Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 25

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. Those who were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. There did not seem to be much difference between them. They were all virgins, they all carried lamps, their lamps were all lit; sadly, perhaps, the lamps of the foolish were quite as bright as those of the wise. The difference was unobservable to most onlookers, but it was an essential and fatal difference. Ah! dear friends, it is the lack of oil that is the ruin of many a professor's lamp.

Men have a name to live, but they have not the true life which is the evidence of the effectual working of the grace of God within their souls. They make a profession of religion, but they have not the secret grace to keep it up. There is a glitter and flash, but there is no permanency; and there cannot be any, unless the Spirit of God is in us indeed and truly. We may make a fair show in the flesh for a while, but what will be the end of it? This is the all-important question: Can we hold on and hold out? Certainly, not without that heavenly oil which only the Spirit of God can supply.

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.

What a division this makes in the visible Church of God! Let us hope that we are not to conclude from this that as many as half the professors of Christianity at any time are like these foolish virgins; yet our Lord would not have mentioned so high a proportion if there were not a very large mixture of the foolish with the wise: Five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

They thought that if they had the external, it would be quite enough. The secret store of oil, they judged to be unnecessary because it would be unseen.

They would employ one hand in carrying the lamp. But to occupy the other hand by holding the oil flask seemed to them to be doing too much—giving themselves up too thoroughly to the work. So they took their lamps, and took no oil with them.

They might just as well have had no lamps at all.

According to Oriental custom, the bridegroom is represented as having gone to the house of his bride’s father, from where he would conduct his spouse to her future home. The parable opens at the point where some of his professed friends are waiting to join the procession and go in with him to the marriage feast. Thus, the nominal Church of Christ is waiting for the coming of the Lord.

There did not seem to be much difference in the external appearance of the ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. They were all virgins, they all took their lamps, and they all went forth to meet the bridegroom. They all made a profession of attachment to him, which led them to separate themselves from their other companions and acquaintances that they might go forth to meet him on his wedding night.

There was, however, a vital and essential difference between them: Five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Let us gladly hope that we are not to gather from our Lord’s words that one half of the professing Church is composed of those whom He calls foolish. Yet our Savior would not have spoken of so great a proportion if there were not really a very large mixture of foolish professors with the wise possessors of the grace of God.

They may have thought that, if they had lamps that were similar to those carried by others, it would be sufficient. Perhaps they judged that the secret store of oil, being unseen, was unnecessary. They were willing to carry a lamp in one hand, but to devote the other hand to the care of an oil-flask was more than they were willing to do.

It is the lack of the oil of grace that is the fatal flaw in many a professor’s lamp. Many have a name to live, but have not the life of God within their souls. They make a profession of attachment to Christ, but they have not the inward supply of the Spirit of grace to keep it up. There is a glitter or a flash, but there is no permanent light and there cannot be any, for although they have lamps, they have no oil with them.