7. Five of them were wise, and five were foolish

 

7. Five of them were wise, and five were foolish

 

(Matthew 25:1-13) Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

 

The five foolish virgins symbolize those who did not enter the kingdom of God because they did not enter the heavenly wedding banquet. When the five foolish virgins woke up with the news that the bridegroom was coming, they had no oil. Then the five foolish virgins said to the five wise virgins, “Lend us some oil.” The five wise virgins said, “We don’t have enough oil,” and she didn’t give them. They said, “Go to the seller and buy it.”  So the five foolish virgins went to buy her oil and found the door closed. She asked the five foolish virgins to open the door, and Jesus answered, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” The reason why the five foolish virgins could not enter her wedding feast is because “Jesus does not know the five foolish virgins.” The five foolish virgins know Jesus, but Jesus does not know the five foolish virgins. In order to enter heaven, “It is not that I know Jesus, but that Jesus must know me.”

The five foolish virgins were under the law, so “Jesus Christ does not know them.” In Galatians 4:4, Apostle Paul said, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” The reason Jesus came to the world was to redeem those who were under the law. However, their denial of what Jesus did is the same as being still under the law.

The reason Jesus said to those who exercised great power, “You workers of lawlessness,” is because they are people who practice the law and also exercise power in the name of Jesus.

Those who practice the law must apply the law, and those who believe in Jesus must apply the law of the Holy Spirit. However, those who practice the law try to apply the law of the Holy Spirit, which is illegal. Jesus speaks of ‘one who practices lawlessness.’

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