Was God too harsh in the parable of the foolish virgins

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oliver109

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In my opinion their sin was not as great as the sin of Judas, they were lazy, they were unprepared but they did not despair, there was still room for improvement in their lives if only they would get their act together. I sympathise with the foolish virgins, i have often been unprepared, lazy, unvigilant and i feel there is room for improvement in my life.
 
We can all sympathize but we should also all be warned. The parable wasn’t about refusing to help a lazy neighbor or being greedy with out material goods. It was about spiritual readiness because none of us know when we’re going to die. At least, that’s what I think it means. Anyone?
 
They didn’t just come unprepared though, did they? They tried to take oil from the lamps of the other virgins who only had enough for themselves. They weren’t just being lazy. They were putting others at risk of being shut out.
 
Hey friend,

You have the wrong idea about the parables. We aren’t normally supposed to take them at face value. At different times in the Gospels, God is compared to a thief in the night, a wealthy land-owning father, an employer with a very peculiar notion of just pay, a landlord of serfs, a farmer… You should read the parables generally, trying to understand the point or points made, not take a parable as a literal depiction of the Divine Nature. Harshness is not part of God’s nature.
 
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Yes, it was about salvation fundamentally but it does not make me change my opinion one bit, being unready is presented here as great a sin as being certain that one never wants to repent, there is a difference i think between “i want to repent but i dont feel like doing so today” and “i dont want to repent because i love sinning so much”
 
Did you want Jesus to rather say, no need to repent and get your life in order right now. There’s always tomorrow!
That would not be the truth. Jesus’ message was always urgent and remains so today.
 
oliver109 said:
Yes, it was about salvation fundamentally but it does not make me change my opinion one bit, being unready is presented here as great a sin as being certain that one never wants to repent, there is a difference i think between “i want to repent but i dont feel like doing so today” and “i dont want to repent because i love sinning so much”
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And the why is: "I want to repent today but don’t feel like it because I love sinning so much”. It is called attachment to sin and unwillingness to cooperate with grace.
 
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Why not just say “repent but you have infinite opportunities to repent because i forgive infinite times, just realise that you’re life will be more miserable if you don’t repent as a Christ centred life is more joyful”
 
Well, that’s the answer.

The foolish virgins couldn’t be fussed to do so much as keep enough oil in their lamps!
 
Does that really deserve the sort of treatment they were subjected to as a result i.e total banishment and an unforgiving master?
 
I just sympathise with them because they remind me of myself, of my failures in my life, of the forgiveness i have received, if God can be merciful to me why can’t he be merciful to them?
 
I’d be very hesitant to say that God is too harsh…or to correct God in any way. If Jesus told the parable, there was obviously some Truth we need to ponder in it. As with anything revealed by Our Lord, or any teaching of the Church (which is protected by the Holy Spirit), if we don’t like a teaching, the problem isn’t with the teaching…the problem is with us.
 
Because you seem to be making sincere efforts to walk with God, even after you make mistakes. To repent, etc.

I’m pretty sure the point is not to get lazy and presume on God’s mercy. It’s a relationship that need to be maintained.

The parable of the talents is similar—the man who buried the talent, just like he foolish virgins, was not living a gleeful life of orgies and puppy-kicking. But he also is not tending to his relationship with the Master.
 
I am pointing out what is and what isn’t logical, punishing people eternally because they were not quick enough to repent does not seem logical and i say that as someone who acknowledges their sin and the need to repent.
 
I really can’t emphasize enough, in response to some of these responses that you have received @oliver109 , that we are not to read the parables of the Lord as simple depictions of the divine nature.

The bridegroom in this parable is very harsh. That is precisely one of the major indicators that the bridegroom does not represent the Lord in any literal way, because the Lord is not harsh. You shouldn’t read the Gospels like some dry manual where the meaning of every expression is immediately evident. Remember that if the Lord wanted to make his point simply and directly He would have. Instead He offered parables so that we might creatively engage with the text and learn to have ongoing friendly discussions with God about its meaning.

Trust your gut.
 
And you can’t take to heart one of Jesus’ parables while ignoring the others. Look at the parable of the Prodigal Son. Plenty of mercy there.
 
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