A word that says: look
Behold, the Bridegroom Cometh
At the darkest hour of night, a cry rings out and sleeping women scramble awake. Behold, the bridegroom cometh. Jesus tells this story to press one urgent question upon us. When He returns, will our lamps be burning, or will we be caught unready with no oil left to buy?
“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.”Matthew 25:6
Where it is said
Where it is said. This Behold comes from the parable of the ten virgins, told by Jesus and recorded in Matthew 25:6. It is part of a long teaching about His return, given on the Mount of Olives in the last week before His crucifixion. Jesus describes ten virgins who take their lamps and go out to meet the bridegroom. Five are wise and bring extra oil, and five are foolish and bring none. The bridegroom is delayed, and all of them sleep. "And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him" (Matthew 25:6). The foolish find their lamps going out and beg oil from the wise, but there is not enough to share, and while they go to buy more, the bridegroom arrives. "And they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut" (Matthew 25:10). The foolish return too late and hear the sorrowful words, "I know you not." Jesus ends with the point of the whole story: "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 25:13).
What it asks us to see
What it asks us to see. This Behold asks us to see that Christ will return, that the time is unknown, and that readiness cannot be borrowed at the last moment. The bridegroom's coming is certain but delayed, and the delay tests everyone. In the story all ten sleep, so the difference is not wakefulness in the moment but preparation beforehand. The oil, which the wise had and the foolish lacked, represents the inner reality of a life truly ready to meet the Lord, something that cannot be given by another in the final hour. This Behold warns against a faith that looks the same on the outside but has no lasting substance within. It asks whether our lamps have oil, whether our devotion is genuine and prepared to endure a long wait. The shut door is sobering, for there comes a point when the time of readiness is past. Yet the parable is also full of hope, for those who are ready go in to the marriage, into joy and fellowship with the Lord. To behold this cry is to hear a summons to keep our faith supplied and burning, so that whenever He comes, we are glad to meet Him.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. The bridegroom in the parable is Jesus Himself. Scripture pictures Christ as the bridegroom and His people as the bride, longing for the day of the marriage. John the Baptist called himself the friend of the bridegroom and Jesus the bridegroom (John 3:29), and the book of Revelation looks forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9). This Behold points to the joyful union between Christ and all who belong to Him, and to the certainty that He will come again to bring His people into that joy. Christians hold different views on the details and timing of His return, yet all share the same hope, that Jesus who came once in humility will come again in glory. The parable does not tell us when, and Jesus stresses that we do not know the day or hour. What matters is that we are His and that our faith is real and ready. To behold the bridegroom coming is to live each day watchful and glad, keeping our lamps trimmed and burning, longing to hear not I know you not, but the welcome into the marriage feast.
Questions people ask
What does the oil in the parable represent?
The parable does not label it directly, but the oil pictures the genuine, enduring reality of a life truly prepared to meet Christ, something no one can supply for another at the last moment. Its point is that real readiness must be cultivated beforehand and cannot be borrowed.
Does this parable tell us when Jesus will return?
No. Jesus deliberately says we know neither the day nor the hour (Matthew 25:13), and the bridegroom's delay is part of the test. Christians hold different views on the details of His return, but all share the call to watch and be ready, since the timing is unknown.