十个童女

马太福音 25:1-13 “那时,天国好比十个童女拿着灯出去迎接新郎。其中有五个是愚拙的,五个是聪明的。愚拙的拿着灯,却不预备油。聪明的拿着灯,又预备油在器皿里。新郎迟延的时候,她们都打盹,睡着了。半夜有人喊着说:‘新郎来了,你们出来迎接他!’那些童女就都起来收拾灯。愚拙的对聪明的说:‘请分点油给我们,因为我们的灯要灭了。’聪明的回答说:‘恐怕不够你我用的。不如你们自己到卖油的那里去买吧。’她们去买的时候,新郎到了。那预备好了的,同他进去坐席,门就关了。其余的童女随后也来了,说:‘主啊,主啊!给我们开门!’他却回答说:‘我实在告诉你们,我不认识你们。’所以,你们要儆醒,因为那日子,那时辰,你们不知道。”

问题讨论

为什么五个被称为是愚拙的?她们的前景是什么?
她们代表基督徒里的谁?
油和灯代表什么?
我们应该如何为基督的到来做准备?
我们应该采取什么样的态度?
如果我们不做准备会怎么样?

注释

这个寓言讲的是唯名主义的另一个侧面。灯代表被圣灵用来把我们领向基督和带我们过基督徒生活的那些东西。油代表圣灵。在旧约里油被用于膏抹,用来作为帐幕里的灯的燃料,并用来与面调和作为祭物:
“撒母耳就用角里的膏油,在他诸兄中膏了他。从这日起,耶和华的就大大感动大卫。撒母耳起身回拉玛去了。”【撒母耳记上 16:13】
就像以色列人被云和火领着走过旷野一样,圣灵把我们领向基督,领着我们过基督徒的生活。

聪明的童女怀着确定的信前往婚礼。她们对这个旅途很认真,事先考虑了所有可能遇到的问题。在其它寓言中,她们代表好土,代表那些穿着合宜的礼服参加婚筵的人,代表那些把他们的房子建在磐石上的人,代表那些充分利用他们的天资的人。这些人有圣灵住在他们里面,而不只是在他们旁边。

愚拙的童女漫不经心地上了旅途,没有考虑到旅途的代价。她们在有限的程度上接受圣灵的指引,没有足够的属灵见解,因为没有认真对待旅途,不得不回到出发地。但时间全部流逝,她们就失去了。

这就是那些只在名义上跟随基督的人。当他们因为这个名而遇到困难或迫害的时候,很快就后退了。他们没有付诸应用的信,不是生于深深的信。他们没有认真对待基督徒的信仰。他们必须从头开始,用正确的态度接受邀请。但他们的时间有可能会完全用尽。在他们为婚筵做好准备之前,或许就已经死去,或许基督就已经回来了。

基督对她们说:“我不认识你们。”原文里“认识”用的是希腊文的完成时。意思是说:“我从来不认识你们。”有许多人认为他们已经得救,而从不考虑他们的行为是否表明他们的信心的程度能够被神所接受。让我们不要太自以为是,而要主动地为将来的审判做准备。


Rap

The kingdom is like ten virgins who went
And took their lamps to a wedding event
Five were foolish and five were wise
The wise took oil perhaps pint-size
The foolish took none they didn't prepare
For the groom took his time before he got there
They all became drowsy and fell asleep.
No sound was heard, no not a peep
Till midnight did come and someone cried out.
"Here's the bridegroom. You must come out!"
The virgins woke up only to find
The wise could see while the foolish were blind 
For they used up the oil they needed to see
They had taken the journey much too carefree
They asked the wise to give them some
But the wise told them where they could buy some from
But while they journeyed to buy the oil
The groom arrived which wasted their toil
For the wise went in and the door was shut closed
The foolish could not enter as they had supposed
They said, "Sir, Open the door for us too!"
But he replied, "I don't know you."
Therefore keep watch, let the Spirit empower.
For you do not know the day or the hour.