At first glance, the Parable of the 10 Virgins and the Parable of the Prodigal Son seem to tell completely different stories. One’s about bridesmaids waiting for a wedding, the other about a rebellious son who comes home. But when you dig deeper, these two powerful parables reveal surprising connections about how God sees our hearts, our choices, and our relationship with Him.
As a woman of faith, I’ve found myself in both stories at different seasons of my life. Sometimes I’m the prepared virgin with oil in my lamp, and other times I’m the prodigal daughter who needs to find her way back home. Maybe you’ve been there too.
Two Stories, One Heart Theme
Both parables center around the same fundamental question: What does it mean to be ready for God? They just approach it from different angles.
In Matthew 25:1-13, Jesus tells us about ten young women waiting for a bridegroom. Five brought extra oil for their lamps, five didn’t. When the bridegroom was delayed, the unprepared ones missed out entirely. The message? Stay ready.
In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus shares about a young man who took his inheritance early, wasted it all, and came crawling back to his father. The father welcomed him with open arms and threw a party. The message? It’s never too late to come home.
The Waiting Season: Preparation vs. Wandering
Here’s the first parallel that hit me: both stories happen during a waiting period, but the characters handle the waiting differently.
The wise virgins used their waiting time to prepare. They didn’t just bring enough oil for the moment: they brought extra for the delays, the unexpected, the long haul. They understood that spiritual readiness isn’t a one-time decision but an ongoing choice.
The prodigal son, on the other hand, got tired of waiting for his inheritance and demanded it early. Instead of using that season to grow and prepare, he ran away to live life on his terms.
Modern Application: How do you handle waiting seasons? When God’s timing doesn’t match yours, do you dig deeper into His word and prepare your heart, or do you try to force your own timeline?
I remember a season when I was desperately waiting for direction about a career change (I started in Nursing before switching to education). I had two choices: spend that time in prayer, studying scripture, and preparing my heart for whatever God had next, or spend it frantically networking and trying to make something happen in my own strength. The 10 virgins reminded me that waiting seasons are preparation seasons.
The Door: Access vs. Exclusion
Both parables feature a door, but they teach opposite lessons about access to God.
In the 10 Virgins, when the unprepared women return, they find the door shut. “Lord, Lord, open to us!” they cry. But the bridegroom responds, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you” (Matthew 25:11-12).
In the Prodigal Son, the father sees his son “while he was still a long way off” and runs to meet him (Luke 15:20). No closed doors, no rejection: just open arms and immediate restoration.
The Beautiful Tension: These aren’t contradictory messages: they’re complementary truths about God’s character. He desires us to stay spiritually prepared and ready, but His heart is always open to genuine repentance and return.
Heart Posture: Pride vs. Humility
The third parallel involves the heart attitudes of the main characters, and this one really challenged me.
The foolish virgins, when they realized their mistake, seemed to expect the others to share their oil. “Give us some of your oil,” they demanded (Matthew 25:8). When shut out of the wedding feast, they still approached as if they deserved entry.
The prodigal son took a completely different approach. He prepared a speech: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants” (Luke 15:18-19).
The Difference: Humility and genuine repentance open doors that entitlement and excuses keep shut.
This hit close to home during a season when I felt spiritually dry. I found myself frustrated with God, demanding that He show up in my circumstances the way I wanted. The parables reminded me that sometimes the issue isn’t God’s availability: it’s the posture of my heart.
The Older Brother Connection
Here’s where these parables get really interesting. The 10 Virgins parable focuses on the unprepared ones who missed out, but what about those who were ready? The Prodigal Son gives us insight through the older brother’s response.
The older brother in Luke 15 had been faithfully serving, just like the wise virgins had been faithfully preparing. But when his wayward brother received grace and celebration, he became angry and refused to join the party.
The Warning: Both parables caution against two extremes: being unprepared for God’s timing AND being judgmental toward those who receive His grace after falling away.
Practical Lessons for Today
For the “Wise Virgin” Season
When you’re in a season of preparation and faithfulness:
- Keep your spiritual disciplines strong (Psalm 119:105). Your daily time with God is like oil for your lamp: it keeps your faith burning bright during delays and disappointments.
- Don’t become prideful about your preparation. The goal isn’t to have more oil than others: it’s to be ready when Jesus comes.
- Remember that spiritual preparedness is personal. The wise virgins couldn’t share their oil because spiritual readiness can’t be borrowed or transferred.
For the “Prodigal” Season
When you find yourself far from God:
- Don’t let shame keep you away longer (Romans 8:1). The father in the parable was watching for his son’s return: God is watching for yours too.
- Come as you are, but don’t stay as you are. The prodigal son returned with a plan to change, not just a request for help.
- Accept the celebration. Sometimes the hardest part of coming home is believing you deserve the welcome.
For the “Older Brother” Season
When others receive grace that you feel they don’t deserve:
- Check your heart for bitterness (Hebrews 12:15). The older brother’s anger robbed him of joy in his father’s goodness.
- Remember your own need for grace. We’re all prodigals in different ways, at different times.
- Celebrate restoration wherever you see it. When someone returns to faith, that’s a reason for joy, not jealousy.
The Ultimate Parallel: God’s Heart
The deepest connection between these parables is what they reveal about God’s heart. He wants us both ready and restored.
He’s the bridegroom who comes for those who’ve kept their lamps burning through every delay and disappointment. He’s also the father who runs toward every prodigal who turns toward home.
The same God who says “I do not know you” to the unprepared also says “Let us eat and celebrate, for this my son was dead and is alive again” to the repentant.
Living in Both Truths
As women of faith, we need both messages. We need the urgency of the 10 virgins: staying spiritually prepared, maintaining our relationship with God, being ready for His timing. We also need the hope of the prodigal son: knowing that no matter how far we’ve wandered, the door home is always open to a humble heart.
Maybe you’re reading this in a “wise virgin” season, faithfully waiting and preparing. Keep going, sister. Your preparation matters, and God sees your faithfulness.
Maybe you’re in a “prodigal” season, feeling far from God and unsure if you can come back. The Father is watching for you. He’s ready to run toward you the moment you turn toward home.
Or maybe you’re like the older brother, watching others receive grace while you feel overlooked. God’s goodness toward others doesn’t diminish His love for you: it reveals the depth of His heart for all His children.
These parables don’t contradict each other: they complete each other. They show us a God who values both preparation and restoration, who desires both readiness and repentance.
The question isn’t which story you’re in right now. The question is: Will you let both truths shape your heart toward God and others?
Because in the end, both the wise virgins and the welcomed prodigal share the same beautiful destination: they’re home with the Father, ready for the celebration He’s been planning all along.