The Ten Virgins: More Light for Our Lamps

"The TEN VIRGINS" (see Matt. 25:1-13) has long been one of my favorite Bible parables, because the lesson of spiritual watchfulness resonates with me on several levels.

It opens with ten virgins being likened to the kingdom of heaven. On the surface, the maidens appear very much alike. They are appropriately dressed for the occasion, they have lamps, and they are watching and waiting for the bridegroom's arrival. What distinguishes the wise from the foolish is the amount of oil in their possession. The wise prepared for a long night and brought extra oil. The foolish have some oil—just not enough. When the announcement comes to go out and meet the bridegroom, the foolish maidens not only discover they don't have enough oil, but that the wise have no intention of sharing theirs. When the foolish maidens return from attempting to buy oil at midnight, they discover the bridegroom doesn't know them and they are locked out of the wedding festivities.

The obvious message of this parable is one of warning. Are we spiritually alert, watchful, and prepared? Is the parable also asking us if we are prayed up for our daily activities? Do we only half-prepare for work, church, families, relationships? Or expect that others will do our work for us?

If we go beneath the surface of the story, I've often wondered whether Jesus also could have been talking to his disciples about starting the church. And taking it further, could he have been talking about church membership? In that day if you had ten families in a town, you were expected to start a synagogue (see The Mind of Jesus, William Barclay, p. 57; Sketches of Jewish Life, Alfred Edersheim, p. 253). And was he possibly leading us to how we might describe the types of members we encounter? Wise? Foolish? Could Jesus have been asking us to eliminate judging others? Could he have been referring to how the Jews felt about the Gentiles and vice versa? How often in our own churches do we set up a dichotomy or hierarchy of those who "live it" better than someone else? Do we let personal views dictate our appreciation for readers, board members, ushers, or even how someone gives a testimony?

Could it be that Jesus was instructing his disciples—and present-day followers—not to judge others, even when they aren't "prepared"? With that question in mind I've had to ask myself: How wisely did I behave in church business meetings? Did I have the right to call someone else's actions in the church "foolish"? If we look at the maidens, they all have the same desire—to celebrate the wedding. This prompted me to look at references to marriage. I went to the chapter "Marriage" in Science and Health to see if I could exchange the words church membership for marriage and get some new inspiration about serving my church. Here's some of what I found: "Marriage [church membership] is unblest or blest, according to the disappointments it involves or the hopes it fulfils" (p. 57). "Marriage [church membership] should improve the human species, becoming a barrier against vice, a protection to woman, strength to man, and a centre for the affections" (p. 60). "Marriage [church membership] should signify a union of hearts" (p. 64).

This gave me great hope to improve my actions as a church member. As I continued to think about this parable, I realized I was glossing over the consequences meted out to the foolish, who were ultimately locked out of the wedding. And I asked myself, Am I mentally locking anyone out of church? I saw that the wise maidens found a way to keep their spiritual lights burning. How could I do that when it came to my thoughts of church? Mary Baker Eddy's definition of oil in the Glossary of Science and Health offers some insight: "Consecration; charity; gentleness; prayer; heavenly inspiration" (p. 592). Clearly, it's impossible to borrow another's consecration. We can't assume that someone else is going to do the loving or praying for us, for our church, our country, or the world. Each of us is individually responsible for being spiritually inspired.

In the finale to the parable, the unprepared aren't just short on oil, they are locked out of the kingdom of heaven for eternity. How could this be a message from Jesus? Would he assign judgment and punishment to the forgetful? If a marriage feast is open to all, why is the door closed? Though I was content for years to contemplate how this parable related to church membership, I still needed to elevate the concept of "the kingdom of heaven" to the one that Jesus proclaimed when he said: "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17).

The early church perceived that the kingdom Jesus was talking about would arrive upon his return (New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. 3, p. 272). But that's not what Jesus actually said. He proclaimed that the kingdom was already here—not a far-off event, but a present reality. He was an "end time" preacher only in that he was requiring of Christians, in every age, to bring an end to anything that limits our experiencing the kingdom of heaven now; to bring an end to false concepts about life, about God. The only end time we ever have to deal with is bringing closure to outgrown beliefs.

So why in the parable of the ten virgins would Jesus talk about a kingdom that was yet to come? Some modern Bible scholars claim that these are not Jesus' words (see Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. 3, pp. 296-297; The Five Gospels: What Did Jesus Really Say? pp. 254-255). So this parable may have been formulated by others to keep the early church from discouragement. The early Christian church expected Jesus' imminent return. When he didn't return, they used fear tactics to encourage their church community to watch faithfully for his coming. The Christ, as fully exemplified by Jesus, was the "bridegroom" they were all waiting for. The description of the wise and "fuel-less" maidens was perhaps intended to alert them to stay hopeful and prepared. If they weren't ready, they would be locked out of the kingdom (see Matthew, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, by David L. Turner, p. 597; New Interpreter's Bible, pp. 450-451).

Still, this view introduces the concept of insiders and outsiders—those who will get in, and those who don't. Through his understanding of God, however, Jesus eliminated boundaries to God's kingdom. He was inclusive in inviting all of humanity to experience this kingdom. This truth led me to something else Mary Baker Eddy said: "The parable of 'the ten virgins' serves to illustrate the evil of inaction and delay. . . . The moral of the parable is pointed, and the diction purely Oriental" (Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896, p. 341). Her use of the word Oriental signaled to me an association with the stories and culture of the ancient Near East and not necessarily a parable told by Jesus.

Perhaps, therefore, the layers of and possible additions to the Bible's parable of the ten virgins offer modern-day reminders in working with fellow church members: No locking anyone out for a difference of opinion. No wasted moments because of any delayed action. With spiritual wisdom we can observe the kingdom of heaven within us, within our church, now.