Matthew 25:1-13: The Parable of the Ten Young Women

The parable of the ten young women is framed within the apocalyptic discourse of Jesus in Matthew 24-25, and it emphasizes the need to be prepared for the sudden arrival of the Son of Man. Brandon Scott’s comments on this section of Matthew are instructive:

The fifth discourse in which this parable occurs revolves around practicing and keeping what Jesus has commanded, and is dominated by stories of contrast: two men, one taken and one left, and two women, one taken and one left, then an admonition to watch for the day of the Lord (24:40-42); the faithful and unfaithful servants whose master comes at an unknown hour and punishes the faithless servant (24:45-51); the five foolish and five wise maidens waiting for a delayed bridegroom (25:1-13); and the five- and two-talent men who enter into the joy of their master and the one-talent man cast into the outer darkness (25:14-30). The coming of the master and eschatological judgment dominate the discourse. Thus Matthew deals with the delay of the Parousia with a double strategy. The church is both to watch and to be prepared.[1]

Our story is about ten unmarried girls (Greek: parthénoi) who attended a wedding where they would have the responsibility of lighting the event with their lamps, in accordance with tradition. However, the groom took longer than expected to arrive, and all of them fell asleep. Joachim Jeremias says that a groom’s delay was a frequent occurrence due to last-minute negotiations between the families of the bride and the groom.[2]

When the groom's arrival was finally announced, the ten girls woke up and realized that their torches needed more oil. Five of them had brought extra oil with them, but the other five had not, so the latter went to buy some in the surrounding area; when they returned to the wedding, the door had already been closed, and they stayed outside. Only the prudent ones entered the banquet with the groom (v. 10). In v. 13, Jesus applies the story to the need to watch because no one knows “the day or the hour when the Son of Man is coming.”

The groom represents Christ, and his delay points to the uncertainty of the exact time of his second coming (v. 13). The ten young women are all his followers, among whom some are wise and some foolish. The rejection of the five negligent young women is a reference to the Last Judgement when there will be no time for last-minute preparations. Jesus said that “the kingdom of heaven” will be similar to the situation of these ten young women and encourages his followers “to be watchful,” that is, to be ready for his second coming. This idea is expressed in Luke 12:35a, 37-38: “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning… It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.  It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.”

We can’t tell the exact day and hour of Jesus’ coming, but we know this: it will occur in a twinkle of an eye, like the apostle Paul said: “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Yes, we will be changed, and “the glory of God will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18); our bodies will be redeemed (Romans 8:23), and we will see Christ face to face.

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)

But as we wait for Christ’s return, we are to “dress ready for service” and have our “lamps burning,” sharing the gospel of salvation by grace with the lost; instilling hope to the desperate; comforting the broken in spirit; advocating for those who cannot defend themselves; standing by the side of the vulnerable; denying ourselves and taking up our cross every day; imparting grace on our brothers and sisters; worshipping God with joy, gratitude and a humble and fervent heart; clothed in the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-16). This is the meaning of being ready.