Jesus gives many parables here about the end of the Age and His return.
The Parable of the 10 Virgins
People aren’t prepared. The wise used their wisdom and decided not to share. We sometimes stop to help people and they endanger our walk and delay us, as we only have enough for ourselves. The foolish, when the Bridegroom came weren’t even present to Him for they were preoccupied with everything but Him. We need to make sure that we aren’t lackadaisical about our pursuit of Him. Our lamps need to be filled with oil and we need to have extra oil to spare.
The oil represents our relationship with Him through the indwelling Spirit of God. We don’t care enough about our union with Him to preserve and treasure the relationship. Oil is often used to anoint for the purpose of revitalizing, for consecrating someone to God and is a representation of Holy Ghost. The oil is constantly being replenished by our daily union with the Bridegroom. If we’ve run out of oil, our hearts aren’t solely for Him anymore. We’ve become foolish, letting everything, sin, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, pull us away from our life support: Jesus. The wise were in constant fellowship with Jesus and knew His heart and passion. He was their only pleasure. The flasks the virgins carried holds such significance in our walk with Christ:
- No oil means there is no Holy Ghost in our lives
- The flame cane be blown or snuffed out
- Pulling out the wick means the soul is disconnected to Holy Ghost
- The wrong fuel is anything you take in that doesn’t edify your soul
- No ignition is the lack of the Word of God, prayer and the people of God in ones life
Parable about Financial Stewardship
In all that the Lord has given to you, He wants you to be a good steward over it, whether it be in your gifts or your abilities. It doesn’t matter how many gifts or abilities you have, but how you are using His grace to use those gifts and abilities. But those of us who are lazy throw away His grace and waste their time on things that bear no fruit. The Lord is looking for a return on the investment He’s placed in you. He wants to use you to bear more fruit for not only Him to enjoy and glory in, but for you to enjoy with Him and glory in. If you refuse to be fruitful, you refuse Him and all His riches and all that you have will be taken away because of your selfish disobedience. If you’ve really been filled with Jesus, there will manifest within you a desire to perform His works because you’ve joined not only yourself to Him in name, but you’ve joined your whole heart and being to Him to do for Him what brings Him pleasure. If you’ve not been filled with Jesus then your heart will not be changed and you won’t have a desire to do anything but what you want.
Parable of Sheep and Goats and Judgement
Sheep and Goats are different in that one is humble and the other is aggressive. The sheep exhibit the characteristics of the King, rooted in love showing compassion, tenderness and care to others. Goats are self-preserving, selfish, domineering and ruthless and show no concern for those who are in need. Jesus gives all nations, whether they are sheep or goats, the opportunity to learn how to have compassion because the poor and broken will be with you always. They are often presented to us so that we can learn to love. However, those who have chosen not to learn lessons on how to love have inadvertently cut themselves off from being joined to the King of Eternal Love and Life.
Summary
- Be prepared
- Don’t let fear control you
- Don’t sit on what God gave you
- Check your walk all the time
- Are you the right bride
- Abide in obedience
- Are you a sheep or a goat
