Will You Marry Me?Sample

The 10 Virgins

Jesus often taught in parables, which are stories with a moral or spiritual truth behind them. Over the next few days, we’re going to talk about the parable of the 10 virgins. It sounds kind of weird, but trust me—after we look into it, you’ll have a new perspective.

In this parable, Jesus is referring to the rapture, the final assumption of Christians into heaven during the end times. This is when Jesus will return as our bridegroom to take His bride, the universal church, out of this world to meet Him in the air. The procession of the Jewish bride we learned about before is a picture of what this event might look like.

The reason Jesus explains that the girls are virgins in this parable is to clarify that they were not yet married. They were most likely in the betrothal period, waiting for their bridegroom to come and get them.

It is NOT saying that you have to be a virgin in the sexual sense for Jesus to approve of you as His bride. It’s also NOT saying that you’re unqualified to be His bride if you’ve sinned, lusted, or fallen short in the sexual category.

This parable has nothing to do with our sexual status; rather, Jesus is using a physical example to explain a deeper spiritual truth. The fact that these girls are virgins mirrors how we’re all spiritually in the “virgin” stage, awaiting a future marriage to Christ. Once He fetches us for our wedding, we’ll become one with Him in our glorified spiritual state and celebrate perfect unity in Christ.

Remember how five of these virgins were considered wise and five were not? Why is that?

In the passage, we learn that the five who were considered wise took extra oil with their lamps. The foolish five didn’t take enough oil for their lamps.

In the rest of today’s reading, we learn the context that oil was used in the Old Testament to anoint or set something apart, to make someone holy, and to consecrate a person or object to God. The oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

 

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit anoints us with His oil—and like the lamps in this parable, we have an oil that never runs dry. Our lamps (our bodies) are lit up for God. We’re wise, rightfully betrothed to Christ our bridegroom, and ready for His return. 

Here’s the bottom line: The virgins who have no oil are considered foolish and unprepared for His return. As a result, they’re left behind. They represent those here on earth who have not received the Holy Spirit and are not yet betrothed to Christ. 

The virgins who have oil represent the betrothed believers who are bound to Christ in this life. These believers have received the gift of His Holy Spirit and will be ready and considered pure when Jesus comes back for them. 

Let’s not forget our oil!