brother's keeper" to inform the foolish to go get their own oil, before it was too late? Or maybe they couldn't judge you know? So they might have sensed that these ladies weren't truly part of them, but they didn't want to be seen as being judgmental!
Did anyone realize before the bridegroom came that what would be the deciding factor for both groups would be how much oil they had in their lamps, to take them from their place of slumber to meet with the bridegroom?
Why did Jesus, the bridegroom, call them all "virgins"? Couldn't He, knowing the outcome of these two groups, name them appropriately - the five wise virgins and the five foolish prostitutes? Is He admitting that they were once His? Or He just felt led to group them according as we see them, not what He saw?
Read this - New King James Version;
11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
New Living Translation;
11 Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’
12 “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’
I found peace in knowing this; there is a fragrance that comes from intimacy... the Lord KNOWS those who are His by our relationship with Him. John 10:14 & 15 says,
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father."
My pondering heart was finally at rest!
If you don't know if you're in a relationship with Him, you can start today! First, we must confess and believe that He is our Savior, and that we are in need of Him. Just like a human relationship, speak with Him wholeheartedly, and do that everyday. Get reading the Bible, but please ask Him to baptize you in the Holy Spirit because without Him, we don't really understand what we read - He helps us know His voice, and we grow. He'll take you on a journey, and the best part is, He's coming along and He'll put you in the right community of people to strengthen you on this journey.
We Are The Five Wise!
Amen.
