DEAF EVANGELISTIC ALLIANCE FOUNDATION COLLEGE

Brgy.Paowin, Cavinti Laguna

PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS

Presented to:

Sir Bryan Paul Cuare

Professor

In partial fulfillment for the course

Humanities 113, Logic

Submitted by:
Danica Carla De Leon
Student

Date:
September 25, 2017
MEANING OF THE TEN VIRGINS

As we take a good look at the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), we
must acknowledge up front that there has been much debate as to the
meaning of these words of our Savior. At least one aspect of this parable can
be known with absolute certainty. The bridegroom is Jesus Christ, and this
parable describes His return. Both the Old Testament (Isaiah 54:4-6; 62:4-5;
Hosea 2:19) and the New Testament (John 3:27-30; Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19-20)
represent the Messiah as a bridegroom. Both God’s people Israel and the
Church are described in Scripture as the bride (Ephesians 5:25-32) for the
Messiah.

The historical setting can also be known with a fair amount of certainty. In
describing a first-century Jewish wedding, D.A. Carson in the Expositor’s Bible
Commentary describes the setting this way: “Normally the bridegroom with
some close friends left his home to go to the bride’s home, where there were
various ceremonies, followed by a procession through the streets – after
nightfall – to his home. The ten virgins may be bridesmaids who have been
assisting the bride; and they expect to meet the groom as he comes from the
bride’s house…Everyone in the procession was expected to carry his or her
own torch. Those without a torch would be assumed to be party crashers or
even brigands. The festivities, which might last several days, would formally
get under way at the groom’s house.” The torch was either a lamp with a small
oil tank and wick or a stick with a rag soaked in oil on the end of it which would
require occasional re-soaking to maintain the flame.

Of interpretive significance is which return of Christ is this? Is it His return for

the rapture of the Church, or is it His return to set up the Millennial Kingdom at
the end of the Tribulation? Dispensational scholars divide over this issue, and
no attempt will be made to answer that question here. Regardless of which
return it is, the lessons to be learned are relevant to both.

The overall and easily seen thrust of the parable is that Christ will return at an
unknown hour and that His people must be ready. Being ready means
preparing for whatever contingency arises in our lives and keeping our eyes
fixed on Jesus at all times while we eagerly await His coming. As seen in the
fact that all the virgins were sleeping when the call came indicates that it
doesn’t matter what we are doing when Christ returns.
We may be working, eating, sleeping, or pursuing leisure activities. Whatever it
is, we must be doing it in such a way that we don’t have to “make things right”
(get more oil) when He comes. This would apply to either the coming of Christ
for His Church or for the Tribulation saints as they await His second coming.

Being ready for Christ’s return ultimately involves one major thing which
manifests itself in several areas of our lives. If we would be ready for Christ’s
return, we must be born again through saving faith in Jesus Christ…His death,
burial and literal resurrection from the dead (John 3:16; 14:6; Romans 10:9 and
10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:1-10). Saving faith in Jesus Christ will
manifest itself in every aspect of our lives. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22)
will begin to show. A desire for greater holiness and less sin will be apparent.
And a consistent looking for His coming will mark our lives. One of the best
passages articulating what saving grace and faith look like in a believer’s life is
Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all
men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the
blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus
Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify
for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."

The five virgins who have the extra oil represent the truly born again who are
looking with eagerness to the coming of Christ. They have saving faith and
have determined that, whatever occurs, be it lengthy time or adverse
circumstances, when Jesus returns, they will be looking with eagerness. The
five virgins without the oil represent false believers who enjoy the benefits of
the Christian community without true love for Christ. They are more concerned
about the party than about longing to see the bridegroom. Their hope is that
their association with true believers (“give us some of your oil” of verse 8) will
bring them into the kingdom at the end. This, of course, is never the case. One
person’s faith in Jesus cannot save another. The “Lord, lord” and “I do not
know you” of verses 11 and 12 fit very well with Jesus’ condemnation of the
false believers of Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is
in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name
perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

May we not be found “going away to make the purchase” (v. 10) when Christ
returns. Take the time now to fill your lamp with oil and take extra along. Keep
waiting and watching with joy and anticipation.
DEAF EVANGELISTIC ALLIANCE FOUNDATION COLLEGE

Brgy.Paowin, Cavinti Laguna

ARTS OF ARTS

Presented to:

Sir Bryan Paul Cuare

Professor

In partial fulfillment for the course

Humanities 113, Logic

Submitted by:
Danica Carla De Leon
Student

Date:
September 12, 2017
DEAF EVANGELISTIC ALLIANCE FOUNDATION COLLEGE

Brgy.Paowin, Cavinti Laguna

ARTS OF ARTS

Presented to:

Sir Bryan Paul Cuare

Professor

In partial fulfillment for the course

Humanities 113, Logic

Submitted by:
Shierlyn Rocamora
Student

Date:
September 12, 2017
DEAF EVANGELISTIC ALLIANCE FOUNDATION COLLEGE

Brgy.Paowin, Cavinti Laguna

PARABLE OF THE UNJUST STEWARD

Presented to:

Sir Bryan Paul Cuare

Professor

In partial fulfillment for the course

Humanities 113, Logic

Submitted by:
Shierlyn Rocamora
Student

Date:
September 25, 2017
MEANING OF UNJUST STEWARD

The Parable of the Unjust Steward can be found in Luke 16:1–13. The text can
be broken down into two parts: the parable (verses 1–8) and the application
(verses 9–13). Luke 16:1 identifies that Jesus is speaking to His disciples, but
there is a suggestion that His audience is mixed—disciples and Pharisees.
Luke 16:14 states that the Pharisees “heard all these things and ridiculed
[Jesus].” We also see in verse 1 that Jesus “also” said to the disciples; the
“also” would suggest that this parable is connected to the previous three in
Luke 15 and that the audience was a mixed crowd of disciples and Pharisees.

It is important to know to whom Jesus is addressing this parable. The parable

is for the benefit of the disciples, but there is also a not-so-subtle critique of the
Pharisees, as was evident in Luke 15. Verse 14 is Luke’s commentary on the
motivation of the Pharisees, and in verse 15 we see our Lord condemn their
motives. And what was the Pharisees’ motivation? They were those who were
“lovers of money” and who “justify themselves before men” and who exalted
that which was an “abomination before God.”

With that as a backdrop, let’s look at the parable. It’s a fairly simple, if
somewhat unorthodox, parable from Jesus. The story is simple, but the setting
is unusual. In most of Jesus’ parables, the protagonist is either representative
of God, Christ, or some other positive character. In this parable the characters
are all wicked—the steward and the man whose possessions he manages are
both unsavory characters. This should alert us to the fact that Jesus is not
exhorting us to emulate the behavior of the characters but is trying to expound
on a larger principle.

The parable begins with a rich man calling his steward before him to inform
him that he will be relieving him of his duties for mismanaging his master’s
resources. A steward is a person who manages the resources of another. The
steward had authority over all of the master’s resources and could transact
business in his name. This requires the utmost level of trust in the steward.
Now, it may not be apparent at this point in the parable (but is made more
evident later on), but the master is probably not aware of steward’s dishonesty.
The steward is being released for apparent mismanagement, not fraud. This
explains why he is able to conduct a few more transactions before he is
released and why he is not immediately tossed out on the street or executed.
The steward, realizing that he will soon be without a job, makes some shrewd
deals behind his master’s back by reducing the debt owed by several of the
master’s debtors in exchange for shelter when he is eventually put out. When
the master becomes aware of what the wicked servant had done, he
commends him for his “shrewdness.”

In His application of the story in the remaining verses, Jesus begins by saying,
“For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own
generation than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8). Jesus is drawing a contrast
between the “sons of the world” (i.e., unbelievers) and the “sons of light”
(believers). Unbelievers are wiser in the things of this world than believers are
about the things of the world to come. The unjust steward, once he knew he
was about to be put out, maneuvered to put others’ debt to himself. He did so
by cheating his master (who more than likely was cheating his customers). He
made friends of his master’s debtors who would then be obligated to care for
him once he lost his job.

What does this have to do with believers being wise about the life to come?
Let’s look at verse 9: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of
unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal
dwellings.” Jesus is encouraging His followers to be generous with their wealth
in this life so that in the life to come their new friends will receive them “into
eternal dwellings.” This is similar to Jesus’ teaching on wealth in the Sermon
on the Mount where Jesus exhorts His followers to lay up treasures in heaven
(Matthew 6:19–21).

The term unrighteous (or worldly) wealth seems to strike readers the wrong
way. But Jesus is not saying that believers should gain wealth unrighteously
and then be generous with it. “Unrighteous” in reference to wealth can refer to
1) the means in acquiring wealth; 2) the way in which one desires to use the
wealth; or 3) the corrupting influence wealth can have that often leads people
to commit unrighteous acts. Given the way in which Jesus employs the term,
the third explanation seems the most likely. Wealth is not inherently evil, but
the love of money can lead to all sorts of sin (1 Timothy 6:10).

So, the principle that Jesus is trying to convey is one of a just steward rather
than an unjust one. The unjust steward saw his master’s resources as a
means for his own personal enjoyment and advancement. Conversely, Jesus
wants His followers to be just, righteous stewards. If we understand the
principle that everything we own is a gift from God, then we realize that God is
the owner of everything and that we are His stewards. As such, we are to use
the Master’s resources to further the Master’s goals. In this specific case, we
are to be generous with our wealth and use it for the benefit of others.
Jesus then goes on to expand in verses 10–13 the principle given in verse 9. If
one is faithful in “little” (i.e., “unrighteous” wealth), then one will be faithful in
much. Similarly, if one is dishonest in little, he will also be dishonest in much. If
we can’t be faithful with earthly wealth, which isn’t even ours to begin with,
then how can we be entrusted with “true riches”? The “true riches” here is
referring to stewardship and responsibility in God’s kingdom along with all the
accompanying heavenly rewards.

The climax of Jesus ’ application is verse 13: “No servant can serve two
masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted
to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (see also
Matthew 6:24). If God is our Master, then our wealth will be at His disposal. In
other words, the faithful and just steward whose Master is God will employ that
wealth in building up the kingdom of God.