Five Wise Women and Five Foolish Women | Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus was teaching on the kingdom of heaven. He was reminding the listeners that they must be ready because the Son of God will return at an hour when no one expects him to return.

Jesus told the following parable about ten women who were invited to take part in a wedding festival at night. He said: The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any extra oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and all the virgins became drowsy and soon fell asleep.

At midnight the cry rang out: “Here comes the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” Then all the virgins woke up and prepared their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.”

“No,” the wise ones replied, “there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.”

But while the foolish virgins were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the five foolish virgins arrived. “Sir! Sir!” they pleaded. “Open the door for us!” But the bridegroom replied, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.”

Then Jesus said, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”