In the 24th of Matthew and the 44th verse our Lord tells His disciples
about His promise to come back again, and He earnestly begged them to
be watchful, reminding them that His coming would be very sudden.
He described how two would be in a field, and how one should be taken
and the other left behind: and that two should be grinding flour with
the mill-stones, and how one would be taken and the other would be left
behind.
And then our Lord added this warning, "Watch therefore: for ye know not
what hour your Lord doth come."
He wants all who love Him to be quite ready for Him.
Now you know just what it means to be ready?
A father is perhaps going to take his children for a holiday in the
country, and he says to them, "Be quite ready, children. I am going out
to get a cab, and we must start the moment it comes, or we shall lose
the train. Keep looking out for me, and be quite ready waiting. I do
not want one of you to be left behind!"
[Illustration: "LORD, LORD OPEN TO US!"]
Well, some of the children are very obedient, and they do exactly as
they are told.
But one child thinks to herself, "There is plenty of time—Father has
hardly got to the end of the road yet, and I do just want to finish
this page of my book! Then I will dress in a hurry!"
But the page takes longer than she thought, and while she hastens
upstairs to dress, the cab drives up, and she is not ready!
The father looks dreadfully sorry, for the train will not wait; and the
little girl has to be left behind!
That is why our Lord says in that 24th Chapter, "Be ye also ready: for
in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh."
So after Jesus had urged them so earnestly to watch, and to be ready,
He told them a story, which will help us all to understand what He
meant.
"Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten virgins who took
their lamps, and went forth to meet the Bridegroom," He said.
And five of these virgins were wise, and five were foolish. Those that
were foolish took their lamps, but took no oil with them.
They wanted to meet the Bridegroom, but they forgot that perhaps He
might come when it was dark night, and their lamps would be of no use
unless there was oil in them.
It was not that they could not have obtained the oil; oh, no! But they
were careless, and did not think.
But the wise virgins took oil in their pitchers, with their lamps.
So they all went out to meet the Bridegroom, some with oil, and some
without it.
But it seemed a long time before the Bridegroom came, and all the
virgins fell fast asleep while they waited.
But at midnight there was a sudden cry! But it was a sound of happy
voices! "Behold the Bridegroom cometh!" the voices said joyfully.
Then the virgins waked out of their sleep, and they rose up and quickly
trimmed their lamps.
But the foolish virgins found to their dismay that their lamps had gone
out, and their little pitchers were empty!
So they ran to the wise virgins, and asked them to give them some of
their oil!
But the wise virgins shook their heads, for they knew they must not
give their oil away, or they would have none left for their own lamps
to meet the Bridegroom.
"Go quickly and buy!" they urged the foolish virgins.
And while they went to buy, the Bridegroom came; and those who were
ready went in with Him to the marriage; and the door was shut.
Oh, the terrible sound of those words—the door was shut!
Afterwards the other virgins hurried back; and when they came to that
closed door, they called with bitter longing and entreaty, "Lord, Lord
open to us!"
But the Bridegroom answered in these sorrowful words which should be a
warning to every one of us as we read them, "Verily I say unto you I
know you not."
This story has, as you see, a very sorrowful ending.
And the Lord Jesus would not have told it to us unless He had intended
us to take a great warning from it.
The Oil spoken of in this Parable is a type or picture to help us to
understand about the Holy Spirit.
For we must have the Holy Spirit in our hearts if we want to go in with
Jesus to the Marriage supper, in Heaven.
When Jesus was baptized in Jordan, John saw the Holy Spirit descending
like a dove, and resting upon Him.
Perhaps you ask, "Could those foolish virgins have had the oil?" Ah!
Indeed they might! Evidently they could have bought the oil.
The Holy Spirit is given to us "without money and without price," for
our Lord says, "How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to them that ask Him."
Some years ago we had a young maid who could not understand how she was
to find Jesus. I told her that if she would pray for the Holy Spirit,
she would certainly be shown the way.
In ten days she came to me with a joyful face. "I did pray as you told
me," she said, "and I have come to Jesus, and He is my Saviour."