Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Alternative: While the bridegroom took his time, they all dozed and slept. And at midnight, a shout came: See, the bridgegroom is on his way: go out to escort him. Then all the girls awoke and prepared their lamps.

Where are the girls coming from? Why did they go out to wait instead of waiting where they were for the announcement that the bridegroom was on his way?

This parable is an analogy for our lives. "Going forth" is an analogy for being born, coming into the world. The lamps are knowledge, and perhaps even more than that: they are our spirit, our purpose. In this sense, our purpose is not only to accompany the bridegroom but to light his way.

But our lives last more than a moment. We all fall asleep. We forget our purpose. In the last chapter, Christ warns us to be vigilant because we don't know when our time comes, but life is long. We are not awake every moment.

We do get our wakeup calls: a birth, a death, a near tragedy. All of these events bring us fully awake from our half-sleep. The death of my father, my cancer treatment, the more recent deaths of my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are all such wakeup calls. In those moments, reality comes into sharp focus.

Then, we try to prepare our spirits for our real job: meeting the bridegroom, meeting God.



"Tarried" is from chronizô (chronizo), which means "to spend time," "continues," "to take time," and "to linger."

"Slumbered" is from nustazô, (nustazo), which means "to be half asleep," "to doze," and "to hand one's head."

"Sleep" is from katheudô, (katheudo), which means "to lie down to sleep," "to sleep," and "to lie asleep."

"Cry" is from kraugê, (krauge), which means "crying," "screaming," and "shouting."

"To meet" is from apantêsis (apantesis), which means "escort," "reply," "conversation," and "steadfastness in opposition."

"Arose" is from egeirô (egeiro), which means "to awake," "to rouse," "to stir up" and "to wake up."

"Trimmed" is from kosmeô, (kosmeo), which means "to order," "to arrange," "to prepare," and "to equip."