Will You Be Ready When Jesus Returns? Lessons From the Ten Virgins and the Talents (Matthew 25)

By Al Felder

Jesus told two back-to-back parables in Matthew 25 that press the same urgent question from two different angles: Will you be ready when the Bridegroom comes, and will you be found faithful when the Master returns? (Matthew 25:1–30).

These are not parables aimed at atheists who openly reject God. They are aimed at people who identify with the kingdom—people who expect the Lord’s return and who would say they belong to Him. That’s why they are so searching. They warn that it is possible to be near the kingdom and still be unprepared. It is possible to be among God’s people and still be unfruitful. And it is possible to be confident right up until the moment the door shuts (Matthew 25:10–12).

Why Jesus Paired These Two Parables Together

Matthew 25 is framed by Jesus’ teaching about His return (Matthew 24:37–39). His coming will be sudden—like the flood in Noah’s day—when life appears normal, and people are unalert (Matthew 24:37–39). In that context, Jesus gives two parables:

• The Ten Virgins focuses on readiness—being prepared before the moment arrives (Matthew 25:1–13).

• The Talents focuses on faithfulness—being productive and responsible while you wait (Matthew 25:14–30).

Together, they teach this: readiness is not panic at the last minute; readiness is a life of steady faithfulness that cannot be “borrowed” or faked when the Lord appears.

The Ten Virgins: Why “Almost Ready” Is Not Ready

Jesus says, “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins” who went out to meet the bridegroom (Matthew 25:1). Five were wise, and five were foolish. The difference was not that the foolish lacked lamps—they had lamps. The difference was that they lacked oil (Matthew 25:3–4).

All ten waited. All ten grew tired. All ten slept while the bridegroom delayed (Matthew 25:5). Then the cry came at midnight: “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6). Suddenly, what was theoretical became immediate. And that is where the foolish realized the cost of neglect: their lamps were going out (Matthew 25:8).

Why the Wise Could Not Share Their Oil

The foolish ask for oil. The wise refuse—not from selfishness, but because spiritual readiness cannot be transferred (Matthew 25:9). No one can borrow another person’s faithfulness at the last moment. No one can borrow another person’s discipline, repentance, prayer life, or obedience when Christ returns. Each soul stands before God personally accountable (Romans 14:12).

That is one of the central warnings of the parable: you cannot prepare when the moment arrives. You must be prepared before the cry is heard.

“The Door Was Shut”

The wise go into the feast, and “the door was shut” (Matthew 25:10). The foolish arrive later, pleading, “Lord, Lord, open to us” (Matthew 25:11). But the bridegroom answers: “I know you not” (Matthew 25:12).

Those words should sober every disciple. The foolish were not strangers to the event. They were part of the wedding party. They expected to enter. They intended to enter. But intention did not equal readiness.

Jesus ends this parable with the command: “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:13).

The Talents: Why Waiting Must Include Working

The next parable begins: “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods” (Matthew 25:14). He gives one servant five talents, another two, and another one—“to every man according to his several ability” (Matthew 25:15).

A talent was a large measure of wealth. Each servant receives something substantial, and each receives enough to produce a return. Then the master leaves “for a long time,” and later returns to “reckon” with them (Matthew 25:19). That long delay mirrors what Christians experience: we are waiting for a return we cannot schedule, which tests whether our faith is real (2 Peter 3:3–4, 9).

God Does Not Expect the Same Results From Everyone—But He Expects Faithfulness From Everyone

The five-talent servant produces five more. The two-talent servant produces two more. Their starting amounts differed, but their faithfulness was the same (Matthew 25:16–17). Both hear the same praise: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21, 23). Both are welcomed into their master’s joy (Matthew 25:21, 23).

This is an important kingdom truth: God has not given every Christian the same abilities, opportunities, or roles—but He has given every Christian the same obligation: be faithful with what you have. “Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).

The One-Talent Servant: The Sin of Doing Nothing

The third servant hides his talent in the ground (Matthew 25:18). When the master returns, the servant’s explanation sounds spiritual on the surface, but it is really an excuse. He calls his master “hard,” says he was afraid, and claims he was just being careful (Matthew 25:24–25).

But the master calls him “wicked and slothful” (Matthew 25:26). Notice the heart of the rebuke: the servant blames the master for his own disobedience, and his “fear” is exposed as laziness. Even if he believed the master was strict, he should have acted with greater urgency, not less (Matthew 25:26–27).

The master takes what was given and gives it to the one who was most faithful (Matthew 25:28–29). Then the unprofitable servant is cast into outer darkness (Matthew 25:30). Jesus’ warning is unmistakable: being in the household is not the same as being approved. A servant can belong outwardly and still be condemned for refusing to serve.

What These Parables Teach Christians Today

1) You cannot prepare at the Last Minute

The foolish virgins were not ready, and the door shut (Matthew 25:10–12). That reminds us: repentance is urgent, not optional. “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

2) Faithfulness Must Be Personal and Ongoing

No one could lend oil. Each servant was accountable. That matches the consistent New Testament teaching: each person will give account to God (Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

3) God Will Look for Fruit, Not Excuses

The master did not want explanations—he wanted stewardship (Matthew 25:19–30). Jesus said, “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). Faith that does not work is dead (James 2:17).

4) Waiting for Jesus Means Serving Jesus

Readiness is not mere anxiety about the end times. Readiness is faithful daily obedience—watching, working, and staying prepared in heart and life (Matthew 25:13; Luke 19:13).

5) Some Will Rejoice—and Some Will Regret

One group enters the feast. Another is shut out. One group enters “into the joy” of the master. Another is cast into darkness (Matthew 25:10, 21, 30). These parables do not allow a casual view of eternity. They warn that the difference between joy and regret often comes down to steady faithfulness versus neglected responsibility.

A Simple Test of Readiness

Some disciples worry, “Am I ready?” Others worry, “Am I fruitful enough?” Matthew 25 answers both with the same principle: If you are faithful and using what God has given you in service to the Lord, you are ready. Keep your lamp supplied. Keep your talent invested. Keep watching and working.

Jesus’ return will not be a time for bargaining, blaming, or borrowing. It will be a time of recognition—who was ready, who was faithful, and who truly belonged to Him (Matthew 25:10–13, 19–30).

Reflection Questions

1. If Jesus returned today, would my “lamp” show spiritual readiness or spiritual neglect (Matthew 25:8–10)?

2. Am I living as if the Lord could return suddenly, or have I grown comfortable and careless (Matthew 24:37–39; Matthew 25:13)?

3. What “talent” has the Lord entrusted to me—opportunity, influence, ability, resources—and how am I using it for His purposes (Matthew 25:14–15)?

4. Do I tend to make excuses for spiritual inactivity, like the one-talent servant, instead of acting faithfully (Matthew 25:24–26)?

5. What is one specific act of service or obedience I will do this week to “trade” with what God has given me (Matthew 25:16–17; 1 Corinthians 4:2)?