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“Jesus communicated parables to the secular people around him and he used stories that were very relevant to their lives, and He was taking heaven’s truth and packaging it in an earthly context.” – Stephen Kendrick
Who doesn’t love a good story? But the parables of Jesus are even better than that. They sneak up on us, catching us off guard and toppling our easy assumptions. One mark of many of Jesus’ parables is that they have a twist that would have been unexpected to His hearers, and disturbed their assumptions about the way things are. It is precisely these strange twists that make the parables more than pleasant, moral stories tossed to create new awareness about the implications of Jesus and His kingdom.
Jesus was very plain about why He used parables: to reveal the truth to those who wanted to understand it. Matthew 13:10-13 says, “His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.”The Parables of Jesus intentionally weave profound truths about God, His kingdom, and His people alongside the everyday, practical truths present in the story.
Imagine you have an appointment with Jesus, but you have no idea when He will come to pick you up. It’s the only chance you’ll get, and all He says is, “Be ready.” You don’t know if He’s coming tonight, next week, in five years, or five decades. All you know is that if He shows up and you’re not prepared, that’s it — you’ve lost your opportunity forever. That’s the point of the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, which is found in Matthew 25. In this story, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a commonplace situation that His audience would have been familiar with. Five bridesmaids are wise, and five are foolish. It is dark when they leave for the procession, and the wise bridesmaids bring their lamps and some oil for the lamps, but the foolish ones bring no oil. The wise cannot share their oil with the foolish ones without risking their place in the procession, so the foolish bridesmaids are forced to find some oil and hope to join the procession late. But it’s too late. The foolish bridesmaids missed their chance, and that is the lesson — we, too, must be ready when Jesus returns.
The parable of the ten bridesmaids teaches us the importance of spiritual preparedness, particularly in the face of unexpected events such as death or the Second Coming of Christ. It highlights the need to be vigilant and ready, both outwardly (in our actions) and inwardly (in our relationship with God). The parable underscores the urgency of preparing now, as it will be too late to do so when the time comes.
Discussion Questions:
- When studying a parable, ask yourself these questions: What specific need or issue is being addressed by Jesus? What one truth does the parable reveal to a believer?
- What does the parable of the ten bridesmaids teach us about being ready for Jesus’ return?