Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 25:8

"And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out." — Matthew 25:8 (ASV)

And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil;

Ah, me! now they began to value what they had previously despised. They were foolish enough to think that oil was unnecessary; but now they saw that it was the one essential thing, so they cried to the wise virgins, Give us of your oil. And hear the dreadful reason: –

For our lamps are gone out.

I do not know any more terrible words than those, Our lamps are gone out. It is worse to have a lamp that has gone out than never to have had a lamp at all. "Our lamps are gone out. We once rejoiced in them. We promised ourselves a bright future. We said, 'All is well for the marriage supper.' But our lamps are gone out, and we have no oil with which to replenish them."

O sirs, may none of us ever have to lift up that mournful cry!

On a dying bed, in the extremity of pain, in the depth of human weakness, it is an awful thing to find one's profession burning low, one's hope of heaven going out, like the snuff of a candle.

And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

The modern rendering of this request is, "Send for the minister, and ask him to pray for us, for our lamps are gone out." Take heed, I urge you, you who are bold professors now, lest in the end you should have to say, "Our lamps are gone out." It was too late for trimming and lighting then.

They now began to value what they had previously despised. They had been so foolish as to think that oil was unnecessary; now they saw that it was the one thing needful.

Therefore, their request to their wiser companions was: "Give us of your oil." They gave a dreadful reason for their request: "for our lamps are gone out," or are going out. The dry wick flickered for a while and then died out in darkness, like a candle snuffed out.

Those are terrible words: "our lamps are gone out." It is worse to have a lamp that has gone out than never to have had a lamp at all. "Our lamps are gone out."

The foolish virgins seemed to say: "We thought everything was ready for tonight, we even gloried in our lamps, we promised ourselves a bright future, we thought all was well for our share in the marriage-supper, but our lamps are gone out, and we have no oil with which to supply them."

May no reader of this page ever have to utter this bitter lament!

Those who are putting off their repentance until their dying hour are like these foolish virgins. Their folly has reached its utmost height.

When the death-sweat lies cold on the brow, the neglected oil of grace will be valued. Then will come the despairing cry: "Send for a minister to pray for me. Call for some Christian people to see what they can do for me."