"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps…
While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.' Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (Mt 25:1-13)
There are some interesting facts about this parable. Yes, the wedding takes place at night and that too the bridegroom arrives at midnight. Secondly, the bridegroom comes late. The virgins who were waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom fell asleep. All these things should not happen normally.
The story is created to communicate a particular message. Probably the facts are exaggerated to stress the message. This story is rooted in the Jewish tradition. This speaks about wisdom and foolishness. Wisdom here means being ready. But the strange thing is that even the wise fell asleep.
The parable is about Jesus, the messiah, who is coming to meet the people of Israel. The people of Israel are the ones who are invited for the wedding feast. These people are divided into two groups. The wise are the ones who await the arrival of the messiah. The foolish are the ones to whom Jesus says ‘I do not know’. One should be always prepared for the works of GOD.
