The Cost of the Oil

Mathew 25:1-13 is a lesson all by itself

Let’s turn to Mathew 25: 

Matthew 25:1-13 (AMP)

Parable of Ten Virgins

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish [thoughtless, silly, and careless], and five were wise [far-sighted, practical, and sensible]. ³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take any [extra] oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil along with their lamps. ⁵ Now while the bridegroom was delayed, they all began to nod off, and they fell asleep. ⁶ But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! The bridegroom [is coming]! Go out to meet him.’ ⁷ Then all those virgins got up and put their own lamps in order [trimmed the wicks and added oil and lit them]. ⁸ But the foolish virgins said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise replied, ‘No, otherwise there will not be enough for us and for you, too; go instead to the dealers and buy oil for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ But while they were going away to buy oil, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut and locked. ¹¹ Later the others also came, and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open [the door] for us.’ ¹² But He replied, ‘I assure you and most solemnly say to you, I do not know you [we have no relationship].’ ¹³ Therefore, be on the alert [be prepared and ready], for you do not know the day nor the hour [when the Son of Man will come].

This parable is one of the strongest pictures Jesus ever gave concerning the Preciousness of the oil.

All ten virgins were waiting for the bridegroom.

All ten had lamps.

All ten expected His coming.

All ten slept while He delayed.

Yet only five were ready when the midnight cry came.

The difference was not their profession, their appearance, or even their expectation. The difference was their oil. The wise understood that the oil could not be borrowed at the last moment. It had to be obtained beforehand and carried continually. In Scripture, oil often represents the ministry and presence of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:1-6; 1 Samuel 16:13).

The wise virgins realized that a relationship with the bridegroom required more than an outward lamp; it required an inward supply that could sustain them through the delay and the darkness.

The foolish virgins teach us a sobering lesson. They possessed lamps but neglected the extra oil. They desired the celebration of the wedding but did not prepare for the waiting. Many desire the blessings of God, but few are willing to pay the price of prayer, surrender, obedience, and intimacy that keeps the oil flowing. When the midnight cry sounded, they discovered that yesterday’s experience could not sustain today’s demand.

They asked the wise for oil, but the wise could not give what had been obtained through their own personal relationship with the bridegroom.

Prayer cannot be borrowed. Consecration cannot be borrowed. Hunger cannot be borrowed. The anointing that God develops in a life is purchased through time spent in His presence, through obedience, through brokenness, and through continual fellowship with the Holy Spirit (Philippians 2:12-13; Acts 4:13).

The midnight cry speaks of a dark hour just before the Bridegroom arrives. Throughout Scripture, God often moves most powerfully in the darkest moments. It was midnight when Paul and Silas prayed (Acts 16:25). It was midnight when the death angel passed over Egypt (Exodus 12:29).

It was midnight when the cry rang out, “Behold, the Bridegroom comes!” The darkness revealed who had oil and who merely had a lamp. The coming days will not simply reveal who attends church; they will reveal who has cultivated the presence of God. The oil will become priceless because the darkness cannot extinguish a lamp continually supplied by the Spirit.

The most heartbreaking words in the parable are, “I do not know you” (Matthew 25:12). The issue was not merely entrance into a feast; it was relationship. The Bridegroom did not say, “I do not recognize your work,” but “I do not know you.” The oil ultimately points to intimacy. The wise virgins had spent time preparing for Him because they loved Him. They were not merely waiting for an event; they were anticipating a Person. The anointing is not an end in itself. The oil is valuable because it is the evidence of a life that has remained near the Bridegroom.

Today the Spirit is still calling the Church to buy oil. The price is surrender. The price is prayer. The price is obedience. The price is a yielded heart. The oil is costly, but it is priceless. It is obtained in the secret place, maintained through daily fellowship, and revealed in times of darkness.

When the midnight cry is heard and the Bridegroom appears, those who have treasured His presence above all else will find their lamps burning brightly. Therefore, as Jesus warned, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:13).

May we be a people who not only carry lamps but also carry oil, living every day in fellowship with the Holy Spirit and ready for the appearing of our King. Amen.

Zechariah 4:1-6 (AMP)

 The Golden Lampstand and Olive Trees

4 And the angel who was speaking with me came back and awakened me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. ² He said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with its bowl [for oil] on the top of it and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it. ³ And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side [supplying it continuously with oil].” ⁴ So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ Then the angel who was speaking with me answered me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” ⁶ Then he said to me, “This [continuous supply of oil] is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel [prince of Judah], saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit [of whom the oil is a symbol],’ says the Lord of hosts.

Zechariah 4:1-6 is one of the most beautiful pictures in all of Scripture concerning the continuous supply of the Holy Spirit. It connects deeply with the oil of the ten virgins because here we discover where the oil comes from.

The prophet Zechariah had returned from exile with the remnant of Israel. The temple lay in ruins, and the task before them seemed impossible. Zerubbabel, the governor, was responsible for rebuilding the temple, but the opposition was great, resources were limited, and discouragement was everywhere. In that setting, God gave Zechariah a vision.

Zechariah saw a golden lampstand with a bowl on top of it and seven lamps burning from that bowl. Beside the lampstand stood two olive trees. Instead of men continually pouring oil into the lamps, the olive trees supplied the oil directly into the bowl, and from the bowl into the lamps (Zechariah 4:2-3). The picture is one of an unbroken flow. The lamps burned because the oil never stopped flowing.

When Zechariah asked what the vision meant, the angel answered with one of the most famous statements in Scripture:

“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)

The message was first given to Zerubbabel. God was saying, “You will not complete My work through human strength, talent, intellect, organization, or determination. The temple will be finished because My Spirit supplies what you need.”

This vision reveals a great spiritual principle. The lampstand represents God’s witness in the earth. The oil represents the Holy Spirit. The olive trees represent the divine source of that oil. The lamps shine only because they receive a continual supply from heaven. The lamp does not produce its own oil. It simply receives what God provides.

If we don’t have oil it is because we didn’t buy it, with our sacrifice of self, denying ourself of the love of the flesh. Let the oil flow. Church we are the lamp he is the only one who can make us burn.

“The foolish virgins had a lamp with no oil. Zerubbabel had a lamp supplied with oil. The difference was the connection to the source. In these last days, our greatest need is not better lamps. Our greatest need is fresh oil.”

Church, the answer for this generation is not a better lamp. The answer is fresh oil. Programs cannot replace oil. Talent cannot replace oil. Education cannot replace oil. Position cannot replace oil.

The wise virgins entered because they possessed oil. Zerubbabel finished the temple because he had a continual supply of oil. The lamp only shines when the oil flows. The branch only lives when connected to the vine. The church only burns when supplied by the Holy Spirit.

Therefore let us return to the prayer closet, return to the altar, return to surrender, and return to the source. For in these last days, our greatest need is not better lamps it is fresh oil flowing from the Spirit of God The lampstand was beautiful, but the miracle was the supply.

The oil was flowing from the olive trees day and night. Heaven’s concern was not polishing the lamp; heaven’s concern was maintaining the flow.