For Display Only; a Pretty Lamp. Matthew 25.

Read Matthew 25 online here.

The Parable of the Wise
and Foolish Virgins
William Blake, ca. 1803-5
Watercolor, brush and gray wash,
pen and black ink over graphite

I’m not a virgin. But really you don’t have to be to understand what Jesus is telling us in the Parable of the Ten Virgins; in fact what He is telling us in the entire Matthew 25 chapter. Simply put, be prepared and don’t be foolish with what He has given you.

I wondered, as I read the first parable, why did the 5 foolish virgins only take their lamps and not the oil (because they were foolish you say…work with me here?) Lamps need oil to work, so why not just leave the lamp at home too? It’s, after all, an added burden to carry around a lamp with no oil. It’s like carrying around a flashlight without batteries. Better yet it’s like carrying around a box of tire chains that you know won’t fit your tires. Because, really, what are the chances I’ll need them anyway?

Perception management — the art of influencing others to think you’re a more responsible person than you really are. The 5 wise virgins probably perceived that the 5 foolish virgins were completely ready. It never came up in conversation because, by all outward appearances, they seemed to be prepared. Which means of course that the 5 foolish virgins never had to deal with the issue of their unpreparedness. I can’t help but think that their lamps were probably even better looking than the others. Yet still, no oil, no light. It was simply for show.

Do you have oil or just a pretty lamp?

Is your Bible strategically placed in your home so that your visitors will see it and be impressed at how spiritual you are…yet you don’t read it? Do you raise your hands in church because it looks like you’re a better worshiper…yet your heart is far from God? Do you say “I’ll pray for you” only as words of comfort…and then never pray?

Do you always respond “pretty good” when asked how things are going?

Maybe you’ve worked really hard to polish your lamp to impress those around you. You’ve convinced yourself that you’ll have plenty of time to get your heart right before your time here is over. In the end, you may have earned a nice eulogy about how godly of a person you were, but what happens next is of more importance.

The 5 foolish virgins knew that their lamps had no oil, and don’t we also know what in our lives is not genuine? Yet we may have convinced ourselves that we’re prepared. We may find comfort when we look in the trunk and see the box of tire chains and yet we know, eventually, the truth will come out that they don’t actually fit.

Today's article written by Bill Johnson.