The ancient wedding celebration was in full swing—or at least it should have been. Ten bridesmaids waited with their lamps lit, anticipating the groom’s arrival. But as the hours stretched into the night, five of them realized they had made a catastrophic mistake. Their lamps were flickering out, and they had no oil to refuel them.

This isn’t just an interesting historical footnote about first-century Jewish weddings. It’s a sobering picture of what it means to be truly prepared for the most important moment in human history: the return of Christ.

Jesus doesn’t leave us guessing about what readiness looks like. In Matthew 25, He tells three powerful stories that answer one critical question: How do we live ready for the King’s return?

The First Question: Are You Trusting Christ?

The story of the ten bridesmaids is deceptively simple. Five were wise, five were foolish. The difference? Oil.

In ancient Jewish culture, a wedding was an elaborate, joyful affair. The groom would come at an unexpected hour—often at night—to claim his bride. The bridesmaids’ job was to keep their lamps burning, ready to light the procession whenever he arrived. It wasn’t optional; it was their entire purpose.

The foolish bridesmaids looked the part. They had their lamps. They were dressed for the celebration. They were standing at the right door. But when the critical moment came, they weren’t prepared for the wait. Their lamps went dark.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: not everything that looks like faith actually is faith.

These foolish bridesmaids would have said they knew the groom. They were part of the wedding party. But when they frantically knocked on the door after running out to buy oil, the groom’s response was chilling: “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.”

This echoes Jesus’ warning in Matthew 7: “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.’”

There’s a vast difference between knowing about God and actually knowing Jesus. Between checking religious boxes and having a living, breathing relationship with the Savior. Between a prayer you prayed once and a faith that endures through the long, sometimes difficult wait.

The question isn’t whether you made a decision for Christ years ago. The question is: Are you trusting Christ today? Right now, in the middle of your challenges and doubts, is your heart genuinely connected to Him?

The Second Question: Are You Serving Christ with What He’s Given You?

Jesus immediately shifts to another story about waiting—but this time, the waiting looks very different.

A wealthy master goes on a journey and entrusts his servants with staggering amounts of wealth. To put it in perspective, one “bag of gold” (or talent) represented about 300 years of wages. This wasn’t pocket change; this was generational wealth.

Two servants immediately put the money to work, doubling their master’s investment. But the third servant, paralyzed by fear, dug a hole and buried his portion in the ground.

When the master returned after a long time, his joy over the faithful servants is palpable: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Notice the intimacy in that phrase: “share your master’s happiness.” This is the heart of God—inviting us into His joy through faithful service.

But the third servant? He’s condemned not for stealing or squandering, but for doing absolutely nothing. He let fear keep him from action. He played it safe and lost everything.

Here’s the piercing application: Jesus has entrusted you with incredible wealth. Your time, your unique gifts, your resources, the truth of the gospel itself—these are not yours to bury safely while you wait for heaven.

Waiting for Christ’s return doesn’t mean sitting still. It means working faithfully, investing what He’s given you into His kingdom, loving Him through obedient action.

The question cuts deep: When Jesus returns, will you hear “Well done”? Are you serving Christ with everything He’s placed in your hands, or are you burying your gifts in the safety of inaction?

The Third Question: Is Your Faith Alive?

The final scene pulls back the curtain on judgment day itself. The Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, and all nations are gathered before Him. He separates people like a shepherd separates sheep from goats.

To the sheep, He says, “Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you. For I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me.”

The righteous are genuinely shocked. “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger?”

His answer is stunning: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

This isn’t teaching that we earn salvation through charity work. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone. But here’s the critical insight: genuine faith inevitably produces compassionate action.

The sheep weren’t serving the marginalized to earn their way to heaven. They were serving because their hearts had already been transformed by grace. They loved the King, so they naturally loved the King’s family.

Sacrificial service isn’t the means of salvation—it’s the unavoidable evidence of salvation.

A heart truly changed by Christ will open its eyes to the needs of brothers and sisters right in front of us. The hungry, the lonely, the sick, the imprisoned—when we serve them, we’re serving Jesus Himself.

Two Eternal Destinations

These three stories all lead to the same sobering reality: two eternal destinations await us all.

Heaven—where people experience unhindered enjoyment of the Father’s love. A kingdom prepared before the foundation of the world. A place of limitless joy, everlasting satisfaction, and perfect delight.

Or hell—eternal fire prepared for the devil. A place of separation from God, where those who rejected Christ spend eternity alongside the evil being who defied God and dragged others into eternal suffering.

Every person will go to one of these two places. There is no third option, no middle ground, no second chance after death.

The Urgent Call

So the question returns with urgent force: Are you ready for that day?

That day could be today—either your last breath or Christ’s return.

If you’ve never truly come to Christ, today is the day. Not a religious game. Not checking a box. But genuine repentance—turning from your sin—and trusting in Jesus, who died to pay the price for your sinfulness and rose in victory over death.

And if you have trusted Christ, then live ready. Keep watch for His coming. Trust Him daily. Serve Him with everything He’s given you. Love His people around you.

The bridegroom is coming. The master is returning. The King will sit on His throne.

The only question that matters is: Will you be ready?