The Ten Young Women

00:00:00 Speaker 1: But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit. If it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you, But if any man doesn't have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his Romans eight nine. Heavenly Father, we stand with confidence and passion. We rejoice knowing that your spirit dwells within us, making us your own Empower us, Lord, to live not by the flesh but by the spirit, boldly embracing the life you've called us to. May your presence within us guide our thoughts, words, and actions, aligning them with your will. Help us to walk in the assurance of your love and the strength of your spirit, overcoming the challenges of this world with faith than perseverance in every circumstance. Let us be a living testimony to your transformative power and unwavering grace. In Jesus's name, we pray with gratitude and conviction. Amen, thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to the Jesus Podcast. Stay tuned for this dramatic retelling of a parable told by Jesus. If this podcast has brought value to your faith, we'd love it if you left a review and shared it with a friend. We want the story of Jesus to be known throughout the world, because when Jesus' story is told, lives are transformed. The branches of the olive tree swayed to and fro with the afternoon breeze. Jesus had just concluded his story about the foolish Servant, a man who lived as though his master would never return. The disciples were left in suspense about the idea of God coming at an unknown time. With tender strength, Jesus said. 00:02:16 Speaker 2: The Master will cut that man into pieces, and he will be cast into outer darkness. The story is a warning for those that think they know when the son of Man will return. I have another story for you, a story about ten young women who were waiting for a groom. 00:02:37 Speaker 3: I can benefit greatly from your faith. I can be blessed by the gifts of the Spirit in your life. I can be a recipient of your kindness, your love, and your mercy. I can benefit from your faith, but I can't borrow it. When all is said and done, our faith is our own. We are all responsible for our own journey. This is the Jesus Podcast. Gospel stories told to a cinematic flair and dramatic storytelling. We've been going through the parables, dramatizing them and immersing ourselves in the story. Today's story is controversial, the parable of the ten Virgins. As we take a look at the parable of the ten virgins as told in Matthew twenty five, we must acknowledge upfront that there has been a lot of debate on the meaning of this parable. At least one aspect of this parable can be known with absolute certainty. The bridegroom is Jesus, and this parable describes his return. In the Old Testament Isaiah fifty four sixty two and Hosea two, God portrays himself as a husband of Israel. And in the New Testament John three, Matthew nine, Mark two, Christ is pictured as the bridegroom of the Church. The church is described in scripture as the bride of Christ in Ephesians and in Revelation. So let's dive into the story and see if we can extract some meaning for our faith and our relationship with Jesus. It impacts our faith here and now, but this also affects our eternity. 00:04:02 Speaker 2: In the quaint village of Bethel, nestled between rolling hills and Whispering Woods was the property of a certain merchant. The entire estate was alive with joyful preparations. Servants sang as they set tables. Women wove wedding garments with laughter and glee. Flowers were arranged in vases, wine was prepared in beryls, and meat was cooked in hot iron pots. The village itself was alight with anticipation. The merchant's son was engaged to be married, and the time had come for the wedding celebration. The merchant's son was beloved in the community, renowned for his kind heart and keen mind. Everybody in Bethel would be in attendance to celebrate him and his bride. Whispering in the halls of the groom's home were ten young women. They had been hand picked by the bride and groom to be lamp bearers for the wedding. Their task was to escort the groom to the ceremony with lamps in hand. It was a great honor of high esteem and opportunity to be seen by potential courtiers. The ten women prepared their garments, helped each other with their hair, and filled their lamps with oil. 00:05:14 Speaker 4: Everybody ready. 00:05:15 Speaker 2: Rachel asked in a hushed tone. 00:05:18 Speaker 4: The groom is supposed to be ready soon, and we want to be right at his door when he comes out. 00:05:23 Speaker 2: The young maidens all nodded, yet some were more ready than others. Five of them had prepared for anything, filling their lamps to the brim with oil just in case the groom was late. The other five, more focused on their garments and braids, didn't fully fill their lamps. The stars shone brilliantly against the velvet sky. The air was warm, calm, and welcoming. It was the perfect evening for a wedding. The maidens took their lamps and set out to meet the bridegroom. The wise ones carried with them in delicate jars oil enough to keep their lamps burning bright through the night. The foolish, on the other hand, in their haste and merriment, thought little of the oil, their lamps half filled. 00:06:09 Speaker 4: We'll wait here until the groom comes out. Everybody be ready? Are you excited? 00:06:14 Speaker 2: The maidens all beamed with joyful anticipation. The groom was supposed to be out any minute. Their lamps let a beautiful dance of light and shadows against the hallway. The maidens began with childlike glee, but minutes of waiting turned to hours, and the moment's enthusiasm was replaced with weariness. The bridegroom was delayed for unknown reasons. In the night's soft embrace, the ten maidens fell into a gentle slumber, their lamps flickering like distant stars on the earth. Their lamps continued to burn. At the stroke of midnight, when the world was steeped in dreams and whispers, a cry rang out, shattering the silence like a clap of thunder. The trumpets sounded, and the sound of horses grew louder. Rachel woke up and picked up her lamp. 00:07:07 Speaker 4: Wake up, She shouted, The bridegroom is coming awake and greet him. 00:07:12 Speaker 2: The maidens started awake. Five of them grabbed their lamps and stood at attention. They were prepared, excited, and ready to receive the groom. Five others held their lamps, only to see their flames dimmed. They hadn't prepared and now wore the look of dread and desperation on their faces. Panic creased the brows of the foolish women. 00:07:33 Speaker 4: Rachel, some of our lamps have faded give us some of your oil. 00:07:38 Speaker 2: Rachel and the other five who prepared shook their heads. 00:07:41 Speaker 4: Hours have passed. If we give you what's left of our oil, there won't be any left to last. All of us will run out. 00:07:48 Speaker 2: Everyone looked back at the doors. They could hear the groom approaching. 00:07:52 Speaker 4: If you leave now, you may be back in time. 00:07:54 Speaker 2: The foolish women hastened into the night, their hearts pounding with urgency for more oil. Became a race against time, a desperate flight through the shadowed alleys and silent squares. Meanwhile, the bridegroom arrived, his carriage a silhouette against the moonlit sky. The wise maidens, their lamps burning steady and bright, joined him, their faces radiant with joy. Together they entered the banquet hall, a realm of laughter and light, and the doors closed behind them, ceiling within it the mirth and splendor of the celebration. When the foolish women finally returned, their lamps now brimming with oil, they found the door barred, the revelry a distant melody beyond their reach. They called out their voices, a blend of hope and despair. 00:08:51 Speaker 4: Lord, a Lord, open the door for us. 00:08:56 Speaker 2: But from within came the solemn reply, Truly, I tell you, I do not know you. The words fell upon their hearts like a cold, unyielding rain. They had missed the moment, their chance lost to the whims a folly and neglect. 00:09:18 Speaker 1: The wind picked up, and Jesus rose his face to the sun. It was beginning its descent over the valley, painting the garden and brilliant hues of amber and purple. He looked at his disciples sternly. 00:09:34 Speaker 2: Nobody knows the day or the hour. Do not be caught off God. 00:09:40 Speaker 1: He paused and leaned back on a stone. He looked at Matthew, frantically writing every word he said. He looked at Thomas, brow furrowed with deep thought. He looked at Peter, Oh, Peter. Peter was looking at everyone else to make sure they were paying attention. Each of his chosen disciples had unique personalities, quirks, and gifts to offer the Kingdom of God. He prayed they wouldn't squander their opportunity. He desired for each of them to invest all they had in the kingdom. 00:10:18 Speaker 2: It is time I tell you another parable, Jesus continued, a parable of a man who went on a journey and entrusted his servants with talents. 00:10:31 Speaker 3: Back in the time of Jesus, a wedding would be preceded by a parade. This parade would include bridesmaids who would walk around the city carrying torches around the groom. It was their only job. Their job was to be ready for the groom and then to parade them through the city and to the wedding venue. In today's parable, told by Jesus, there's two different bridesmaids. There are those who were prepared and those who were unprepared. Some of them were wise and they said, hey, we should be prepared for anything, no matter what time the bridegroom comes out, to be ready for him. But the other five bridesmaids assumed that the groom would be ready on their own timeline. All of these bridesmaids were dressed for the parade. They were eager to be showcased around the city with the groom. Perhaps this wedding was an important event for them to be seen, noticed and feel important. Maybe there were suitors or admirers that would see them. Now, all of these bridesmaids were dressed for the wedding, but not all were ultimately able to attend the wedding. At the end, they all had the same appearance, yet only half of them were prepared. It was not the fact that they fell asleep, because both the wise and the unwise bridesmaids fell asleep. That's just to communicate the sudden surprise of Jesus coming back. No, what made them unprepared was not that they were asleep. It was their lack of oil in their lamps. What these bridesmaids lacked was the oil. They lacked the oil, the fuel that makes the fire burn. That oil is an important image for you and I. In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is represented through oil. Jesus said that those who follow and trust him are the light of the world, and we are the light of the world because we have the oil of God's Spirit in us. He is the fuel that awakens our spirits to be alive. What these bridesmaids lacked was fuel. Jesus is talking about those who might have the appearance of those who are showing up to the wedding, But when all is said and done, they have not been made alive by the Holy Spirit. Their lamps do not burn with oil. Ephesians one point thirteen says that the Holy Spirit is the seal and the guarantee of our inheritance. He is the stamp that marks us as saved people. They have the appearance of readiness, but they had no oil in their lamps. This is the same for anyone who has the appearance of being a Christian but doesn't have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them and working through them. And so the bridegroom is coming, he's getting closer, and the foolish bridesmaids realize, oh, no, we have no oil. We should have prepared. More so what do they do? Naturally, they do what they're supposed to do. They ask around, They ask to borrow some oil from others, but ultimately that's impossible. Listen, we can benefit from one another. I can benefit greatly from the Holy Spirit working in you, the gifts of the Spirit that you get to exercise on a daily basis. I could be blessed by your kindness and your faith, the words you have to say, your hospitality, the encouragement of exercising your gifts around me. I can benefit from your faith. I could be blessed by your faith, but I can't borrow your faith nor can you borrow mine. I need my own faith, my own relationship with the Holy Spirit, my own oil burning in my lamp. The bride'smaids put us in the face of this really brutal truth that there will come a time when it's too late, too late to really dive deeper, too late to actually take it seriously, too late to respond to the call of God and enter into a relationship with him. And when that time comes, you won't be able to rely on the faith of others. You can't borrow oil from someone else's lamp. Are you relying on the Holy Spirit's work in the lives of others? Is your faith to be dependent on another person? Is your relationship with God dependent on your spouse? Your parents? A circumstance the church community. It is interesting that Jesus uses a lack of oil as an example of being unprepared because althroughout the Bible, oil is used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and Ephesians one thirteen through fourteen Paul says this in him. You also, when you heard the Word of truth in the Gospel of your Salvation and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory. To hear the truth, receive the Gospel, and believe in Jesus results in God giving us the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee and the stamp of our inheritance. The original language likens it to a stamp or a seal that denotes someone's property. That's the Holy Spirit in our lives. He seals us and continually brings us into the presence of God to experience relationship with Him. If you have rejected the Gospel or have not allowed it to have its full effect in your soul, that means, if the Holy Spirit does and dwell in you, there's no oil in your lamp. It doesn't matter how often you darken the doors of a church, doesn't matter how often you read the Bible. If you have not given your life to Jesus and received the gift of the Holy Spirit, there's no oil in your lamp. Now. Am I saying you got to roll around and speak in tongues? Am I saying that you have to do some sort of dance or pray some special murmuring prayer in order to receive the Holy Spirit. Absolutely not. The Holy Spirit works subtly in some people's lives and overtly in others. The Holy Spirit works personally in the lives of those who have given their lives to Jesus. Ask yourself, if you just look like you're attending the wedding. You have your bridesmaid's gown, you have your torch, but there's no oil in your lamp. You don't have the Holy Spirit. You may have your Bible, you may have your church clothes on. You may know what to say about Jesus and the right answers to all the Sunday School questions, but is your lamp empty? When you are surrounded by Christian culture, it's profoundly easy to have the words as you say about Jesus be billions of miles away from the actual effect Jesus is having in your life personally. A lack and a relationship with God will result in being shut out from the wedding. What these bridesmaids ultimately lacked was a relationship with the groom. Their unpreparedness with not having oil in their lamps made them unavailable for the procession, therefore making them unavailable to develop a relationship and friendship with the bridegroom. You see, it's not just about knowing the gospel. It's not just about hearing the gospel. What you do with the gospel matters. How it affects your heart matters. How you interact with Jesus on a daily basis through the Holy Spirit matters. But there's good news, my friends. The Holy Spirit is available to anyone who would declare faith in reliance on Jesus Christ. For anyone who would looked to him for salvation and ask for him not just to be their savior, but the lord of their lives, will be given the Holy Spirit, the comforter, the counselor the seal of approval. And as the Holy Spirit dwells in us, and as we learn more about the character and mission of God, we will start to act upon his power in our lives. There are signs of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In Galatians, it says the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. There are gifts of the Spirit to be exercised in our lives. The Holy Spirit will work through those who honestly and earnestly and humbly give their lives to Jesus. Thanks for joining me again on another episode of the Jesus Podcast. We have more to go a few more parables left before entering into a new series about Jesus's miracles. I can't wait to be with you through it all. God bless