THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH

The parable says that the Kingdom of Heaven will be similar to ten virgins who with lamps went forth to meet the bridegroom. The kingdom of heaven is being compared to an activity: The going to meet the bridegroom. The emphasis of the message is on how to do it. The whole group went forth to meet the bridegroom. They all took their lamps. And all their lamps were burning. Jesus mentions here that there were ten, yet He then divides the group; He starts talking about individuals, because He wants to underline that this matter has to do with a personal decision.

In all aspects of life different people solve a same subject in diverse ways. That’s normal, it just happens like that. A same situation will always be confronted differently. Wisdom is not usual, neither is foolishness. This group of ten didn’t get a common result, because they all received according to their personal attitude, according to their own way of life. Maybe that’s why Jesus is warning: Some people won’t be doing things in the proper way. And they will suffer loss.

It surprises, hearing it from Jesus, that He separates the group in two, even if it’s not really Him generating the division, but the virgins themselves with their attitudes. Later on, five went in with the bridegroom, and five did not. This consideration skares a bit and our heart covers itself rapidly, saying that it is an illustration. But, be it or not, it is good to ask ourselves: “What group am I in?”. If the ten virgins represent the redeemed ones, that is, the whole church, could it be that Jesus is alerting with this parable that as much as half of us can loose our entrance? Could it be possible for so many not getting to participate of the wedding, although we all left our homes with the only purpose of meeting the bridegroom and going in with Him?

Ten virgins were ten decisions. It’s a coincidence in this story that five and five thought the same way, but Jesus is saying to us: “ I am talking about you.”

Lately the Holy Spirit is mentioning this parable in many messages through different preachers and in the most varied emphasis. Why? It’s because the matter is to be taken seriously. Five virgins were wise and five foolish.

Which one of them am I?

I noticed that to be able to respond that, I first needed to understand the meanings of the words “wisdom” and “foolishness”, because, curiously, we normally say that “not to be wise” is the opposite of “being wise”. We use the terms “wise/not wise ” in relation with “cautious” or referring to someone “being careful”, but we don’t think a person is “foolish” because he or she is not “careful”. But Jesus is using these meanings here. I searched to make these concepts clear before I continued, to avoid misinterpreting the whole matter and I found what any dictionary explains: “Wisdom is discernment between what is good and what is bad, to do it or to avoid it”. In other words, it is the ability to distinguish, to make a differentiation between the good and the bad, --in order to act! Wisdom is not only the discerning, it is not only to understand something; it also includes a following action. Acting according to what is being discerned! Wisdom is seeing and doing.

That’s why Jesus called “wise” – in His other illustration about the Kingdom of God – the one who built his house upon the rock and not on sand. He saw sand and he didn’t edify there; he built where he saw rock. He discerned the right thing and acted according to it.

And the foolish? It’s the one who doesn’t judge things, that talks and does things without considering his steps. It’s the one who doesn’t reason and who doesn’t compare healthy and reasonably. And who then, of course, not always acts following good judgements. In the same story mentioned before, from Matthew 7, Jesus says:“²⁶And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man…”.

These are the meanings of “wise” and “foolish”.

Now I was better equipped to look for what was meant under the wisdom or foolishness of the virgins.

They were all waiting for the bridegroom. They knew and believed that word that the Bridegroom would return, and when they heard the cry they immediately went out to meet him. They desired him. They had been waiting for that moment. Everything seems to be fine. Ten virgins in love going out to meet the Bridegroom! And yet, there were differences among them. Differences that could not be easily seen, but were in them, and that would be uncovered with the upcoming events.

Would there be in me of what is in them?

That cry was heard when it began to darken, so they all took lamps in their hands; each one of the virgins had its own, and it would be logical to think that they filled them well with oil before leaving. But what did the wise ones discern, that made them take another vessel with additional oil with the other hand? And what was the blindness of the foolish that did not do the same?

There seem to be several reasons, but one is related to our attitude towards the lamp itself. To have the lamp full with oil, well trimmed and giving a strong light is what each one of us wishes, loves and enjoys. Nevertheless, there’s a reality we shouldn’t forget. We have not been redeemed only to have our being full of oil and shine and give light! As beautiful as this is, as desirable, as blessed it is for us and for others, the final purpose of God is not that we may finish being virgins with lamps. It is indeed in His plans for us to have our lamps working, but the lamp is not what He wants us to finish with. No.

From the Old Testament we learn that if such had been the final purpose of God, then the golden candlestick (the lamp of that place) inside Moses’ Tabernacle would have been the most important piece of furniture. But it wasn’t. Its existence was necessary, and it had to be full with oil, kindled and burning continuously. It had to never stop. Its light was necessary, and yet, it was not the most important piece of furniture. How then? So much struggling in God, and crying out to Him, asking Him to fill us so that we can burn and have light and now there is somebody saying this is not “the ultimate”? Well, it is very high, and indispensable for life itself, but no, it is not the goal.

Around here is the danger the Church must consider in its walk and which originated the wrong decision of the virgins.

I was asking myself before what the difference was between both groups of virgins, because I wanted to know on what side I am. And I observed that it was not that the foolish virgins didn’t have light, because they did have it. But they didn’t have it the moment it was necessary to have it. It made no difference to them that they had had their lamps full of oil several days ago, or even that morning. They rejoiced greatly during that time, but when the Bridegroom arrived the oil of their lamps was gone, they were empty. To say it in other words, it is useless to be full today if when He comes He finds me empty.

The main reason the foolish ones didn’t take an additional vessel with their free hand was possibly because their happiness was limited to having and seeing how their own lamps were burning, and they were not interested in understanding why it had to be burning. Their greatest joy was upon the glorious fact of having it burning. They delighted in the flames on their lamps like if they were fireworks the dark night bursting out in colorful sparks, and when they extinguished, they went and bought some more, just to see the beautiful manifestation again. They are looking at themselves, nearing the edge of being like the ones who ” seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s”.

The foolishness of those virgins was born when they set their eyes on the wrong object.

The beauty of their working lamps, which certainly were honorable and magnificent when burning, was not the proper place to set their eyes on. Those who seek to be “filled” again and again have indeed consecrated their lifes to a certain degree (with no wick there would be no fire on them), but their eyes are set on a wrong place. Fascinated with what God supplied them, they loose sight of the main purpose. Fascinated with the light of the divine oil that burns in their hearts, they put their confidence in these new capabilities they obtain when the Spirit is burning. The foolish virgins had received fullness of grace, just like the others, but the difference with the wise ones consisted in that for some reason –not explained in the text– they separated from the supplier.

We don’t know what moved the wise virgins to take the vessel with the extra oil, but for one thing, they certainly remembered that the oil is something that is being consumed. And they didn’t want to take the risk of not having it just when it would be needed more. To take the vessel with the extra oil was the way to remain connected continuously with the provision. Again the candlestick in Moses’ Tabernacle teaches us the secret for its permanent light: it was connected with tubes to the main reservoir. It had to burn continuously and no chances were taken for it to burn out. God demanded the lamps to be burning always, so the priest would take care every morning and every evening of replacing the oil that consumed from the hidden tank.

There is danger of foolishness when we think: --I have it! I made it!, because we are not looking at the reservoir behind and above us. It is true that when we are filled for the first time that expression comes out of us, but to continue thinking like that is a mistake. A grape, no matter how big and juicy it may be, should never think it doesn’t need the vine anymore, because the juice in it (as its own existence) is a product of the vine. What we have belongs to Jesus. We have it because He gave it to us. It’s His; for us, but His. And just because of that, only He can keep it running. We can do nothing to obtain it, because it is by grace; even less can we do to keep it. Let the grape get loose from the branch and the sun that could do nothing to it while it hung from the vine will dry it as soon as it finds it separated from its fountain. The foolishness of the five virgins was they believed that what they had was enough. But the night was longer.

They knew Christ was the supplier of the oil, but they didn’t pay attention to the need of the continuous flow. The foolish virgins didn’t discern the need for a continuous dependence on the provision of the oil. When they had it, they loved it, they knew the greatest power against darkness was with them and they would be like blind, like enchanted with what they had. Their eyes were full with the provision.

But the wise ones had their eyes on the purpose of the light. Although acknowledging the power they had with them, they pushed away any feeling of self-sufficiency and set their dependence on the One who nourished their fire and who allowed their light. They didn’t consider themselves strong because the fire was with them, but they feared. They didn’t rest on the capacity of their lamps or on the brightness of the fire on the oil and the wick; they didn’t consider themselves already “spiritually” strong and prepared. Instead, they extended towards a continued dependence to a Greater Vessel.

To know what is proper, to discern wisely, is to understand that the burning lamp is a need if we are to stand in light when the Lord comes. Without a trimmed lamp we cannot meet Him, and the action following that discernment is to protect ourselves, and avoid any risk of it dying out.

There will be one who will seek to be filled and to shine, who will desire and delight in it, but whose eyes will always be on Jesus, knowing that if the Lord isn’t there, all this is useless. And there will be the other one, whose thought is to be full, certainly enjoying the true burning of the Spirit, but his satisfaction rests upon his fullness and brightness before others (also blessing them obviously). His eyes are on himself, loving himself dressed in that garment of the Glory of God. He who loves to be full and be kindled and shine but with that satisfaction as an end in itself, even if he is “fulfilling the Great Commission”, has been subtly deceived by his own heart. He loves the benefits he receives from Jesus, because they make him beautiful, but he hasn’t arrived to the point of loving Jesus. No wonder he won’t be found there when the Bridegroom comes.

Jesus loves us and that is why He included this parable in the Scriptures. There are traps on the way, and this one is quite in disguise, because one is so joyful due of the glory of the Lord, that he pays no attention to the soft voice of the Spirit who says: “ Watch out! This doesn’t end here.”

In this parable Jesus is saying to us that we ought to be prepared. It is absolutely necessary to possess that glory when He comes, because it is necessary to enter to the wedding. The Bridegroom will recognize the ones who will be in light at the moment of His arrival. And He is warning us not be foolish, trusting that we have enough, as much we may have. We ought to be wise, not feeling self-sufficient because of the glory that is in us, and keep ourselves near to the provision. We ought not to separate from Christ, our continuous provision, because without Him, there is nothing we can do.

Can I know to which group I belong?

There is a way of knowing that.

If I run to the fountain to be filled and after some time I burn out and I then go again, and again I burn out, and time after time I burn and burn out, then my fountain is on them that sell. There is a separation between the vendors and me, so it takes me some time to re-kindle after my oil burns out.

But if the Vessel is at the reach of my hand, if I am near to it, if I am at its side as the candlestick of the Tabernacle was to its tank, if I am joined to it, getting a continuous supply from the fountain, the oil of my lamp doesn’t finish.

The secret is: to be connected.

These are two different Christian attitudes, two different ways of life. The dictionary says it: “Wisdom is discernment between the good and the bad, to do it or to avoid it”.

If the ten virgins represent all the redeemed ones, all the Church, can it be that with this parable Jesus is alerting that as many as half of us are not setting our eyes on Him?