Read Matthew 25 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The parable of the ten virgins makes a Chiastic Structure:
Every parable makes use of Natural Pictures to teach spiritual truths about the kingdom of heaven. The Natural Pictures in this parable are:
The bridegroom, standing in for Yeshua.
And Yeshua said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Mat 9:15
The King’s Son is preparing for His wedding (Mat 22:1-14). When the King’s Son, Messiah Yeshua, returns, He will be united in marriage with His bride (Rev 19:7), who is the holy city, the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:2, Rev 21:9-10).
The virgins are the friends of the bride and bridegroom, according to the Hebrew culture of the time. We just saw that the friends of the bridegroom are His disciples – that is me and you!
Lamps emit light.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Mat 5:14-15
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Phi 2:14-16
But lamps cannot emit light without oil, which fuels the light (Exo 27:20). The provision of or lack of oil is the central axis of the structure.
Oil is standing in for the anointing which consecrates into service. “To anoint” is to smear or rub with oil, according to Webster’s.
And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil. Exo 30:25
Anointing is a province of and mark of the Holy Spirit.
“The Spirit of YHVH God is upon Me because YHVH has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted …” Isa 61:1
How God anointed Yeshua of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Act 10:38
The parable is teaching that since we do not know the day or hour of Yeshua’s return, always be found shining His light, fueled by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Don’t be fooled; without the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the His light cannot shine. And if we do not have that anointing? Ask for it!
“If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luk 11:11-13
If there are questions, this is a good resource:
The Parable of His Return – Christine Miller
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