Matthew 25: 1 Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’
10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
In the Jewish traditions of the day, the bride was responsible to make sure her guests and servants had all that was needed to be ready for the coming of the bride. What made the foolish bridesmaids truly foolish? It wasn’t just the neglect in not having enough oil. As the passage indicates they did buy oil and returned but alas...too late. What made them foolish was their own pride in not approaching the bride and confessing their foolishness. The bride could have supplied them with the oil they needed so that they would not have been left out of the “marriage supper of the lamb”. After all that was the duty of the bride in Christ’s day...to ensure that all was in readiness including seeing to it that certain foolish bridesmaids had the oil that they needed!
The Church, Christ’s bride can equip all men with the knowledge of salvation so that they might be filled with the Spirit and be saved.
They should have asked of the bride since in ancient Jewish times it was the bride’s responsibility to make sure that the guests and servants were all in readiness. The bride certainly would have been forgiving and gracious enough to supply what they needed so that they would not have had to leave the house at the risk of being shut out of the ceremony.
Now you know the true foolishness of the foolish bridesmaids. That they had not the courage to confess their lack of preparation to the bride and thus were not present when the groom came to claim his own. The bride could have prepared them(or at least deducting the cost from their fee) or at least set the maidens in question at work to other tasks. After all the important thing was that no one should miss the coming of the groom.
Now thru this we understand the mission of Christ’s bride, the church. There need be no more foolish “bridesmaids” as the church is sufficient for the teaching and supplying the gospel so that all who await the groom are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit! No one need leave to try and find salvation from any other source; the Bride herself can make one ready.
But what made them the most foolish? By not going to the bride and admitting their lack of oil and foresight.
Jewish tradition of the times of Jesus speak of the responsibilities of the bride prior to the wedding which included making sure that the guests and the servants had everything they needed to be ready. The foolish Bridesmaids needed only to ask of the bride to make purchase of her oil or at least be re-assigned to other duties so that they too would not be left out of the wedding and the coming of the groom.
They were most foolish by being caught outside of the wedding feast. They had finally bought their oil but failed to be at the right place at the right time.
The Bride is the church which has all the tools and the Holy Spirit to equip the saints and make them ready for the coming of the groom...even foolish bridesmaids who forget their oil!