A midnight story for a wakeful church

Jesus told a simple, sobering parable about a wedding procession and a midnight cry. Ten virgins took lamps to meet the bridegroom. Five were wise and brought oil. Five were foolish and did not. When the cry sounded and the door was shut, only those ready entered with him.

This is not theater. It is a merciful warning for those who profess His name. It is about real preparation for a real return, and about the irreversible consequences of neglecting the most important readiness of all.

Hearing Jesus clearly: the text before us

Matthew records the scene with clarity and weight. When the unprepared arrived late, the bridegroom answered, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you” (Matthew 25:12). Jesus concludes, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

The surrounding discourse presses the same point. He will come suddenly and personally, and every servant will be found either faithful or false (Matthew 24:36–51; 25:1–13). This is the Word of the Lord, accurate, urgent, and final.

The closed door and the finality of judgment

The most chilling moment is the door that shuts. Noah knew that moment when “the LORD shut him in” (Genesis 7:16). Jesus says there comes a time when the Master rises and shuts the door, and those left outside will appeal too late (Luke 13:25–27).

This is why Scripture speaks of today as the day of salvation and warns of a judgment appointed once and for all (2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 9:27). Readiness is not a feeling we can conjure at midnight. It is a life set in order by grace, long before the cry rings out.

Oil that cannot be borrowed

The foolish expected to borrow at the last moment. They discovered that some things cannot be transferred. The reality Christ requires cannot be handed off from friend to friend or from parent to child.

Consider what the oil is not and what it is:

- Not borrowed reputation, spiritual heritage, or group identity (Ezekiel 18; Romans 2:17–29).

- Not mere profession, impressive activity, or spiritual gifts without obedience (Matthew 7:21–23).

- Not proximity to the wise or participation in church events without new birth (John 3:3–8; Romans 8:9).

- It is a living union with Christ by faith, marked by the indwelling Spirit (John 15:1–5; Romans 8:9–16).

- It is repentance that bears fruit, and faith that works through love (Matthew 3:8; Galatians 5:6).

- It is persevering obedience that continues when the night is long (John 14:15; Hebrews 3:14).

Delay is not denial: persevering through the night

The bridegroom delayed. All became drowsy. The wise planned for a long night, not a quick sprint. Scripture tells us the Lord is not slow as some count slowness, but patient, calling sinners to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

This delay tests love, separates the genuine from the nominal, and trains us for endurance. Lawlessness increases, love cools, yet the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:12–13; Hebrews 10:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–8).

Practices that keep lamps bright

Readiness grows as we walk in ordinary, grace-driven faithfulness. The Spirit supplies the oil, and He uses means that God has ordained.

Pursue these patterns:

- Abide in the Word daily, obeying what you read (John 8:31–32; 15:7; James 1:22–25).

- Pray watchfully and persistently, alert to temptation and trial (Colossians 4:2; Luke 21:36).

- Walk in holiness, putting sin to death and keeping short accounts (Romans 8:13; Hebrews 12:14).

- Love the brethren in costly, practical ways (John 13:34–35; 1 John 3:16–18).

- Steward gifts in service, not burying talents in fear or comfort (Matthew 24:45–51; 25:14–30; 1 Peter 4:10–11).

- Gather faithfully, stir one another to good works, and submit to shepherds (Hebrews 10:24–25; 13:17).

- Witness to Christ with clarity and courage (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16).

- Persevere under trial with joy, knowing its refining purpose (James 1:2–4; 1 Peter 1:6–7).

The tragic surprise and the true remedy

The most sobering element is how near the foolish were to the kingdom. Lamps in hand, they waited in the right place, with the right crowd, for the right Person. Yet they lacked the one thing needful. He said, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you” (Matthew 25:12). Shame and exclusion followed.

The remedy is not last-minute scrambling but present reconciliation to God through Christ. He saves by grace through faith, not by works, yet unto good works prepared in advance (Ephesians 2:8–10; Titus 2:11–14). He says to false professors, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). He says to His sheep, I know them, and they follow Me, and I give them eternal life (John 10:27–29).

Serving others until He comes

This warning is not for hoarding but for serving. We prepare personally and we help others prepare. The wise share truth now, not oil later. We labor so no one in our care arrives at the door unready.

Give yourself to these ministries:

- Evangelize with clarity about sin, cross, resurrection, repentance, and faith (1 Corinthians 15:1–4; Acts 17:30–31).

- Disciple believers toward maturity, not mere activity (Colossians 1:28–29; 2 Timothy 2:2).

- Guard the flock from wolves by sound doctrine and watchful shepherding (Acts 20:28–31; 2 Timothy 4:1–5).

- Restore the wandering with gentleness and vigilance (Galatians 6:1–2; Jude 22–23).

- Model holy living that adorns the gospel (1 Peter 2:11–12; Titus 2:7–10).

Hope-filled watchfulness

The return of the Bridegroom is cause for reverent joy. He will come with a cry, raise the dead, gather His own, and judge the world in righteousness (1 Thessalonians 4:16–18; Acts 17:31). The marriage supper of the Lamb awaits a ready bride clothed in the righteous deeds of the saints (Revelation 19:7–9).

So we watch, not with panic, but with steady hope and holy resolve. We stay awake and sober, lamps trimmed, hearts warm, hands busy. He will not tarry beyond the perfect moment. Blessed are those servants whom the Master finds awake when He comes (Luke 12:35–40).

The ten virgins picture the visible community awaiting Christ. All carry lamps, all expect His arrival, yet only some possess the inner reality that endures. This accords with wheat and weeds growing together until the harvest (Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43).

This also explains why the New Testament churches included both true and false believers and why the apostles continually tested profession by doctrine, obedience, and love (1 John 2:3–6; 3:10; 4:1–6).

Grace, works, and the meaning of the oil

Salvation is entirely of grace, through faith, on the basis of Christ’s finished work. Yet the grace that saves trains and transforms. Oil, then, is not human merit but the Spirit’s presence producing faithful endurance.

Hold these truths together:

- Justification is by faith apart from works (Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16).

- The faith that justifies is never alone but works through love (Galatians 5:6; James 2:14–26).

- The Spirit seals believers and empowers obedience (Ephesians 1:13–14; Romans 8:13–14).

- Final judgment will reveal the reality of faith by its fruit (Matthew 7:16–20; Romans 2:6–8).

Imminence and delay without contradiction

Scripture teaches both that no one knows the day or hour and that apparent delay serves redemptive patience (Matthew 24:36; 2 Peter 3:9). The wise live ready today and prepared for a long night.

This balance shapes ministry:

- Refuse date-setting while urging decisive repentance now (Matthew 24:44; 2 Corinthians 6:2).

- Build durable disciples who can endure affliction and confusion (Acts 14:22; 2 Thessalonians 2:15–17).

- Plan long-term for gospel advance, yet hold plans loosely under His return (James 4:13–15).

Assurance without presumption

Assurance rests on Christ’s promise and work, confirmed by the Spirit’s witness and the evident fruit of obedience and love. Presumption rests on past moments, public roles, or gifts without holiness.

Cultivate assurance by:

- Anchoring confidence in Christ’s person and promises (John 6:37–40; 10:27–29).

- Examining yourself with 1 John’s tests of life and truth (1 John 2:3–6; 3:9–10; 5:13).

- Walking in the light and confessing sin quickly (1 John 1:7–9).

- Persevering in the ordinary means of grace with God’s people (Acts 2:42–47; Hebrews 10:24–25).

Corporate readiness and the lampstands

Jesus walks among His churches, the lampstands. He commends, corrects, and warns. A church can have doctrinal precision yet lose first love, spiritual vitality, or moral purity (Revelation 2–3).

Pursue corporate readiness:

- Guard the gospel and the pattern of sound words (2 Timothy 1:13–14; Titus 2:1).

- Practice meaningful membership, discipline, and restoration (Matthew 18:15–20; 1 Corinthians 5).

- Center gatherings on Word, prayer, fellowship, and the ordinances (Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26).

- Raise up faithful elders and deacons who model godliness (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1:5–9).

Simony, shortcuts, and spiritual counterfeits

The foolish hoped to purchase at midnight what only God grants by new birth. Simon the sorcerer tried to buy the gift of God and received a fearful rebuke (Acts 8:18–24). Shortcuts replace repentance with technique.

Protect yourself and others:

- Reject any formula that promises power without the cross and holiness (2 Timothy 3:1–5).

- Test spirits and teaching by Scripture, not results alone (1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1).

- Seek fullness of the Spirit through humble repentance and faith, not manipulation (Ephesians 5:18; Luke 11:13).

Evangelism in the midnight hour

Gospel urgency grows, not shrinks, when the hour is late. The message remains clear and unchanged. Christ died for our sins, was buried, was raised, and commands all people everywhere to repent and believe (1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Acts 17:30–31).

Let urgency shape your practice:

- Be clear on the call to repent and believe, not merely decide (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38).

- Speak of the cost of discipleship and the crown of life (Luke 9:23–26; James 1:12).

- Prepare people for suffering, deception, and endurance (Matthew 24:9–13; 2 Timothy 3:12).

Eschatological cautions that keep us useful

Different believers hold differing timelines regarding the sequence of end-time events. Scripture requires readiness, holiness, and mission regardless of the view.

Hold these guardrails:

- Refuse speculation that distracts from obedience (Deuteronomy 29:29; Matthew 24:44).

- Keep the main thing central: Christ will return bodily, judge righteously, and reign forever (Acts 1:11; Revelation 22:12–13).

- Labor for the joy of presenting others mature in Christ when He appears (Colossians 1:28; 1 Thessalonians 2:19–20).

The midnight cry will come. Lamps will either glow or sputter. By His grace, let us be among those whose vessels are full, whose wicks are trimmed, and whose lives shine until the Bridegroom opens the door.