Be prepared. There is no substitute for this. Do not for one moment think that you can get ready when this shout is heard: “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him (Matthew 25:6)!” No. It will be tragic if you are found unprepared.
Be prepared. You do not know when Christ the bridegroom is coming for his bride whom he purchased by his own blood (Acts 20:28b, Ephesians 5:25–27). In the parable, the cry that the bridegroom is coming rang out at midnight. That is a time which will find most people sleeping. But according to the customs of those times it was not surprising if the bridegroom came at midnight!
Jesus commanded us to be alert and to watch and pray. Otherwise we will be too preoccupied with the anxieties of life and that day of his coming will close on us unexpectedly like a trap (see Luke 21: 34–36)..
Be prepared. You need to have a reserve of oil. If we assign a symbolic meaning to oil, it can stand for the Holy Spirit in our lives. Without the ample supply of the Spirit of God in our lives we are totally unprepared for his coming.
The five virgins were foolish because they thought they could borrow oil, that is, spiritual strength from others. That cannot be done when the bridegroom comes. You have to have plenty of reserves to draw from.
Again, just because you waited long for the coming of the bridegroom, it does not automatically qualify you to be part of the wedding banquet. You have to be prepared. “The virgins who were ready went in with him [bridegroom] to the wedding banquet (Matthew 25:10).”
So be ready. “And the door was shut.” There is no second chance. So often we take the grace of God to mean we can do anything we like and finally find a way into God’s kingdom by saying “Sorry” at the last minute. If your thinking is like that you will face a shut door.
It will be a great tragedy to have followed Jesus, preached in his name, healed the sick and drove out demons, and then to hear the words, “I don’t know you.” (Read also Matthew 7:21–23).
Jesus concludes the parable of the ten virgins with these words, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Watchfulness is not a part time job. One moment of sleep by a watchman can cause the fall of a city. Likewise Jesus is commanding you to be on your watch 24×7. Be prepared!
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Insight
We read the story of the man who was healed by Jesus at the pool of Bethesda. He believed that he could be healed by getting into the pool first but he never got a chance for 38 years.
He didn’t need to get into the pool to be healed. Jesus healed him. You will not miss the chance if you believe and stay prepared.