The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Hello everyone...I'm sorry for the late post. I was trying to enter a new post all morning long, but the system at Blogger was down and wouldn't allow me to. So that is the reason for the late post.

Today's passage is the parable that Jesus gives about ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom to come before their wedding banquet. They all go out together into the night to await for his arrival with their lamps in hand. Five of them didn't take any extra oil with them, while the other five were prepared and brought a jar of oil along with them.

The story tells us that the bridegroom wasn't due to arrive for awhile, so all ten grew sleepy and fell asleep. At midnight, the bridegroom was here and they were called out to meet him with their lamps. The five foolish ones ran out of oil and begged the smart ones to share with them, but there wasn't enough to go around.

The foolish ones were advise to go out and buy some, but in their absent, the bridegroom came and entered the banquet with the five wise virgins and shut the door. Later the five foolish virgins came back and begged to enter the banquet. But the bridegroom turned the away, telling them that he didn't know who they were.

Jesus says, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

I think Jesus is telling us that were need to be wise with our time until either we join him in Heaven or his arrival with the second coming. We don't know when we'll die or when Jesus will return. So I think he's trying to tell us to be smart and plan ahead in what we do, say, and think. What I mean by this is that we should be conscious of our decisions and action in how they will affect God's will for His kingdom and his world.

The five wise virgins knew that the bridegroom could possibly take a really long time to arrive to their banquet, so they were prepare in bringing an extra jar of oil for their lamps for when they were to greet him with. I think he's trying to tell us to not only think about how our decisions and actions affect ourselves but the world around us and what it's doing for God's kingdom. Their thoughts and actions make an impact in this world for His kingdom because they are constant and reliable. They're stable and dependable. Plus, it shows that they see the importance of the arrival of the bridegroom, which is Jesus Christ.

The five foolish virgins didn't think ahead and went out with their lamps and thought that they'll just go with the flow and see what happens. These people may start out with Jesus/God on their mind, but their preparation is done haphazardly and half-heartily. They will come up short or give misgivings to why they are doing things, proclaiming that it is God's work but it's really for their glory or just another job/chore. These people will miss their chance when they come face to face with Jesus on the day of judgment because he will not know who these people are.

I'm not saying that we need to constantly diligent as we're waiting for Jesus's arrival or our call to go home. Even all ten virgins became tired and fell asleep, but through our everyday lives, we should be thinking and living like it could be our last. I think mainly what Jesus is trying to tell us is that we don't know when our time will be up, so don't be foolish and waste the time that He's given you on this earth. Live it wisely, be thoughtful of your actions and decision and I think he wants us to be mindful of our sins so that we will come before him and repent. I think He wants us to make an impression, whether it's big or small, on this world and its people with according to the way we live.