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 one of the more popular parables Jesus shared, we can find reassurance in a very surprising place. While sharing the parable of the ten bridesmaids, when we look closer at what Jesus shared, a key detail of the parable might surprise you.
The parable opens by describing ten bridesmaids and it then divides these bridesmaids into two groups. One group consisted of 5 wise bridesmaids, and the other group consisted of 5 foolish bridesmaids.
Normally we would focus in on what separates the wise from the foolish, and in many ways, this is Jesus’ key point of the parable. But if we focus on how these two groups are similar, we begin to see a powerful truth.
The first similarity is a unified purpose. The parable opens in verse 1 by saying, “Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.” All ten bridesmaids had the same purpose; all the bridesmaids wanted to meet the groom.
We then learn about some differences before hitting another similarity, which is found in the second portion of verse 5, which says, “So the bridesmaids all grew tired and fell asleep.” All ten bridesmaids fell asleep when they were supposed to be awake and watching.
The next similarity comes after the call comes in the night about the bridegroom. Verse 7 tells us, “Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready.” When they had woken up, they all needed to prepare their lamps because they all had ignored their lamps while sleeping. Some flames may have gone out, while others may have been very faint.
This is where the similarities end. The foolish bridesmaids leave to get oil, and while they were gone, the bridegroom came and the door was shut.
Too often, we think of the wise follower of Jesus being the person who is always on fire for God and who always remains alert and awake. It is the person who has great habits and who always seems to have a vibrant spiritual walk.
With that picture in mind, we are left struggling to attain that idea, or we give up and admit that we must be among the foolish group since we don’t measure up to those we see around us.
But this picture of perfection is false. All ten bridesmaids fell asleep and all ten had their lamps either fade or go out. This tells me that every follower of Jesus will have a period of time where they fall asleep. If even those who are wise fall asleep, then sleeping is not sinning.
Nothing negative is said about the wise bridesmaids who fell asleep or about their flickering lamps. The focus seemed to be placed on the before sleep and the after sleep – and not on the period of sleep itself.
Knowing there will be times in our lives that we don’t feel close to God and times when we have let our spiritual habits slide, know that everyone faces these times. You are not wise or foolish for falling asleep. Instead, when you realize you have fallen asleep and are woken up, the decisions you make are what determine whether you are in the group of the wise or the group of the foolish.
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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