2185 Parable of the Bridesmaids
2185 Parable of the Bridesmaids  
Podcast: BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women
Published On: Mon Aug 24 2026
Description: Before we read this story Jesus told, I want you to do something. I want you to see it. Don’t just read the words on the page. Step into the story. Picture the wedding. Picture the bride. Picture the bridesmaids. Picture the anticipation of the groom’s arrival. To really understand what Jesus is saying, we need to understand a little about Jewish weddings in His day. There were several important stages in the Jewish wedding process. First came the arrangement. The families were involved in establishing the marriage, and there were formal agreements and financial arrangements that made the commitment serious and binding. Then came the betrothal. This was far more significant than what we think of as an engagement today. The couple was legally committed to one another. Promises were made. A covenant was established. And then came the waiting. This is where I want you to really picture the scene. The groom would leave and return to his father’s household because he had work to do. He was preparing a place for his bride. He was getting everything ready for the day they would finally be together. But the bride wasn’t sitting around doing nothing. She had work to do, too. She was preparing herself. Preparing her clothing. Preparing for the celebration. Preparing for her new life as a wife. And here’s the part that makes this story so beautiful: She didn’t know exactly when he was coming back. She knew he was coming. She just didn’t know when. So imagine waking up every morning thinking, Could it be today? Imagine hearing a noise outside and wondering, Is that him? Imagine living in a constant state of anticipation because you know the one you’ve been promised to is coming for you—but you don’t know the day or the hour. And then, one night… The announcement comes. The groom is coming! The bridesmaids grab their lamps and rush out to meet him. Their job is to join the procession, light the way, and lead the groom back to the wedding celebration where the bride is waiting. This wasn’t a quiet little ceremony. It was a celebration. A procession. A moment everyone had been waiting for. And Jesus begins His story with ten bridesmaids who are all waiting for the exact same thing: The groom is coming. But here’s the problem… Not all ten of them are ready. And that’s where Jesus wants us to lean in. Matthew 25: 1-14: (A few terms to know – bridesmaids are as they are today, the bride’s attendants. The bridedroom is the groom, the man getting married.) Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’ All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’ So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return. Oh dang. What happened here? What is this warning for us today? The bridesmaids had a job to do. They were supposed to be ready for the groom. But half of them weren’t prepared. And here’s what gets me: they were all there. They were in the right place. They were waiting for the right person. They knew the groom was coming. They even had lamps. But half of them didn’t have what they needed when the moment came. And when the groom finally arrived, there was no time left to get ready. The moment they had been preparing for this entire time was suddenly here—and they weren’t ready for it. Because they weren’t prepared, they missed the celebration. They weren’t rejected because they didn’t know about the groom. They weren’t left out because they weren’t invited. They were left out because they weren’t ready. PEOPLE, GET READY! So who is Jesus talking about? Who is the groom? Who is the bride? Who are the bridesmaids? And what is this wedding feast? The groom is Jesus. Earlier in Matthew, Jesus refers to Himself as the bridegroom. When people ask Jesus why His disciples aren’t fasting, Jesus answers: “Can the wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom?” (9:15) Jesus is telling them, The Groom is here. But He also tells them that there will be a time when the groom will be taken away. He will leave. And that’s exactly what happens. Jesus is crucified, resurrected, and then ascends to the Father. The Groom leaves—but He has promised to come back. And that puts us right into the story. The bride is the Church—the people who belong to Jesus. Jesus is preparing a place. Jesus will return. And Scripture ultimately describes His return as a wedding celebration—the great wedding feast of the Lamb. Revelation 19:7, “Let us be glad and rejoice… for the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself.” So where does that leave the bridesmaids? That’s us. In this story Jesus is telling, ten bridesmaids represent people who are waiting for Jesus. And notice something important: All ten were waiting. All ten had lamps. All ten knew the groom was coming. All ten expected to be part of the celebration. But only five were prepared. That’s the warning Jesus is giving us. You can be around the things of God and still not be ready for God. You can know the stories. You can go to church. You can carry a Bible. You can sing the songs. You can call yourself a Christian. You can even be waiting for Jesus. But Jesus isn’t asking, “Are you around Me?” He’s asking, “Are you ready for Me?” Because eventually, the waiting will end. The Groom is coming. And when He comes, there will be no more time to prepare. So Jesus says: “Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” People, get ready. The question wasn’t “Do you believe in the one who is coming?” The question was, “Are you ready for him when he comes?” Jesus wants us to LIVE READY FOR HIM! Here’s what this is really about – THE OIL. The 5 bridesmaids without oil weren’t invited to the wedding feast. The 5 bridesmaids with oil couldn’t give them their own oil, each had to have oil for themselves. You need your own oil. What is this oil – this is your relationship with Jesus. Others can do many things for you, but no one can have your relationship with Jesus for you. You can’t live on someone else’s faith. When it’s wedding time, your own faith will be required. This faith relationship will be required when Jesus returns for us – and you simply don’t know when that day will be. It could be today! So how do we live ready? Because Jesus isn’t telling us this story so we can become obsessed with predicting when He’s coming. He’s telling us so that we’ll be ready whenever He comes. And that’s a very different thing. Living ready doesn’t mean living scared. It means living surrendered. It means waking up every morning and saying, “Jesus, if You have something for me today, I’m available.” If You say go, I’ll go. If You say stay, I’ll stay. If You say forgive, I’ll forgive. If You say surrender, I’ll surrender. If You say speak, I’ll speak. If You say be quiet, I’ll be quiet. Readiness isn’t perfection. Readiness is responsiveness. The wise bridesmaids prepared before they needed to be prepared. They didn’t wait until midnight to go looking for oil. They had been preparing while they were waiting. And that’s what our relationship with Jesus is supposed to look like. You don’t wait for the crisis to learn how to trust Him. You don’t wait for the heartbreak to learn how to surrender. You don’t wait for the temptation to decide what you believe. You don’t wait until you’re desperate to start praying. You fill your lamp while there’s still daylight. You spend time with Jesus now. You learn His Word now. You practice obedience now. You surrender the little things now. You deal with the unforgiveness now. You say yes to His invitations now. Because you don’t know when Jesus is returning – but you need to be ready. And here’s the beautiful thing: The wise bridesmaids weren’t ready because they were afraid the groom might come. They were ready because they were excited that he might come. That’s how I want to live. Not terrified that Jesus might return. Thrilled that He will. I don’t want to spend my life hoping Jesus doesn’t come back until I’ve had a chance to do everything I want to do. I want to live so close to Jesus that when I hear the announcement: “The groom is here!”, I don’t want to run and hide. I want to run toward Him. The question for God’s girls today is, “Am I living like someone who expects Jesus?” If Jesus walked through that door today, would you be excited to see Him? Or would you immediately think of the things you’d wish you had made right? Why are you waiting? The goal isn’t to spend your whole life trying to figure out when Jesus is coming. The goal is to live every day as though you would be thrilled if He came today. PEOPLE, GET READY. Keep your lamp burning. Keep your heart soft. Keep saying yes. Keep walking with Jesus. Keep your relationship with Him alive and growing. Because the groom is coming. And when He comes, I don’t want to be scrambling to get ready. I want to already be ready. I want to be able to lift my head, see Jesus, and say: “I’ve been waiting for You.” Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com