Holy Week Devotional
An 8 day devotional, written by members of our church family, dedicated to bringing us through the period of holy week. All leading up to Christs work on the Cross. Join us .
Tuesday/Dusty Bauer
Devotional #3
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:1-13
As we continue to look into Holy Week, I want to focus on Matthew 25:1-13, and take a look at the Parable of the Ten Virgins. This particular parable begins with a comparison in the first verse; “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” The kingdom of heaven in this passage refers to God’s current reign over the lives of redeemed people which will one day be consummated in His reign over all the earth. Now, as a teacher, I enjoy assigning exegesis papers to my seniors in Worldview class in which they use word studies to help them understand their research of the Bible, and I found one particular word in this passage quite interesting, and that is the word “ten.” This symbolic word in scripture tends to refer to the “completeness” of something and can be seen used numerous times in the New Testament and especially in the book of Revelation, and in this particular case, is referring to the completeness of the prophecy of Christ’s triumphant return.
As we continue to read this parable we see in Matthew 25:5 that the bridegroom has been delayed, and that all the virgins became drowsy and fell asleep. This is not Jesus condemning them, but it is simply setting the stage for the parable’s emphasis on being prepared. This delay, however, did surprise the early church, and continues into today’s generation, because most believers have been taught that Jesus is coming soon, but every generation up to this point has been wrong, and this urgency of Jesus’ return is a powerful promise and hope of every generation, but a reality to only one. One thought to be aware of before we take a look at the punchline of the parable comes from verse 12; “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’” Lack of preparation has eternal consequences, we must be obedient in what he has commanded us to do so that we can avoid not being known by Jesus when he does return.
So I encourage you as you finish this passage and breakdown the full meaning of what God is telling us, to look at verse 13; “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” This completely sums up what he is trying to say to us in this parable…followers of Christ need to live their lives as if Jesus is coming immediately! Tomorrow, tonight, 5 minutes from now is not promised to us, but the promise of his return and our eternity in Heaven is, so live every day as if it is your last, obeying the Great Commission and making disciples along the way.
As we continue to look into Holy Week, I want to focus on Matthew 25:1-13, and take a look at the Parable of the Ten Virgins. This particular parable begins with a comparison in the first verse; “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” The kingdom of heaven in this passage refers to God’s current reign over the lives of redeemed people which will one day be consummated in His reign over all the earth. Now, as a teacher, I enjoy assigning exegesis papers to my seniors in Worldview class in which they use word studies to help them understand their research of the Bible, and I found one particular word in this passage quite interesting, and that is the word “ten.” This symbolic word in scripture tends to refer to the “completeness” of something and can be seen used numerous times in the New Testament and especially in the book of Revelation, and in this particular case, is referring to the completeness of the prophecy of Christ’s triumphant return.
As we continue to read this parable we see in Matthew 25:5 that the bridegroom has been delayed, and that all the virgins became drowsy and fell asleep. This is not Jesus condemning them, but it is simply setting the stage for the parable’s emphasis on being prepared. This delay, however, did surprise the early church, and continues into today’s generation, because most believers have been taught that Jesus is coming soon, but every generation up to this point has been wrong, and this urgency of Jesus’ return is a powerful promise and hope of every generation, but a reality to only one. One thought to be aware of before we take a look at the punchline of the parable comes from verse 12; “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’” Lack of preparation has eternal consequences, we must be obedient in what he has commanded us to do so that we can avoid not being known by Jesus when he does return.
So I encourage you as you finish this passage and breakdown the full meaning of what God is telling us, to look at verse 13; “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” This completely sums up what he is trying to say to us in this parable…followers of Christ need to live their lives as if Jesus is coming immediately! Tomorrow, tonight, 5 minutes from now is not promised to us, but the promise of his return and our eternity in Heaven is, so live every day as if it is your last, obeying the Great Commission and making disciples along the way.