Matthew 25 (ESV)
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
25:1 “ Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps1 and went to meet the bridegroom.2 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘ Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘ Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘ Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘ Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘ Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
The Parable of the Talents
14 “ For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants3 and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents,4 to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘ Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘ Well done, good and faithful servant.5 You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘ Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘ Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘ Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘ You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Final Judgment
31 “ When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘ Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘ Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘ Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,6 you did it to me.’
41 “ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘ Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘ Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘ Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Footnotes
Matthew 25 Commentary
Matthew 25 presents three parables that illustrate important spiritual lessons.
In the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), ten virgins await a groom, but only five are wise enough to bring extra oil for their lamps. When the groom is delayed, all fall asleep. At midnight, the groom arrives, and the wise virgins are ready, while the foolish ones miss the opportunity and are denied entry to the wedding banquet. This parable emphasizes the need for preparedness and vigilance.
The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) tells of a master who entrusts his servants with varying amounts of money (talents) based on their abilities. Two servants invest their talents and double their amounts, receiving praise from the master. The third servant, fearing his master, hides his talent and is reprimanded for his laziness. This parable highlights the importance of using one’s gifts responsibly and actively.
Finally, the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46) depicts the final judgment, where the Son of Man separates people based on their actions towards others. Those who helped the needy are welcomed into eternal life, while those who neglected them face punishment. This parable underscores the significance of compassion and service to others as a reflection of one’s faith.
The Parable Of The Ten Virgins
Jewish weddings in the ancient world consisted of three stages: engagement, betrothal, and a surprise marriage ceremony, which typically took place about a year later. When the day of the ceremony finally arrived, the bridesmaids (or virgins) who were attending the bride were supposed to be ready. There was never a time set for this, as it was a surprise, but it was usually at night.
The bridesmaids were tasked with greeting the groom in a torch-lit procession. Since these torches required continual oil to remain lit, bringing extra oil was a sign of readiness. All ten virgins fell asleep while waiting for the groom, but only five had prepared adequately. At midnight, a cry announced his arrival, but there was still a delay. During that time, the foolish virgins realized their oil was running out and left to buy more.
While they were gone, the groom arrived, the wedding procession began, and the door to the feast was shut. Jesus ends with a clear warning: “Watch out, then, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Mat 25:13).
Be Ready
The parable teaches that appearance is not the same as preparedness. All ten women looked the part, but only half were truly ready. This is a sober warning to the professing church not to assume eternal security without genuine readiness and relationship with Jesus. Jesus is not advocating a works-based Salvation, but He is showing that true belief will result in a lifestyle of preparation and expectancy (Jas 2:17).
There are many things we can learn from this parable:
- Being ready means having genuine faith that produces action. All believers must sense the urgency of Christ’s return and live with the assumption that He is returning at any moment (Luk 12:35-40). External appearances will not mask inward unpreparedness when Christ returns.
- Sleep wasn’t the issue. All ten fell asleep; however, the main issue that separated them was the lack of preparation and watchfulness. This shows that we may falter in the short term, but those whose hearts are set on Christ will be prepared in the long term (1Th 5:6).
- Delays in the bridegroom’s arrival were common. We must be willing to endure what we perceive as “delay” in Christ’s returning without losing heart or backsliding into complacency (2Pe 3:9-10).
- The oil may symbolize preparedness. This isn’t something that can be bought or sold in the moment. You either have it or you don’t. Everyone will be held accountable for their own readiness (Gal 6:5).
- The bridegroom was dishonored. The foolish virgins not only missed the feast, but they also insulted the bridegroom and his family by not being ready. When we disregard our role in Jesus’ kingdom, we bring great offense to the King of Kings (Luk 6:46).
- There will be a moment of no return. Once the bridegroom arrived, the time to prepare was over. In the same way, when Jesus returns, the time for preparation has passed (Rev 22:11-12).
- Readiness is an individual responsibility. No one else can prepare for you. Christ’s disciples must tend to their own hearts, walk in the Spirit, and keep their lamps burning brightly (Gal 5:25).
The Parable Of The Talents
In the ancient world, a talent was a lot of money. It would have equaled about 20 years of wages. Depending on whether it was gold or silver, a talent could weigh between 75 and 120 pounds. While a talent was a large sum of money, in Jesus’ story, it also represents opportunities to use our abilities. Not everyone receives equal gifts. The distribution is consistent with our own experiences. Some are gifted with supreme ability. Others are average. Still others struggle with minimal opportunities. This echoes Jesus’ words (Luk 12:48).
The master’s expectation of fruitful work lined up with the gifts of the individual. He is equally pleased with the slave who returned ten talents as He is with the slave who returned only four. They both doubled what was given to them. But the master only groups them into two categories: faithful or unfaithful.
The Last Slave
The shock of this parable comes from the last slave who buried his talent in the ground. It seemed he was not intentionally disobedient. He didn’t waste it or spend it foolishly. In other words, he seemed to have good intentions. He played it safe and buried it, hoping the master would be pleased that it wasn’t lost. Why was the master so upset? Because laziness and procrastination are veiled forms of disobedience (Luk 9:59-62).
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have funerals or say goodbye to family members. It’s an illustration of priorities. If God has given you a specific gift for a specific time with a specific person, He expects you to use it, not bury it (Eph 5:15-17).
Failure To Try
There is something else to this parable we cannot miss. The third slave was so fearful that he would fail, he never even tried. Maybe he thought his one talent was unimportant? Maybe he just didn’t care? Either way, it’s a devastating tragedy. How many people today are missing the opportunities that God is placing in front of them because they are afraid of failure? That figure is likely astronomical. Hear this: what we do not use for the Lord will be lost forever.
The very least this slave could have done was place the talent in a bank so it would gain interest. This illustrates that even a tiny step of faith will be commended by God (Luk 16:10). Do not settle for merely receiving Salvation and doing nothing with it. That is not the full picture of Salvation, and it is not the expectation of Jesus when He saves you. We have a mission to be active and profitable participants in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, namely as disciple-makers (2Co 5:20).
The Final Judgment
In the final parable of Matthew 25, Jesus portrays Himself as the divine Judge who will one day separate all people based on how they respond to His messengers. While the imagery of sheep and goats draws on cultural shepherding practices, the deeper message is eternal. The “least of these” are not merely the poor, but Jesus’ disciples. They are His messengers sent out to proclaim the Gospel (Mat 10:40-42).
The way the nations respond to them is the way they respond to Christ Himself. This parable is not about general charity but about receiving or rejecting the message of the kingdom. The consequences are eternal, reminding us that our treatment of Christ’s people reveals our true posture toward Christ Himself.
- Jesus identifies fully with His messengers. How we treat them is how we treat Him (Act 9:4).
- Judgment will not be based on mere profession but on how our lives reflect our reception of the Gospel (Jas 1:22).
- Hospitality, support, and compassion for Christ’s ambassadors are essential markers of genuine faith (Heb 13:1-2).
- Rejection of Christ’s people is rejection of Christ, and it leads to eternal separation from Him (2Th 1:7-9).
- The mission of the Church carries eternal weight, and how the world receives it determines its destiny (Rom 10:14-15).
