Introduction
I find it tragic that the vast majority of the population around the world including our own nation are on a quest to find some sort of meaning to life apart from God. Their hope is to find a purpose in life in things such as in retirement, materialism, hedonism (is that pursuit of pleasure), fame, power, position in society, or belief in a false religion. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived (apart from Jesus), explored all of these areas by either through personal experience or by careful observation. In the book of Ecclesiastes, he concisely removes this facade to expose the ultimate reality that each of these pursuits are vanity, that would be like chasing after the wind.
The Point of the Parable
The truth that Jesus uses in this parable is to illustrate the truth that Jesus is coming at a time when people do not expect Him. And He will reward the righteous and judge sinners. People therefore, must be ready for Him when He comes, for if you are not ready, then you will be too late.
We are told a story about 10 unmarried maidens who have been invited to a wedding and meet the bridegroom. All seem to be alike at first. Each one of the maidens is carrying a lamp. Each of the ten came for the same purpose of meeting the bridegroom in his procession. They are waiting for the bridegroom the same way that the church awaits the return of Jesus, her espoused groom.
Although, the outward appearance is the same, inwardly the 10 maidens are very different. Our text says that five are foolish and the other five are prudent, having understanding resulting from insight and wisdom. In the same way, those professing to be the people of God have always been a mixture of foolish and prudent people. In Israel, there were those who demonstrated outward identity with God’s people, yet their hearts were far from God. In the church, there are tares among the wheat (Matthew13:25), wolves among the shepherds (Acts 20:29), and false prophets among the true ones (2 Peter 2:1)
The foolish maidens are mentioned first because the parable places the emphasis upon them and the consequences to them.
The foolishness of the first five is contrasted with the prudent maidens from the beginning of the parable. We are told that they did not bring extra oil for their lamps while the wise do. No reason is indicated other than that they were foolish. Whether they were thinking oil would be provided for them or that they would have ample warning to go and purchase extra oil at the last minute if needed is actually unimportant to the story. The fact is in their foolishness they did not prepare properly. They were waiting to join the wedding procession without having enough oil for their lamps. The prudent, on the other hand, were properly prepared and ready with a flask of oil if needed.
We are told that for some unknown reason that the bridegroom was delayed. The ten bridesmaids knew that he would come that night, they just did not know at what hour. From our perspective, Jesus has delayed his return, yet He knows exactly why. He does not have to explain it to us while we wait. He has given us enough information to know that we are to be prepared and be ready for Him at whatever hour He does finally come.
The story continues and we learn that the ten maidens eventually grow drowsy and fall asleep. No condemnation is given to either the foolish or the wise for sleeping. What this detail does add to the text is that the foolish had more than ample time to prepare themselves. They resorted to sleeping instead of making the necessary preparations. However, the five wise maidens could rest quietly in confident assurance that when the bridegroom arrived, as they were already ready and well prepared.
Such is the case today for there are many that claim to be part of Christ’s church, part of Jesus’ body here on earth, but they are self-deceived and quietly rest in the false assurance that they are prepared to meet Jesus. They are asleep to their condition. We would like to think that if they only knew their true predicament, they would prepare themselves quickly, but like the five foolish bridesmaids in the parable, it is obvious they are not ready, and are oblivious to their condition, as they do not recognize it. Will not someone wake them up and point it out to them? I pray this message will do that for someone today.
At the end of the story, we learn that the five foolish maidens leave to purchase oil, but while they are gone the bridegroom arrives. The five wise maidens join the wedding procession, arrive at the place of the wedding feast, and the doors are shut behind them.
The Tragedy of Self-Deception
Sometime later the five foolish maidens arrive back at the scene. The text does not tell us whether they were able to purchase oil or not, and in reality, it would not matter at that point, because the wedding procession was over and neither the oil nor they themselves were needed any longer. We are told that they called out and tried to get someone to open the door. But the lord of the house came and answered their call, but it was too late for them as the door had been shut.
That is the final tragedy of self-deception and why Jesus warns in verse 13, “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day or the hour.”
Are you prepared?
The parable illustrates the need for spiritual vigilance. Believers must be prepared at all times, not assuming they have endless opportunities. The bridegroom’s delay symbolizes the unknown timing of Christ’s return. The wise maidens anticipate delays and prepare accordingly. The foolish maidens assume convenience and fail to make necessary spiritual provisions. This contrast highlights the importance of intentional discipleship and perseverance as we wait.
Jesus uses this imagery to warn against complacency and superficial faith. The closed door symbolizes final judgment and the irreversible consequences of spiritual neglect. We do not know when Christ will return, so we need to be ready and to wait if necessary. However, we need to live our life as though Jesus could return today. And we also need to live our life as though Jesus might not return until much later. But waiting is hard. And as such it is easy to get discouraged waiting for Christ to return. We see the signs, and we wonder why it is taking so long. But we are promised that he will return in His own good time.
This reminds me of the story of the rich fool that is found in Luke 12:13.
The Parable of the Rich Fool
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Jesus tells the story of the man called a fool found in Luke 12:13–21, known as the Parable of the Rich Fool.
It tells of a man in the crowd who asks Jesus to tell his brother to split an inheritance with him. Jesus refuses to adjudicate and warns everyone to guard against greed, teaching that true life does not come from having many possessions.
And so, Jesus tells the parable of a rich farmer/a rich fool, whose land produces a massive harvest. With nowhere to store it all, the man decides to tear down his smaller barns and build bigger ones. The farmer tells himself he now has enough goods stored up for many years, so he can sit back, "take life easy, eat, drink and be merry".
God says to him: "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"
Why was he called a fool?
Because like the 10 maidens he had not prepared for his life’s end as he should have, as he had ignored his mortality: he had planned for a long, comfortable physical retirement on earth, completely forgetting that he could die that very night.
He had left God out of his life: In his monologue, he focused entirely on “I,” “my,” and “myself,” treating his wealth as his own security rather than acknowledging God. He stored up the wrong kind of wealth. Jesus concluded that the man was a fool because he stored up material treasures for himself instead of being “rich toward God” and had not prepared as he should have. Read your Bible, pray and worship the Lord daily.