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Learning Wisdom: Matthew 25:1-13

Published October 9, 2026 in Written Journal Entries
Focus Passage: Matthew 25:1-13 (NIrV)

1 “Here is what the kingdom of heaven will be like at that time. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. 2 Five of them were foolish. Five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but didn’t take any olive oil with them. 4 The wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The groom did not come for a long time. So the bridesmaids all grew tired and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight someone cried out, ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.’

9 “ ‘No,’ they replied. ‘There may not be enough for all of us. Instead, go to those who sell oil. Buy some for yourselves.’

10 “So they went to buy the oil. But while they were on their way, the groom arrived. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with him to the wedding dinner. Then the door was shut.

11 “Later, the other bridesmaids also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘What I’m about to tell you is true. I don’t know you.’

13 “So keep watch. You do not know the day or the hour that the groom will come.

Read Matthew 25:1-13 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids, we can learn a lot about what it takes to be known as wise. In this parable, there are some clear differences shared between the wise bridesmaids, and the foolish ones.

This parable opens by describing ten bridesmaids who all want to meet the bridegroom. All ten have the same goal, but then Matthew describes the differences between them. He tells us, “Five of them were foolish. Five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but didn’t take any olive oil with them. The wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps.” (v. 2-4)

The first key difference between these two groups of bridesmaids is that the foolish ones didn’t bring along any extra oil in jars. Perhaps the foolish bridesmaids believed the oil was safer left at home, or maybe they assumed that there would be no delaying the wedding party’s arrival. Whatever the reason, these foolish bridesmaids did not bring extra oil.

On the other hand, the wise bridesmaids either anticipated a delay, or they thought that more oil would be good to have. Oil left at home does no one any good. They likely didn’t bring all their oil, but enough to get all the way through the night.

Then all the bridesmaids fell asleep. After being woken up, we are able to see another key difference between the wise and the foolish. Matthew describes the bridesmaids having a frantic conversation while scrambling to get ready for the bridegroom who was almost here. He tells us the foolish bridesmaids said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.” (v. 8)

The wise bridesmaids responded by saying, “No, there may not be enough for all of us. Instead, go to those who sell oil. Buy some for yourselves.” (v. 9)

Matthew then describes what the foolish bridesmaids did: “So they [the foolish bridesmaids] went to buy the oil. But while they were on their way, the groom arrived. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with him to the wedding dinner. Then the door was shut.” (v. 10)

Preparation and decision separated the wise from the foolish in this parable. The wise bridesmaids prepared by bringing enough oil, and that preparation let them experience the wedding. The foolish bridesmaids’ lack of preparation made for an awkward conversation and a poor decision on the back end.

Following being woken up, the foolish bridesmaids left their post in order to go get oil. This decision cost them the chance of being part of the wedding celebration.

While tradition holds that the oil represents the Holy Spirit, it is possible that in this parable, it could mean simply anything that we feel we need to have or do before coming to God. If the oil really does represent the Holy Spirit, then the only Source of it would be coming with the wedding party, with God the Father (as Father of the Groom), and God the Son (the groom). It is possible that the Father, seeing that the foolish bridesmaids had run out of oil, may have brought out some and given it to them.

But the foolish bridesmaids were nowhere to be found. They had left their post in favor of seeking oil elsewhere, and they missed out on the wedding celebration.

The key two ideas that make us wise in this parable are that we should plan ahead and bring more than is necessary incase Jesus’ return is delayed; and secondly, we should never leave our post thinking there is something more we need to have or do elsewhere. If we leave our post, we guarantee that we will miss out on the reward of being included in the wedding celebration.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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Why Bad Things Happen (Maybe): John 9:1-41

Published October 7, 2026 in Written Journal Entries
Focus Passage: John 9:1-41 (NLT)

 1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”

 3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

 6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!

 8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”

   But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”

 10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”

 11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”

 12 “Where is he now?” they asked.

   “I don’t know,” he replied.

 13 Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, 14 because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”

 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.

 17 Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”

   The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”

 18 The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?”

 20 His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21 but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. 23 That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”

 24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”

 25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”

 26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”

 27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

 28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”

 30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”

 34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.

 35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

 36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”

 37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”

 38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.

 39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”

 40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”

 41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.

Read John 9:1-41 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In today’s entry, we are looking at another one of Jesus’ miracles, and we will be focusing specifically on the response Jesus gives to the disciples’ question before the miracle.

The disciples ask Jesus, “Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” (v. 2)

Jesus responds, “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins. This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” (v. 3)

Which leads us to our big thought: What if all the bad that is present in this world today is really an opportunity for God’s glory to be revealed?

If this is the case today as it was at the time Jesus performed this miracle, are we viewing problems in the world as an inevitable chain of events that must progressively get worse for Jesus to come back sooner, or are we viewing these problems as opportunities to show God’s glory by helping to solve the problems we can touch?

In this parable, we are given a glimpse that sometimes bad things happen not because of something we did, something that our parents did, or something that could have been avoided, but instead as an opportunity for God’s glory to be revealed.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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Bigger than the Cross: Luke 4:42-44

Published October 6, 2026 in Written Journal Entries
Focus Passage: Luke 4:42-44 (NIV)

42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

Read Luke 4:42-44 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Of all the events in the gospels, the one in our passage for this entry stands out in my mind as being notable, because in it, Jesus shares a key part of His mission to earth. While the last two months on earth made for the ultimate conclusion to His ministry, Jesus spent over three years traveling around ministering to the people in Israel. While Jesus would ultimately face the cross, experience the resurrection, and ascend triumphantly back to heaven, He spent more time teaching, preaching, and healing than He did dying.

In this passage, after the disciples and the people find Him away from the town, they urge Him to come back. But Jesus responded by saying, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” (v. 43)

While death was on Jesus’ mission statement, higher on the list was proclaiming the good news about God’s kingdom. During the time leading up to Jesus’ ministry, people had a very distorted view of God’s character. Jesus came to show us what God the Father was like. In other words, Jesus came to live like God the Father would have lived.

It wasn’t enough to speak through a prophet, or to try to get the message delivered by a third party. The Godhead knew that They needed to send one of Their own to represent Their character – and most specifically, Their love with a world where love was growing cold.

Our world today is a place where true love is growing cold. This means that we are in the perfect place to help people experience a God-like love – but we can only share this type of love if we are connected with Jesus. “God loves us” is the essence of the good news of the Kingdom of God, and each one of us can share this news with the world around us – both by saying it, and by showing it!

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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The Rich, Secret Disciple: Luke 23:50-56

Published October 2, 2026 in Written Journal Entries
Focus Passage: Luke 23:50-56 (CEV)

50-51 There was a man named Joseph, who was from Arimathea in Judea. Joseph was a good and honest man, and he was eager for God’s kingdom to come. He was also a member of the council, but he did not agree with what they had decided.

52 Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 53 He took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in fine cloth. Then he put it in a tomb that had been cut out of solid rock and had never been used. 54 It was Friday, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and watched how Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb. 56 Then they went to prepare some sweet-smelling spices for his burial. But on the Sabbath they rested, as the Law of Moses commands.

Read Luke 23:50-56 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

When we read the gospels, we may get the impression that every one of the religious leaders were completely opposed to Jesus. We see a picture of a corrupt religious system, and we may begin to believe that everyone within this system was as corrupt as it was.

However, several of the gospel writers draw our attention onto someone who doesn’t fit our stereotype during the final hours of the day Jesus died. Luke describes Joseph of Arimathea as “a good and honest man, and he was eager for God’s kingdom to come. He was also a member of the council, but he did not agree with what they had decided.” (v. 50-51)

When we read about the Jewish leader’s decisions against Jesus, we may think these were all unanimous decisions, but according to Luke, Joseph was at least one person who stood apart from the stereotype of Jesus-hate.

Mark describes Joseph in a similar way by saying he “was a highly respected member of the Jewish council, and he was also waiting for God’s kingdom to come” and he “was brave enough to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus.” (Mark 15:43)

Matthew describes Joseph as “a rich disciple” who asked for Jesus’ body. (Matthew 27:57-58)

John describes Joseph simply one of Jesus’ secret disciples. (John 19:38)

While Joseph was hesitant about going public with his belief in Jesus during Jesus’ ministry, following Jesus’ death, he gained the courage to come forward with a significant gift. Joseph gave Jesus his tomb.

It is uncertain if Joseph knew about Jesus’ prediction about rising on the third day, but even if the tomb was only a temporary resting place for Jesus, this makes Joseph’s gift no less significant.

Joseph’s position and secret belief in Jesus is an example of God setting the stage perfectly for what He wanted to do. Crucifixion victims were not cared for following their deaths, and none were given any respect. Some were cremated, others buried in shallow graves. Some were tossed into mass graves, while others were simply thrown to the dogs to eat.

None of these typical responses was part of God’s plan, so I believe this is why He placed a rich, secret disciple on the council. Joseph’s rank within the corrupt religious system is a testament to God’s power and ability to place us in exactly the right position. Joseph was high enough that he could speak directly to Pilate, and he was wealthy enough to have purchased a tomb for when he ultimately would die. Joseph was also genuinely interested in God’s kingdom coming, and he lived his life in a good, honest, and genuine way.

Reading about Joseph’s position and perspective teaches me that regardless of where I am placed by God, He has a plan for where I am currently. I might not always understand why I am where I am, but it is always with a purpose. I may need to grow personally. There may be someone who I need to help. Regardless of His reasons, God is busy working behind the scenes, placing us in the places and roles He created for us so that His Kingdom will grow, and lives will be saved.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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