Holy Week: Parable of the Ten Virgins

The parable of the Ten Virgins has gotten a lot of air time over the past few weeks for Latter-day Saints because of the new statue that was recently unveiled of the Five Wise Virgins, created by Ben Hammond. It was created for the Temple Square reconstruction and sits outside of the Relief Society building in Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

Camille Johnson, the current general president of the Relief Society, commented that the statue's significance was in "how the women are supporting one another."

“They help each other, they support each other, and they let the light of their conversion in Jesus Christ shine for everyone,” she said.

This caused some confusion because one of the significant messages of the parable of the Ten Virgins is that each woman requires her own lamp, which must be tended and provided for through her own efforts. Each woman must have her own supply of oil, which cannot be shared. This oil has become a symbol of conversion, the efforts to know God which cannot be shared or duplicated. They are obtained only through sincere worship. No amount of generosity from others can replace or compensate for the lack of worship in our own lives. As such, the idea that the five wise virgins share anything with each other gave some people pause.

It wasn't until Sister Johnson's general conference message that her observation of the statue's depiction made sense to me.

"While the women represented as the five wise virgins are not sharing the oil of their conversion, they are sharing their light as they hold up their lamps, which are full of oil and burning brightly. Significantly they are depicted supporting one another—shoulder to shoulder, an arm around another, making eye contact and beckoning others to come to the light."

I was also delighted to see that she used the Joseph Smith Translation of the moment with the five foolish virgins were sent away from the wedding feast, which I've written about before. In place of the King James Version's "I know you not," Joseph Smith changed the text to read "Ye know me not." And it's not that I've worked through many of the anxieties that I used to feel surrounding this story that I can understand the Bridegroom's actions better.

1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

The wedding customs at the heart of this story are ones the audience to the parable would've understood. The Bridegroom and the Bride would have effectively been married already from the time they were betrothed. The wedding celebrated when the Bridegroom would've finished constructing the house where they would live, when their household would finally be established. It would begin with a procession to the family of the Bride with a sizable entourage, who would travel with her to her new home. When they arrived, the doors would be closed to begin the wedding ceremony, followed by several days of wedding feasts. And it was during those feasts that the Bride and Bridegroom would consummate their marriage.

The five foolish virgins are part of the wedding procession of the Bridegroom. They would've included his friends, family, neighbors, and people he knew extremely well. I would include those who had known for his entire life, or those he would've known for their entire lives. Those in the wedding procession of the Bridegroom are not strangers to him. He knows exactly who they are, which reinforces the validity of the change Joseph Smith made to the text.

To sleep through the procession was not nearly as offensive as knocking on the doors after they'd been closed. At that point, the actual wedding ceremony is being interrupted, if not the consummation of the marriage itself. The behavior that's being described here is outrageous to the point of being comical. And I don't know what would be more embarrassing at that point: to have the Bridegroom pretend not to know me, or to be told by him that I don't him at all. These are foolish young women who don't know how to act in public, who don't have any notion of how rude and ridiculous their behavior is. It's not the behavior of anyone that could claim kinship to the Bridegroom.

The value of this story being placed here is the invitation it extends to consider what being a good friend, family member, and neighbor is, especially to those we claim to love. If we love Jesus Christ, we should act like it, in ways he would appreciate and recognize. We should have enough of an understanding of how to treat others to not cause offense, either on accident or on purpose.

The pairing of this parable with the cautions at the end of Matthew 25 belong together. They must be understood together. Because if you don't treat every person around you the same way you would the Savior, with dignity and respect, you're exactly as offensive to God as the foolish virgins at that wedding are.

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

At this point in Holy Week, it's valuable to consider what it means to be a true friend to Jesus Christ because it's something that will be considered and challenged in those who are closest to him in these stories from here on out. The value of that is lasting, as we consider the friends we are to Christ. Am I someone who is a true friend to the Savior I claim to love so much? And how can I know?

The scriptures provide a simple answer to that question: what we truly think of Christ is measured in how we treat other people. However we treat "the least of these" is the truest measure of the kind of friend we are to the Savior. We are already invited to participate in the wedding procession, to attend the wedding ceremony, and the wedding feasts. We have that kinship with Christ already. But how we value others outside of ourselves will either inform us of how to behave appropriately, or lampoon us for the imposters we are.

The choice is ultimately up to us and the dignity and respect we extend to all people, including those we think can't do us any good.