“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 25:6 Mean?
"At midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." The bridegroom arrives at the worst possible time — midnight, when everyone is sleeping, when the oil lamps have been burning for hours, when the unprepared have no time to prepare. The arrival isn't scheduled or convenient. It's sudden, nocturnal, and immediately decisive.
The cry — "behold, the bridegroom cometh" — is an announcement that demands instant response. There's no time to get ready. You're either already prepared or you're not. The five wise virgins have oil. The five foolish ones don't. And midnight is too late to go shopping.
The word "midnight" places the arrival at the darkest hour. The bridegroom doesn't come at sunset (when you'd expect a wedding procession) or at dawn (when you'd be awake). He comes when the darkness is complete and the waiting has been longest. The arrival happens when most people have given up expecting it.
Reflection Questions
- 1.If the 'midnight cry' happened right now, are you ready?
- 2.What's the difference between looking prepared and being prepared?
- 3.What 'oil' are you running low on that you need to replenish before it's too late?
- 4.Why does the bridegroom arrive at midnight — the worst possible time for the unprepared?
Devotional
Midnight. The darkest hour. The moment you've stopped expecting anything. And the cry goes up: He's here. The bridegroom is coming. Get up and meet Him.
The parable of the ten virgins is a story about readiness — and its central point is that readiness can't be borrowed, purchased at the last minute, or faked. The five foolish virgins had lamps. They had wicks. They even had some oil. What they didn't have was enough. They looked prepared. They weren't.
The midnight timing is deliberately cruel to the unprepared. If the bridegroom came at dusk, everyone would have had full lamps. If he came at dawn, everyone would have been awake. But midnight maximizes the gap between the ready and the unready. The long wait drains what little oil the foolish had. The extended delay reveals whose preparation was genuine.
The cry — "go ye out to meet him" — is a command that can't wait. Right now. As you are. With whatever oil you have. There's no time for last-minute preparation. The gap between your current state and the required state is the gap the midnight cry exposes.
Are you ready right now — at this moment, in your current state of preparation — for the bridegroom to arrive? Not ready in theory. Not planning to be ready eventually. Ready now. Because midnight doesn't announce itself in advance.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And at midnight there was a cry made;.... Which is no other than the following notice of the bridegroom's coming,…
At midnight - Later than was the usual custom, and hence, they had fallen asleep. A cry made - Of those who were coming…
there was a cry made Literally, "there is a cry made."
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture