Parable of the Ten Virgins

“And five of them were wise and dve foolish.’^ Matt. xxv. 2.

‘1X7HAT now are the truths In relation to the ever-possible return of Christ, which He meant to teach through the parable of the ten virgins? This, most evidently, that the second coming of Christ will be a testing of the profession of discipleship.

Here are ten who certainly are alike in three respects — all make profession of spiritual chastity, all profess to be light-bearers, all fall asleep while the bridegroom tarries.

So far as men can see the ten are all alike. But there is a secret difference. ‘* Five have oil in their vessels with their lamps;” five *’ took no oil.’’ Oil is everywhere a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and the

The final
test.

Matt. xxv.
I, 5.

Matt.
3. 4.

jSo loom in tfje Snn

Rom. viii.
9.

Matt. XXV.

possession or non-possession of the Spirit is the essential distinction between a moral professor and a true Christian. ‘^ Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his.” But outwardly a sleeping professor and a sleeping possessor are much alike.

Then comes the awakening cry, and the essential difference between the outwardly religious and the renewed is manifested. The whole scene is a testing of religious profession.

It will not do, in view of “But he answered and said. Verily I say unto you, I know you not,” to say that the foolish virigns are really Christians but unwatchful, unready. Jesus could never say to any weakest, most fallible believer, “I know you not.”

These foolish virgins illustrate Hebrews vi. 4-8. There is a tentative and illuminating work of the anb 0tUt interpretations;

Spirit which does not go the length of regeneration, and the indwelling. The man in Hebrews ‘* tastes” but does not whole-heartedly accept Christ. It is a solemn warning of the danger of mere profession, of the danger of being self-deceived through morality and church membership, with no real trust in Jesus Christ crucified, and so with no new birth, no indwelling Spirit.

Ten had on the virgin’s robe, ten had the lamp of the light-bearer, ten fell asleep, ten were awakened, but only five had the ‘’ oil of gladness.” And, “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his.” “I know you not.”

As the parable of the virgins will be a testing of the profession of discipleship, so the parable of the talents is a testing of servantship.

“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour where-Matt, vii.

Rom. viii,
9.

Matt. XXV.
12.

The true

servant.

Matt. XXV.
14-30.

Matt. XXV.

iSo Room in tfje 5nn

Matt. XXV.
14.

John xvi.
IS.

I Thess. ii.
4.

Rom. i. 14,
15.

in the Son of man cometh.” “Watch ‘’ because the Bridegroom may come at any moment, and then believers go into the feast — professors are excluded, the door is shut against them, and a voice from within says ‘’ I know you not.” And ‘’ watch,’’ because when Christ took His journey unto a far country He gave precious goods to His servants, and He will require an accounting at His return.

What is meant by these ‘’ goods “? Observe they are ‘’ His goods.” The Epistles, always the necessary complement of the Gospels, explain this.

The goods are first the Gospel. ‘^ But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel, even so we speak.”

Paul, in receiving the glad tidings, had been made a trustee of the Gospel in behalf of the whole world. He was,” debtor “and his anb 0tf)tv 3nterpretation2{ whole ministry was a joyous but unceasing effort to pay his debt, for, ‘’ it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful,”

Secondly, the ‘^ goods “are the whole deposit of revealed truth, “once for all committed unto the saints.” It was Paul’s glory in his dying hour not only that he had fought a good fight, but that he had fought a victorious fight; he had by his courage in standing against legalism, agnosticism, and all heresy, ‘’ kept the faith.’’

Thirdly, the *’ goods “are gifts of the Spirit. These are various. “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit;” given to all: ^’ But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal,” and sovereignly bestowed: the selfsame Spirit, ‘* dividing to every man severally ?,s he will.”

I Cor. iv.

I, 2.

Jude 3,
R.V.

2 Tim. iv.
7.

I Cor. xii.
4-

I Cor. xii.
7-

I Cor. xii.
II.

Mo yom in tint Mn

And so, just as there were two kinds of virgins, real and sham, so there are two kinds of servants. The five talent man and the two talent man differ in the amount of the trust estate committed to them, but they are the same kind of men. “And likewise he that had received two.” Both were faithful, and both got precisely the same reward. But in the one talent man we have a sham servant, not a real one.

Matt, XXV.
17.

Gal. i. 6-9.

And at this point it is necessary to note that wherever the Gospel is preached it divides men into three classes — Christians, professors, rejecters. The professor is, of course, a rejecter at heart, but he is like the son in the parable, who said “I go, sir; and went not.” This unsaved servant had no gifts of the Spirit. His one talent was that he knew the Gospel, and professed to be a herald of it. He may have preached eloquent seranti (Bti)tx Snterpretationsi

S9

mons, but he “hid” the old gospel of atoning blood.