Matthew 25:1-13 Commentary

This story definitely wants us to pay attention to the mistakes of the foolish: they are unprepared and do not care to plan or to think about what they need to do in their role as a bridesmaid. Thus, when the big moment comes for them to escort the groom to the house where the wedding will occur, they can’t. The consequences are significant. Jesus tells those listening that the groom takes the other bridesmaids into the home to continue the wedding party, but that when these foolish ones show up and hope to rejoin, the groom hauntingly says, “I do not know you.” The verb there is in the perfect tense: he doesn’t know them and it will continue to impact their lives.

We do not want to be like the foolish bridesmaids. To be sure, their rejection experience on the other side of the door is the shock value of the parable—the surprise that helps us understand the story’s purpose. But focusing solely on the foolish characters might keep us from learning about the pattern of wisdom laid before us by the other group of women who were waiting for the groom. In fact, it might be more appropriate for many of us in the church to pause and consider the ramifications for how the wise women’s example speaks into our lives today.

It’s easy to see the application of wisdom from the beginning. These women are glad to be part of the wedding festivities and realize that things might not go smoothly. (Who here has been to a wedding that started on time? I’ve yet to officiate at one that has started at the appointed time on the dot!) So these wise women plan for the possibility of delay and make sure they have what they need in any circumstance. It’s not a big task: just fuel for their lamps. They do not need to be extravagant or over-prepared, just sensible about ordinary things. 

In essence, these wise women know that they are responsible for themselves. This is a wedding party, but they are not merely guests; they are participants with roles and responsibilities. The same is so for being a follower of God: we are not spectators who can just rub our lamps and tell the genie what we need. God asks us to participate, take responsibility for ourselves, to be involved and present and aware of the needs of the world around us. We cannot look to others to do the life of faith for us.

That’s what the foolish do. They turn to the wise and tell (not ask!) them to share. Their commanding versus requesting implies that they expect that they should have some right to what the others have prepared. And in other circumstances perhaps this is so. God often wants us to share with one another and God’s kingdom economics means that there are enough resources for everyone if we do so. But that’s not what this parable is about. It’s about what we do as we wait for the bridegroom of the world to return. The foolish women did not take the initiative nor the care to devote themselves to what’s hoped from them and so when the time comes and they find themselves lacking, they have no choice but to look for others to help them. 

But because this is about personal commitment and how one devotes one’s self to waiting, the wise women do not hand over their supplies because they cannot hand over their past decisions and acts of devotion to anyone; they belong to each of them, alone. No matter how much we might want, our faith cannot be the cover for others. Faith can inspire, it can nurture, it can challenge, but it is not transferable among humans. The wise women know this and so they say that the foolish women need to go and get some for themselves. The wise women set a boundary and tell the others that they too need to be responsible for themselves.

They don’t leave the foolish without hope. The wise women tell them what they need to do. But even so, it seems as though the foolish women have gone through this process for the wrong reasons. They really just want to be in the party; when they get to the house where the group has gone, they knock but the bridegroom sends them away, saying that he doesn’t know them at all. The implication is that those who are inside of the house, those who are wise and have devoted themselves to being responsible for what God has asked of them, those are the ones the groom knows and will identify with and welcome to the party. 

Jesus ends the parable by saying, “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” To be honest, it’s a little odd to me that he says keep awake given the fact that both groups fall asleep in the story he’s told. But then we remember that “keeping awake” is a metaphor in the New Testament for staying active and alert, watchful of one’s life and practices in faith as we wait for Christ’s return. “Keep awake” is just another way of saying, keep your lamp burning and keep making sure you have a steady supply of fuel for your faith.

Textual Point

This parable only occurs in the gospel of Matthew and its use of contrasting wise and foolish groups is a standard wisdom literature convention of the time. 

Illustration Idea

For those of us who are Anglo-North American, wedding traditions like the one we encounter in Jesus’s parable feel like they are out of fantasy stories—like something Tolkien’s elves or hobbits might follow. But for much of the world, traditions like parades and events spread over multiple days is still the norm. Some friends of mine have shared about the initial awkwardness of joining such festivities, and about the time it took to grow comfortable with what was expected of you. The more readily they could do that, the more fun they could have. May it be the same for us and our life of discipleship!