And five of them were prudent and five foolish.
The parable turns on one line: the ten who go out together are not all the same. Verse 2 divides a company that looks all alike, and what follows only brings into the open what was true from the start.
Two classes stand inside one profession. What tells them apart is not the lamp.
The kingdom of heaven becomes a thing of profession. "Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them." They had the lamp of profession but no oil. Some have thought they were Christians who failed to look for the Lord's coming. But I believe this is false, because the foolish proved their folly in this — that they took no oil in their lamps. Oil is a picture of the Holy Spirit. In 1 John 2 we read of an anointing from the Holy One. Will anyone maintain that there are real Christians who do not have this anointing? The wise virgins picture true believers. The foolish ones picture people who took the name of Christ, but had nothing in them that could fit them for the presence of Christ.
One thing tells the wise apart, and it is something they received.
According to this parable, one great feature marks the wise off from the foolish virgins. At the very start they "took oil in their vessels with their lamps." In other words, true believers differ from those who only carry the name in this: they have in their hearts the grace of God's Holy Spirit. They have received the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. And the Holy Spirit dwells in them as the seal, the pledge, the anointing, and the witness.
The word behind wise points to prudence — looking ahead.
Of the ten virgins, five were wise, prudent, and five were foolish. Now what do we gather from the word "prudent" as distinguished from foolish? The prudent person foresees the evil and hides himself. The simple go on and suffer for it… The wise virgins are ready for the future — for the coming of the Lord. The foolish are not ready. These take their lamps and their wicks. It is a night scene, the wick is lit, but it does not last long — only human energy, not the sustained power of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 2 states the division, but at first nobody could see it.
Five of them were wise and five of them were foolish, but nobody knew yet that they were wise and foolish. Time had to pass before the difference showed. They were externally alike. The difference was that some had only lamps with wicks, but the wise had oil in their vessels with their lamps. It was not the day of glass containers for lamps, where you can easily see whether you have oil or not. It was hidden. It was an inside thing that made the difference between the wise and the foolish.
Some read the five and five as two levels of Christian — the very spiritual and the merely saved. Commentators reject that.
Some teach that the five prudent virgins with the oil are those who have received the fullness of the Holy Spirit, who have reached a high standard of holiness. The foolish virgins, they say, are Christians too, but lack the "higher life," a phrase as unscriptural as "the second blessing." Such teaching is not only confusing; in the end it strikes at the grace of God and the blessed work of our Lord… The foolish virgins could not represent real Christians, for the Lord tells them, "I do not know you."
Read as a picture of the whole Christian world, the even split is a sobering figure.
Five of the ten virgins had no oil in their lamps — no Christ, no Holy Spirit dwelling in them. They had only the outward lamp of profession. How solemn the thought, if we look at the Christian world from this point of view! Five out of every ten are unreal, and against them the door will be shut for ever. How this thought should stir us to earnestness and energy in reaching others with the gospel!
- Same start. Profession put all ten in one company. Verse 2 says profession is not the test.
- Different supply. The wise carried oil — the Holy Spirit dwelling in them as seal, pledge, anointing and witness. The foolish had the lamp and nothing behind it.
- Hidden difference. No one could see which was which — it was an inside thing, and only time proved it.
- Wise means ready. The prudent person looks ahead. Wisdom here is readiness for the Lord's coming; folly runs on human energy that soon burns out.
- Sobering count. Half the company was unreal — not weak Christians, but people the Lord does not know. That should stir us to reach others before the door is shut.
They that were foolish took their torches and did not take oil with them;
In Christ's parable of the ten virgins, all ten set out for the same event. They carry the same lamps and look equally ready. Verse 3 marks the one difference that decides everything. The question is not what a person carries in public, but what he keeps where nobody can see.
Their failure was not a lack of interest or of open commitment. Everything visible was in place.
These "virgins" had already gone out. They had taken their lamps. They had taken up the position of people waiting and attending. They had agreed with the truth that there would be a wedding — that a bridegroom would appear. They had faith; all of them held a belief of some kind. Yet for very many this was nothing but extreme folly.
Commentators differ over whether the foolish are real Christians who fell short. One writer rejects that reading, because of what the oil represents.
"When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them." They were people who had the lamp of profession but no oil. Some have thought they were Christians who failed to look for the Lord's coming. But I believe this is false, because the foolish proved their folly in this — that they took no oil in their lamps. What does that imply? Oil is the type of the Holy Spirit. In 1 John 2 we read that believers have been anointed by the Holy One. Will anyone claim there are real Christians without this anointing? The wise virgins picture true believers. The foolish ones are mere professors. They took the name of Christ, but there was nothing in them that could fit them for the presence of Christ... The oil was what fed the lamp, and these foolish virgins had none. The light of mere nature burns quickly, but nothing in it implies the Spirit of God — they had never had oil.
The verse is short. Its warning reaches far.
Their history is full of warning for all who profess to be Christians. It is very brief, but tremendously far-reaching. "When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them." There is the outward profession, but no inward reality — no spiritual life — no anointing — no living link with the source of eternal life — no union with Christ. There is nothing but the lamp of profession, and the dry wick of a nominal, notional, head belief.
A person can arrange the whole outward side for himself. The list runs long.
There may be the very highest profession. There may be a completely orthodox creed. A person may be baptised. He may take the Lord's supper. He may be a properly enrolled and recognised member of a Christian community, a Sunday-school teacher, an ordained minister of religion. Someone may be all of this, and not have one spark of divine life, not one ray of heavenly light, not one link with the Christ of God.
Setting out with an empty lamp sounds too absurd to be a real danger.
A lamp without any oil is, no doubt, a foolish enough thing; too foolish, one might suppose, for anyone to think of. Spiritually, however, it is sadly easy to imagine, because we see it constantly — people satisfied with the form without the power. This is even the special mark of the last days (2 Tim. 3:1, 5)... The foolish have no oil, no power of the Spirit to make "a burning and shining lamp" for Christ; and their end proves this absolutely.
Notice who the parable holds responsible.
It tested these awakened virgins in the prophetic parable, and we learn from it that the test is intensely individual. Which community you belong to is not the test. Neither is the profession you make. Everything depends on whether you have the oil in your vessel — have you received the Holy Spirit? And no one can receive Him for another, or, having received Him, pass Him on to another. Each must receive Him for himself.
The parable also gives a count.
Five of the ten virgins had no oil in their lamps — no Christ, no Holy Spirit living in them. They had only the outward lamp of profession. How deeply solemn the thought, if we look at Christendom from this point of view! Five of every ten are unreal, and against them the door will be shut for ever. How this thought should stir us to earnestness and energy in evangelising!
- Lamp — the lamp stands for profession. The foolish carried one, went out, waited, and agreed with the truth about the Bridegroom.
- Oil — oil pictures the Holy Spirit. Without Him there is no anointing, no divine life, no link with Christ, however correct the profession.
- Form — the missing oil is not an odd, rare error but the mark of people satisfied with the form without the power.
- Vessel — each person holds his own oil. No community, creed, or other believer's supply will do at the last minute.
- Urgency — five in ten carry lamps without oil. That calls for self-examination and earnest evangelising while there is time.