Jesus told of ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five were wise and took oil in their vessels; five were foolish and took no oil. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. At midnight a cry came: “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.”
The foolish asked the wise for oil, because their lamps had gone out, but the wise told them to go and buy for themselves. While they went, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him, and the door was shut. Jesus taught, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
Eight stops from evening to the shut door. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.
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The story, plainly
Four scenes: the lamps, the cry, the empty lamps, and the door. Look for the Savior in each one.
Read it plainly
The words that trip people up
Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1
Matthew 25:1 “ten Meaning: young unmarried women, here bridesmaids waiting to join the wedding party.”
Matthew 25:4 “oil in their Meaning: containers, like small flasks or jars.”
Matthew 25:5 “the bridegroom Meaning: was delayed, took longer than expected.”
Matthew 25:5 “they all Meaning: grew drowsy, dozed. and slept”
Matthew 25:7 “Meaning: got ready, tended the wick and flame. their lamps”
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Look closer
Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from prophets. Each card says which.
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All nine. The lamp, the bridegroom, the ten, the oil, the Spirit, midnight, the trimming, the door and the watching eye. Matthew 25:1–13
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How is your lamp?
Lamps can burn bright, run low, wait a long time, or want to borrow. Which feels most like you right now?
A next step for you
Your choice is saved only on this device.
Try it
Fill your lamp
Modern revelation tells who the wise are: those who have “received the truth,” “taken the Holy Spirit for their guide,” and “have not been deceived.” Tap the things you’ll try this week and watch each lamp fill, drop by drop.
“But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” Matthew 25:4
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Their world, their words
A little background helps us see what the listeners pictured. Outside sources are labeled.
Apostle · Talmage
A wedding at night
Elder Talmage: “Wedding ceremonies were appointed for the evening and night hours; and the necessary use of torches and lamps gave brilliancy and added beauty to the scene.”4
The listeners knew this scene well.
Apostle · Talmage
Lamps held high
Elder Talmage: “Each had her lamp attached to the end of a rod so as to be held aloft in the festal march.”4
They were meant to light the way for Him.
Apostle · Talmage
Not blamed for sleeping
Elder Talmage: “The waiting virgins were not held blamable for their surprise at the abrupt announcement, but the unwise five suffered the natural results of their unpreparedness.”4
All ten slept. Only the oil was different.
Apostle · Oaks
The other kind of kit
Elder Oaks: “A 72-hour kit of temporal supplies may prove valuable for earthly challenges, but, as the foolish virgins learned to their sorrow, a 24-hour kit of spiritual preparation is of greater and more enduring value.”3
Spiritual preparation matters most.
Word study · Greek
phronimos φρόνιμος · “wise” (Matthew 25:2)
Bible Hub: “thoughtful, i.e. sagacious or discreet.”5Outside · lexicon
The wise were thoughtful ahead of time: they “took oil in their vessels with their lamps.”1
Elder Talmage describes lamps held aloft on rods in the wedding march.4
What the text does not say
The parable does not tell us how much oil was enough, or say the wise were unkind. It teaches that each of us is responsible for our own preparation, and that the time to prepare is now.3
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Look to Him
He is the Bridegroom. He is coming, and He wants every one of us ready to go in with Him.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: “What if the day of His coming were tomorrow?”
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Preparation for the Second Coming,” April 20043
“If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow—through our premature death or through His unexpected coming—what would we do today?”
“And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins.” Doctrine and Covenants 45:56
Modern revelation
Who the wise are
“For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived … shall abide the day.” Doctrine and Covenants 45:57
Elder Oaks asked what we would do if we knew we would meet the Lord tomorrow.3 What is one thing you would do today?
Try it today
One drop of oil a day. It saves on this device, one day at a time.
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This week:0 of 7 days
Seven drops of oil. Come again tomorrow.
A quiet moment
“Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.”
Read Matthew 25:1–13 slowly. Then sit in quiet and ask Heavenly Father what one thing would help you be ready to meet His Son, and listen. Matthew 25:1–13
A verse to hold
Talk about it
What was the difference between the wise and the foolish virgins?
Why couldn’t the wise share their oil?
What are some ways we add oil to our lamps?
How can we be ready to meet Jesus?
Open
For adults and deeper study
Go deeper
Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
Apostle
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Preparation for the Second Coming” (2004)
The parable as a teaching for Church members today, spiritual preparation, and the question of what we would do if He came tomorrow.3
The parable in its setting: the Savior’s teachings on the Mount of Olives about watching and being ready, followed by the talents and the sheep and the goats.1
Everything on this page as a 11-page letter-size PDF: the map, scenes, cards, activity, word studies, tracker, Go deeper and sources. For home, class or a quiet Sunday.
The Ten Virgins is part of the Scripture Story Sketch Notes for the New Testament, set alongside Come, Follow Me for May 17–23, 2027 (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1; Matthew 24–25; Mark 12–13; Luke 21).
Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. This parable is told in the Savior’s own words; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.
