Introduction

To take the message of hope, peace, and humanity deeper and clearer, there are many parables or stories in Bible. When we listen to a story, often we try to relate to it and because of this, it starts to leave an impression on us. The Parable of the Wise and Foolish is one such story.

It is a well-known parable in the Bible, in the New Testament in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, verses 1-13. It is often referred to as the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

The Story

The parable tells the story of ten virgins who were awaiting the arrival of a bridegroom. Five of them were described as wise, and the other five as foolish. The wise virgins brought extra oil in their lamps, while the foolish ones did not.

As they waited, the bridegroom was delayed, and all ten virgins fell asleep. At midnight, a cry went out that the bridegroom was coming. The virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps, but the foolish ones realized that their lamps were running out of oil.

The foolish virgins asked the wise ones for some oil, but they refused, fearing that there would not be enough for all of them. While the foolish virgins went to buy more oil, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went to the wedding feast with him. The door was then shut.

Later, the foolish virgins returned with oil, but it was too late. They knocked on the door, pleading to be let in, but the bridegroom said, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.”

The Message from the Parable

The parable concludes with Jesus advising his disciples to stay alert and prepared, as they do not know the day or the hour of his return.

The parable teaches several lessons:

Be prepared for the end of days

Being prepared for the life as we do not know which is going to be our last day; taking in the opportunity of each and every minute of the life as it is a gift to us by the God; we must make our choices with clear mind and heart as it impacts our life as a whole.

We live our life as if we are going to live here forever. Never does this thought come to our head except when we see a dead body being carried to a crematorium or we see someone seriously ill with no hope of survival that we will have to go one day.

A person who is ever-ready to depart has learnt a huge lessons as to why he has come to this world. Not only he has known or learned the purpose of being here, he has fulfilled it and this makes him ever-ready.

Take advantage of every opportunity

He who has known the purpose of coming to this world takes life as an opportunity – a rare opportunity and blessing of God in disguise. He knows that it is not a physical possession but the life in itself is the real gift and he makes all out efforts to make the best out of it.

Make wise choices

Our choices everyday are important to us. If we do not choose carefully and end up choosing bad rather than good, then life does not remain an opportunity.

If we know the purpose of this life, we can choose wisely. We are here to attain peace, humanity and emancipation. When these choices are in our mind, definitely we will choose right and make our being here an opportunity.

Conclusion

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish is a reminder that we need to be prepared for the end of days. We also need to take advantage of every opportunity that we have in life, and make wise choices. If we do these things, we will be ready for whatever comes our way.

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins