by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
To review, we saw two (2) basic themes in Matthew 24:36-51: not knowing the exact time of the coming of the Lord Jesus and the necessity of keeping watch and acting in the right manner as if he were returning right now. A third theme was also introduced in verses 45-51, that of a delay in the Lord’s coming (as found in Matthew 24:48 with the use of the word χρονίζω “chronizo”). These 3 themes extend from 24:36-51 to 25:1-30.
As I had separately written before, this third theme of a delay in the Lord’s coming, or alternatively, of a long time coming before his return is revealed to the disciples 3 times. These are specifically mentioned in Matthew 24:48, 25:5 and 25:19 together with the first two themes. We had seen the first mention in chapter 24, we can see it reiterated twice in chapter 25.
Matthew 25:1-13 is about the well-known Parable of the Ten Virgins. The narrative is introduced by the word “then” as it is a logical and thematic continuation of Matthew 24:44. It personifies and likens the Kingdom of the Heavens to ten (10) παρθένοις, a plural form of παρθένος “parthenos” meaning a virgin or an unmarried maiden. Five (5) of them were deemed foolish/stupid while the other 5 were sensible/wise. All of them had lamps and they were to meet the bridegroom and accompany him to the wedding feast. In the setting of a Jewish wedding, these virgins/maidens were to meet the bridegroom from a distance and join the wedding party to the designated place of the wedding feast; they are members of the reception party. The foolish ones did not bother to take along extra olive oil for their lamps but the sensible ones took along extra oil in vessels/flasks. The foolish group probably expected the bridegroom to come quickly and so thought the oil in their lamps would be enough.
Matthew 25:5 then has the Lord saying (with my formal translation):
χρονίζοντος δὲ τοῦ νυμφίου ἐνύσταξαν πᾶσαι καὶ ἐκάθευδον.
But while the bridegroom was delaying, they all became drowsy and were sleeping.
The participle χρονίζοντος means tarrying or delaying or taking a long time. It comes from the same verb χρονίζω “chronizo” we encountered in Matthew 24:48. This is the second mention of the theme/warning of delay.
The parable continues in verse 6. While they slept, in the middle of the night, a shout/cry announced that the bridegroom had come at last and the 10 virgins/maidens should then go out to meet him. The word “meet” seems to be a technical term: ἀπάντησιν from ἀπάντησις “apantésis” meaning an act of meeting or receiving an official (a VIP for our times). The New Testament (NT) apparently marks this noun for special use since it only occurs 3 times: here in Matthew 25:6; then in Acts 28:15 when the brethren came out to meet Paul in Rome; and most telling, in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 when the dead are resurrected and together with those alive meet the Lord Jesus in the air upon his return! The last 2 occurrences resonate with the Jewish custom observed in the parable where the bridegroom/VIP is to be met by a reception party and accompanied to the wedding feast.
Matthew 25:7-9 describes the predicament of the 5 foolish virgins. All 10 rose up, trimmed their lamps and the foolish ones discovered that their oil was not sufficient and their lamps were going out. So they asked the 5 wise ones to give them some of their oil. The sensible ones wisely told the foolish ones that their oil will not be enough for all of them and advised them to go out and buy for themselves.
Matthew 25:10 narrates that while the foolish virgins/maidens were going out to buy more oil for their lamps, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready/prepared went in with him to the marriage feast and the door was shut. In the next verses 11-12, the foolish virgins finally arrive back but it was too late; they were not allowed to come in. This is disastrous. In eschatological terms, the Lord/Lamb is supposed to have a wedding feast with his Bride, the Church, the Body of Christ and all those invited will be in the wedding banquet (see Revelation 19:6-9). Even in the writings in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Messiah will have a grand banquet with his own party. If one is not inside, he does not belong to the Messiah.
Matthew 25:13 ends the parable with the command to keep watch as no one knows the day or hour of the Lord’s coming. This verse uses the exact same imperative verb γρηγορεῖτε from γρηγορέω (“grégoreó” meaning keep watch) used earlier in Matthew 24:42.
We can observe quite a few things. There were 5 foolish and likewise 5 wise/sensible virgins/maidens. The wise ones were able to enter and join the wedding feast; the rest were kept out and stayed out. In Matthew 24:37-39 only those who entered the Ark with Noah were saved, the rest perished. In Matthew 24:40-41 two men were in the field, one was taken and the other saved. Two women were grinding at the mill, one was taken and the other saved. The parallels and resonances are obvious and in true Hebraic fashion are meant to repeatedly remind the hearer/reader, in many different ways, of these important teachings.
In Matthew 24:36 the Lord warns that the Father alone knows the day and hour of the coming of the Son of Man; no one else knows. The parable’s last verse, Matthew 25:13 echoes this. This is the first theme.
In Matthew 24:42 the Lord commands the disciples to keep watch and in 24:44 further commands them to be ready/prepared as the Son of Man is not coming at the time they expect. Matthew 25:13 also echoes these verses. From the pericope of the wicked bondservant in Matthew 24:45-51, the Lord definitely expects the believers not only to keep watch but to act properly while they wait for his return. The wickedness of the bondservant was one extreme; at the other end was the foolishness of the 5 virgins/maidens. But bottom line, it seems that these two types were excluded from the presence of the Lord for their inappropriate decisions and actions. Both subjects did not seriously heed the Lord’s command to keep watch/be ready for he may come anytime. They did not fully obey. This reflects the second theme.
The third theme warning of a delay of the (second) coming, as reflected in Matthew 25:5, echoes Matthew 24:48 as we saw earlier.
We will continue next week.
God bless us all.