This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in Matthew 25:1-13, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
Jesus told His disciples a story to teach them about the kingdom of heaven. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like ten girls who were waiting for a bridegroom. They all had lamps with them. Five of the girls were wise, and five were not so wise. The wise girls brought extra oil for their lamps, but the others did not.
The bridegroom was taking a long time to come, so all the girls fell asleep. But suddenly, in the middle of the night, they heard a shout, ‘Here comes the bridegroom! Come and meet him!’ So, all the girls got up and started to get ready.
The foolish girls realized they didn’t have enough oil to keep their lamps burning, so they asked the wise girls if they could have some of their oil. But the wise girls said, ‘No, we only have enough for ourselves. You should go and buy some more oil for yourselves.’
So, the foolish girls went to buy more oil, and while they were away, the bridegroom arrived. The wise girls went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.
Later, the other girls also came and said, “Lord, please let us in.” But the bridegroom said, “I don’t know you.”
So, Jesus said to always be ready, because we don’t know when He will come.
Biblical Lessons
- Be prepared and ready for Jesus’ return.
- We need to take our faith seriously and not be careless about it.
- We should not assume that we have plenty of time to get ready for Jesus’ return.
- We cannot borrow someone else’s faith or spiritual preparedness.
- It’s important to be discerning and wise in our spiritual lives.
Related Stories
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
Must-Read Christian Books
Knowing God
A classic that helps believers move from knowing about God to truly knowing Him in a personal and biblical way.
View on Amazon
The Cross of Christ
A profound exploration of the meaning and power of the cross at the center of Christian faith and life.
View on Amazon
Institutes of the Christian Religion
A classic work of Reformed theology in an accessible form, laying out Christian doctrine with deep biblical roots.
View on Amazon
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
Shows how God's sovereignty in salvation fuels, rather than hinders, faithful evangelism.
View on Amazon
Systematic Theology
A classic Reformed theology text, rich in biblical exegesis and doctrinal clarity.
View on Amazon
Biblical Theology
A classic work tracing the progressive revelation of God's redemptive plan in Scripture.
View on Amazon
Redemption Accomplished and Applied
A concise, biblical study of Christ's atonement and the application of salvation to believers.
View on Amazon
The Attributes of God
Devotional meditations on God's character that stir reverence and worship.
View on Amazon
All of Grace
A simple, powerful explanation of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone.
View on Amazon
The Bondage of the Will
Luther's classic defense of the Bible's teaching on human sin and God's sovereign grace.
View on Amazon
The Westminster Confession of Faith
A historic confession that systematically sets forth Reformed theology from Scripture.
View on Amazon
Biblical Preaching
Introduces the "big idea" approach to expository sermons, rooted in the biblical text.
View on Amazon
Worship Matters
Helps worship leaders and churches keep the gospel central in congregational worship.
View on Amazon
The Universe Next Door
Surveys competing worldviews and contrasts them with the Christian view of reality.
View on Amazon
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment
A Puritan classic on learning contentment in God in every circumstance.
View on Amazon
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
Shows how the gospel frees us from self-obsession to live in joy and service.
View on Amazon