Lamps Running Out of Oil
By
John Collins
In
Matthew 25, Jesus gives the parable of the ten virgins, five foolish and five wise.
When they went to meet the bridegroom, five of them took their lamps, but took no oil with them. The wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
The bridegroom was delayed, and they all became drowsy and slept. At midnight, the bridegroom returned, and it was loudly announced: "Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!"
All the virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish, however, had no oil. They said to the wise virgins, "Give us some of your oil, our lamps are going out."
The wise replied that there would not be enough for them all to make it, and told the foolish virgins to go to the dealers to buy oil for themselves.
While they were out buying oil, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went with him to the marriage feast, and the door to the feast was shut.
Afterward the other virgins came to find the door shut. "Lord, lord, open the door for us!" they cried.
The bridegroom responded, "I do not know you."
Jesus said, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
As Christians, we should ask ourselves: Are our lamps burning but getting very close to empty? Are we finding new oil to fill our lamps, or are we still burning on oil that we got from days gone by? If the bridegroom came to see us, would we have enough oil to go out to meet him, or would our lamps go out on the journey? Do we listen to people who predict the end of the world, when Jesus said even the angels in heaven do not know? Has our lamps gone out?
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