The Lamp And The Oil

The Lamp And The Oil

By Apostle Felix

1  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 

Matthew 25: 1, 4

The parable of the ten virgins is one of the most debated parable in scripture. The debate is around the five foolish virgins, whether they were saved or not. Both camps, the five wise and the five foolish were virgins, which signifies purity. The ten virgins were all waiting on the coming of the Bridegroom, who is Jesus Christ. Both camps had gone expecting to see the king of glory. While they waited, the wise and foolish virgins fell asleep and were awakened by the noise of the Bridegroom’s coming.

The parable of ten virgins has its background in the Jewish cultural wedding festivals. It is rooted in the Jewish wedding culture. The wedding was conducted as procession. The bridegroom would dress himself in festive garments, wearing a crown of gold, or silver, or flowers. He would proceed with his friend and other attendants from an unknown place at an unknown time to the bride’s father’s house. The virgins of Israel would be outside waiting long the way in the evening with their oil lamps lit, until the loud warning cry, “Behold the Bridegroom is coming, go out and meet him,” and they would meet him and proceed with him to the entrance of the bride’s father’s house.
Meanwhile the bride would have been bathed, purified, perfumed, richly clothed, and adorned with many jewels, and would receive the blessing from her family and friends. She was also completely covered with a veil as she waited for the bridegroom.
When the bridegroom finally showed up at the entrance of the house there would again be a loud cry, “Behold the Bridegroom is coming, go and meet him.” The procession would begin from the bride’s father’s house to the house of the bridegroom. It began with great celebration, the bridegroom, the bride, the friend, the virgins, musicians, and many other friends and relatives would walk and dance, and cast flowers, and sing songs with “every demonstration of joy and gladness.” The bride was crowned and carried by the crowd on a piece of furniture through the streets to the bridegroom’s house.

Jesus borrowed the Jewish wedding procession to illustrate the importance of readiness. It was cultural for the virgins to wait with lamps for the coming of the bridegroom. The bridegroom’s coming was unpredictable. There was no time communicated to the bride’s family and the virgins to welcome the groom. The time was solely the groom’s father’s responsibility to decide. Preparedness is very cardinal to spiritual stability.

In the cultural context, the bridegroom’s journey from his home to the bride’s house, followed by a nighttime procession back to his house, is key to understanding the timing of the parable. The virgins’ role as those waiting to meet the groom underscores the anticipation and urgency of the moment. This cultural custom suggests that everyone involved in the procession had to be prepared, especially the virgins, whose task was to greet the groom and escort him to the celebration. Without lamps, they were essentially out of place, no longer part of the wedding festivities.

This expectation for each person to carry their own torch parallels the spiritual readiness required of each believer. Just as the virgins needed their own lamps to participate in the celebration, Jesus is teaching that each individual is responsible for their own preparedness in the Kingdom of God. Those who are unprepared—represented by the virgins without oil—would be excluded from the celebration, just as those without torches in the procession would be deemed unfit to join the celebration and would risk being seen as intruders.

The significance of the bridegroom’s delayed arrival also has a clear connection to this cultural practice. The groom’s timing was often unpredictable, and the delay would create a sense of uncertainty and readiness among the virgins. Just as the virgins had to stay alert for the groom’s arrival, Christians are urged to remain watchful and prepared for Christ’s return, which could come at any moment.

Finally, the reference to the bridesmaids assisting the bride helps us understand that the virgins are not just passive observers but actively involved in the procession and celebration, much like the Church is to be actively engaged in preparing for Christ’s return. The festival is not simply a one-time event, but a series of festivities that represent the eternal celebration that awaits those who are prepared.