Matthew 25:10, commentary and pictures

The verse pictures a night-time Eastern wedding, where virgins with lighted lamps go out to meet the bridegroom, join his procession to the house of feasting, enter with him, and the door is at once shut and guarded against late entry. The bridegroom is Christ, whose coming is sudden after long waiting, at midnight at an unknown hour while the unready are away, so that readiness must be secured beforehand and lateness cannot reopen entry. His coming is to the Father and Ancient of Days to receive the everlasting kingdom, dominion and glory, changing his work as High Priest from the holy to the most holy place to cleanse the heavenly sanctuary at the end of the 2,300 days in 1844, while those who held it teach it as his personal pre-millennial second advent in power and glory to gather his people and destroy the wicked. They that were ready go in with him by faith into the most holy place, and into his joy and kingdom at his return, and the shut door marks the close of probation and mercy when every case is decided and later knocking cannot reopen it. Readiness is oil in the lamp, the Holy Spirit and grace of Christ with faith and good deeds, which must be obtained beforehand from God for oneself and cannot be borrowed or gained at the last moment, so all must now watch, wake, trim their lamps and repent without delay.

Wedding Setting and Language

The scene is a night-time Eastern wedding in which virgins with lighted lamps go out to meet the bridegroom. After he arrives late they join his torchlight procession and go with him to the house where supper has been prepared for the guests. Those who are prepared enter the wedding gathering with him when he goes into the house. Its door is then immediately shut and guarded, so that those outside cannot gain entry even when they protest. The wedding includes recognizable public customs and ceremony with feasts, friends, pledges and covenants.

The setting is drawn from scenes of everyday domestic life used as a basis for teaching spiritual truth about the second coming. It portrays an eastern wedding and has a likeness in the experience of the church. Its details have particular meaning and are not merely a general lesson about being ready to die. The kingdom may be considered in its parts, just as the ten virgins are considered in relation to the bridegroom.

Scripture nowhere calls the passage a parable, and it is not a literal record of Advent believers fulfilling every detail. The marriage history provides a comparison for events connected with the Advent movement, whose sequence must be completed before Christ comes so the histories can be compared afterward. The lamps and oil alone do not explain the coming, the marriage, or the shut door, nor does the chapter teach entering glory or punishment at death or explain the marriage scene in that respect. It gives no support for special ascension robes.

The verse belongs to the reply about the coming and the end of the world, set forth in parables of duty while waiting for the return. It continues the discourse in Matthew 24-25 with Mark 13 and Luke 17 and 21, spoken near the close of ministry to multitude and disciples. That discourse describes the end of the Jewish political, civil and religious order and the establishment of the Christian dispensation from the first to the second advent. It covers the separation and final destinies of the righteous and wicked alongside the coming of the Son of Man, with signs, the course of nations, churches and individuals, and last-days conditions.

The parable of the ten virgins is connected with the preceding teaching about two classes of servants and is set at the very time those classes are manifested. It compares the kingdom of heaven to an eastern marriage and lays out a predicted order of events to be tested by whether occurring events match it. Within that chapter readiness is expressed in practical everyday Christianity and care for people in need. The ready will be reunited with Christ, be with him, and share his glory.

The bridegroom's coming uses a form of the Greek verb erchomai, which by itself means simply to come, go or pass. It does not by itself imply a secret coming, since the surrounding words determine the kind of coming described. The literal events in the Eastern marriage — arrival, entry of the ready, and shutting of the door — represent an event in the kingdom of heaven and their order must be kept in harmony rather than disrupted. Applying the sequence to the second advent disrupts that harmony because the door shuts after the bridegroom comes and the ready enter.

The coming occurs after the midnight cry in fixed order, within the night of the marriage and the period of the night watches, not spread through centuries or over whole lives. It leaves an interval in which the foolish go to get oil, return, knock after the door is shut, and receive the answer of non-recognition before falling away and dispersion. That interval proves it cannot be the final lightning-like coming with the archangel shout, which gives no such time. The bridegroom's coming to the marriage is figurative and does not itself describe the visible return in glory, the resurrection of the dead in Christ, the changing of the living, their being caught up, or Christ marrying as human beings do. It may refer to an event before the visible return that is closely connected with it, figured as a change of work or office in the invisible world within the veil while true people remain outside waiting in readiness.

Bridegroom's Coming Identified

The bridegroom is Christ, and his coming is sudden after a long wait at an hour no one knows, at midnight, while the foolish are away seeking oil. Those who were ready go in with him when he comes, and the door is shut behind them while the others are still away buying what they lack. Lateness leaves them outside, and regret and later seeking cannot reopen entry, so readiness must be secured beforehand with urgency.

In one understanding the coming is Christ's personal, pre-millennial second advent in power and glory to gather his people. It brings deliverance from all bondage, joy, and the marriage feast to those who are ready, and raises those asleep in Jesus. The wicked who are unprepared are shut out and destroyed, and outward expectation without grace is not enough. The lamp is the word of the Lord which all take, but readiness is more than holding theory; it is oil in the vessel through earnest consecration that develops the graces of the Spirit, loved and longed for as the hope shaping life and devotion.

In another understanding the coming is not the return to earth in the clouds but Christ's coming to the Father and Ancient of Days to receive his everlasting kingdom, dominion, glory, David's throne, and investiture as King. The marriage is that coronation in heaven, and the wise are guests and church prepared to share in it, spiritually present in vision while remaining on earth. Going in is entering by faith, to be read in harmony with Luke 12:35-36 on the Lord's return from the wedding and the later marriage supper where saints are honored guests, rather than as a literal earthly sequence. The parable's later knocking therefore belongs to events before the second advent, when candidates are examined for the wedding garment of Christ's righteousness.

That coming to the Father is a change of position and work as Great High Priest from the holy place to the most holy place to cleanse the heavenly sanctuary and plead his blood before the ark. It was foreshadowed by the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of the seventh month at the end of the 2,300 days in 1843-1844, and was not the earthly event expected but a new heavenly work followed by faith. He did not leave heaven nor transfer his unchanging priesthood to another, but closed general ministration in the first apartment and opened special ministration in the second. Believers drawn from work for the world into communion with him are borne with him as branches with the vine, unless they have rejected light and can no longer benefit from mediation.

The marriage and coming to the marriage are in heaven before the second advent and before the resurrection of the just. The bride is the New Jerusalem above representing the throne received, and the people raised at the first resurrection are its children, while the virgins are the church and not the bride. It is distinct from Christ's later return from the wedding, return in the clouds to gather the sleeping saints and living righteous, marriage supper, and execution of judgment. After the marriage his people still wait as servants with loins girded and lights burning for their Lord to return from the wedding at an unknown hour, blessed if found faithfully doing so.

The coming ends the parable's specific tarrying time to midnight, fulfilled in the months between the spring 1844 passing of the time after March 31, 1843 and October 22, 1844, when further study showed the 2,300 days would end. The delay illustrates the passing of the expected date and the summer waiting in which both wise and foolish slumbered, grew less zealous, and lost devotion while still convinced the coming was near. That sleeping was failure to understand timing, not loss of belief, and the time was a special trial requiring patience, repentance, and consecration. The midnight cry awakened them to renewed devotion, and then the coming took place during probationary time.

Marriage and Entrance Explained

The marriage is Christ's reception of his kingdom and throne in the New Jerusalem above, where the bride is the holy city itself, its capital city, palace, and home of the redeemed, representing his everlasting kingdom rather than an ongoing union with believers. The virgins represent the church and the wise are its prepared members, who enter as invited guests to share in that event, while the people raised at the first resurrection are children of that city-bride, the Jerusalem above which is mother of all believers, the city with foundations whose builder and maker is God. That marriage takes place in heaven before Christ comes for the sleeping saints and living righteous, before his return to earth and just prior to the resurrection of the just, after which his people still wait for his return. In a differing teaching the bride is the church itself, pictured as the wise virgin who went forth to meet her Lord, as the pure true woman chosen as symbol and beacon-light, and as the Lamb's wife who meets Christ, triumphs over every foe, and enters glory with her husband who gave his life for her. That church-bride is taken to his throne of light to reign over all on the earth made new and fair, aroused and keeping every lamp bright, going forth on the world's highway with the lighted lamp of truth and the cry to prepare to meet the Lord until the witness is carried everywhere and the end comes.

The ready going in with him to the marriage is following Christ by faith into the most holy place in 1844, when at the end of the 2,300 days he changed his position and work as High Priest from ministry in the holy place to special work and cleansing in the most holy, completing his work as mediator and receiving his kingdom. The event was not the earthly event expected but work in the heavenly sanctuary, entered over an extended period from his entrance until the marriage is consummated, during which believers are drawn from work for the world into communion with him, borne with him as branches with the vine if not cut off from Israel. Those ready are the wise virgins united with Christ and spiritually present in vision as he is crowned King while remaining on earth, separated from worldly interests, understanding his present position and pleading of his blood, keeping the law, and passing the test of the expected coming. Since his ministry has become special, its benefits are received by understanding and following his work there, while rejecting this truth when made known bars from salvation, though those without opportunity who live by the light they have are not excluded. The shut door in this connection is the end of general ministry in the first apartment, not the end of all salvation, and the later knocking belongs to the period after this change and before the final day of wrath.

Going in also represents entering into his joy and being sharers with him in his glory, the highest privilege heaven can bestow, tasting the same joy set before Christ for which he endured the cross, given to those who improve talents and do faithful service in his vineyard. It is the final salvation of believers connected with holding the first Advent movement, its midnight cry in autumn 1844, and the ending of the prophetic periods, while later claims of a renewed midnight cry that change the periods' starting points and call the 1844 cry false are counterfeit. When the bridegroom comes those ready and watching enter with him while the shut door marks separation and the end of probation, leaving the unready shut out with no further chance, their later appeals in vain after every case is decided and those clothed in Christ's righteousness are found ready. This entrance is forever safe to the marriage feast and supper in the Father's home, occurring before the second coming when he goes to the Father to receive the kingdom, with the church as invited guests and readiness as a distinctive feature of God's church.

The marriage work is progressive from its beginning in 1844 until priestly work ends and kingly office begins just before the plagues are poured out, linked with heavenly priestly work and the cleansing of the sanctuary. Before the marriage and closing of the door an intervening work takes place — the investigative judgment, atonement, and cleansing — in which invited guests are examined and fitness for the kingdom decided, with readiness including entering the appointed place, putting on the wedding garment, and being examined for acceptance or rejection before the ceremony. That garment is Christ's righteousness, and the door remains open during this work so others may still obtain it and enter, with final standing not yet decided until probation ends. When the work is finished those found ready go in with Christ and are forever safe in spiritual union with him as he is crowned, while those who neglected means of grace, rejected truth, and let opportunity pass find it too late and no further admission is possible. The verse therefore calls those living during the investigative judgment to be ready and waiting, since his return from the wedding is near.

Applying the entrance and shut door to the resurrection at the second advent creates difficulty, because the sequence does not fit a marriage at or after the resurrection of the just. If entrance meant ascension of the resurrected just to meet Christ in the air, the foolish virgins' later plea would imply the unjust also ascend to where Christ and the just are, whereas the wicked are destroyed at his coming before he enters with the saints into the New Jerusalem. The parable leaves an interval in which the foolish go to get oil, return, knock after the door is shut, and receive the answer, ending in falling away and dispersion, which proves the coming here cannot be the final lightning-like coming with the archangel shout that gives no such time. The bridegroom's coming to the marriage is figurative rather than Christ marrying as human beings do and rather than his visible return in glory with resurrection, change, and catching up, and may refer to an event before his visible return closely connected with it. The coming and closed door fit the preliminary judgment in which cases are decided before Christ executes judgment better than his appearing to carry it out, since the parable describes no execution of punishment after the door is shut, and alone the verse does not prove whether the marriage is union with the church or reception of the throne or that work is finished.

Shut Door Interpreted

The shut door marks the close of human probation and mercy, when mediation, forgiveness and eternal life can no longer be received, every case is forever decided for good or ill, and no second probation or further admission remains. Readiness must be secured before the bridegroom comes, for afterward entry is closed and the opportunity to get ready, to pray or to work, does not come again. When priestly work ends and destiny is sealed for life or death, the saved are shut in and the lost shut out, closing the last gospel message and beginning trouble, plagues and famine for the word, after which eternal life cannot be obtained. Christ then stands not as one coming to earth to collect servants but as judge of His servants, with probation closed before His visible coming.

In the sanctuary teaching the shutting in autumn 1844 closed the daily ministration in the first apartment and opened ministration in the most holy, signifying which ministration is proceeding or finished, not the end of all mercy. The bridegroom's going in to the marriage is His change from the holy place to special work in the most holy at the close of the 2300 days, to cleanse the heavenly sanctuary and plead His blood before the ark for sins to be blotted out, while His people remain on earth in affliction and patient waiting. He still intercedes for those who repent and receive present truth and follow Him by faith into the most holy, while those who reject sufficient sanctuary light when made known cannot benefit from mediation, though honest children who have no opportunity and live by the light they have are not excluded. The later knocking and plea belong to the period after this change and before the final day of wrath, before the later return for the marriage supper.

The shut door excluded those tested by the 1843-1844 proclamation who rejected it or responded without grace and genuine faith, including the Sardis church and the wicked world, while an open door remained for the Philadelphia church and those untested. Those who proclaimed His coming in autumn 1844 enter with Him as High Priest into the most holy on the tenth day of the seventh month, to whom is the promise of the open door no man can shut by Him that opens and no man shuts, bringing relief through sanctuary light, the keeping of the commandments including the fourth precept, and the way to the tree of life and entrance through the gates into the city. The invitation to salvation did not end, for another door was opened at the same time and in the fullest sense the door of mercy was opened, with pardoning love still to be received and others still to be invited before the wedding is filled. In this setting the shut door also describes the popular churches' rejection of the advent doctrine and the resulting separation, when about fifty thousand withdrew to cherish their hope, not the closing of mercy to sinners after 1844.

The shut door is as the ponderous door of Noah's ark slowly closed by a mighty angel from heaven, shutting the righteous in to safety and the wicked out to destruction when the time to enter had passed. It is as Jerusalem's gate and city gates closing, showing the danger of delay and the finality of being shut out, warning to make haste and be ready to enter the heavenly city while the way stands open and free, for a lost moment may mean losing eternity. Once the bridegroom has come no further entrance is possible, and man must make calling and election sure and seek favor while it may be found, entering as into an ark of safety and chamber until indignation is past, lest to be left outside be to fall into wrath in darkness. Unlike an examination that can be taken again, the final test ends the time to be ready, and those trying to live on the boundary between church and world are shut out.

At first after the passing of the time the shut door was taken to mean warning work was done and mercy for sinners had ended, with no mercy for those outside and no loss for those inside, and work with the world, the formal church and the foolish virgins ended. That conclusion was mistaken and was corrected by sanctuary light and the three messages, which make the whole parable harmonious without surrendering the ground gained in 1844, while leaving room for another worldwide message to be preached. The sudden change in the ungodly around October 10, 1844, as if the restraining Spirit had left them, with limited revival results and intensified opposition, strengthened conviction at the time, and the seeming naturalness of the harvest-ripe view made it appear evident. To get out of the mistake rightly is to hold fast the second advent experience and wait till the shut door is fully explained, instead of giving up that experience and backsliding, for without the true midnight cry at that time there is no true shut door, and to remove the bounds of the 2300 days destroys faith that both were the work of God. The question whether no true conversions could occur afterward remained as an objection requiring explanation, since the application here is the apparent closing of access to those rejecting the message, not proof that no sinner could still be saved.

The final closing is still future and has not yet come, when after the warning work is finished and Michael stands up the door of mercy closes forever. His precious blood still cleanses and His invitation still stands, but only until He enters in, for He comes as King rather than intercessor, with no further mercy or trial, appearing to saints for salvation and to sinners for judgment according to deeds. Then the Spirit leaves the sinner and repentance is closed to those delaying, holding grudges, loving the world, or rejecting light, so that trusting to a deathbed prayer after giving youth to pleasure fails and ends in dying unforgiven crying too late. Probation lingers today and is closing fast with the last warning ringing over all nations, so now is the accepted time to turn without delay, lay down grudges, take the cross, trim the lamp, watch, work and tell of free mercy in order to go in to bliss without sin, sorrow, pain or tears.

Fulfilled in Advent History

The midnight cry announcing the bridegroom was proclaimed beginning in July 1844 through the seventh-month movement, awakening sleepers who had failed to understand the timing during the delay, renewing expectation after the spring disappointment, and testing faith and readiness even though the expected visible return did not occur. The virgins rose and trimmed their lamps and continued trimming until the appointed day had passed, while the delay allowed the lamps of the foolish to go out and their faith to fail. Some were awakened only when the cry sounded yet were unprepared, and while they went to obtain what they lacked the bridegroom came and the ready entered with him while the door was shut against the unready. Believers acted on the message at great personal cost, leaving work and traveling to preach the judgment-hour message.

The coming, entry of the ready, and shut door reached climax on the tenth day of the seventh month, October 22, 1844, ending the 2,300 days, when faith followed Christ into the most holy place and the opportunity of the open door ended. The marriage history there reached its decisive close in complete sequence, not to be postponed until the second advent, with the shut door like the other parts requiring application in that past experience. The bridegroom as Master of the house shut the door and no man can open it, and that shutting was the last day's work of the midnight cry when the fullness of the Gentiles came in. Christ as High Priest shut one door and opened the way into the heavenly sanctuary's most holy place for the Philadelphia church to enter with him to the marriage, marking exclusion of the Sardis church and the wicked world.

The wise are those who held to the first Advent movement, its midnight cry in autumn 1844, and the ending of the prophetic periods, who believed the Lord's coming, acted in consecration, obeyed present truth and kept God's commandments. The ten virgins represent those who took part in the Advent movement, and those outside it who did not reject its light remain on the same ground for salvation as if the movement had not occurred. The foolish lacked oil, rejected sanctuary light, failed to receive truth and sought admission too late, with burning truth exposing the backslider who has lost the wedding garment. Later claims of a renewed midnight cry are counterfeit when they change the periods' starting points and call the 1844 cry false, as are settings of new times such as 1854.

The parable became history fulfilled at least through the cry and to the shut door, with going forth in 1843 by the first and second angels' messages, tarrying, rising and trimming, dispersion when the foolish went to buy, and coming and entering. The coming ends the specific tarrying time, so history is now past everything in the parable through verse 12. The marriage concerns the second coming and the power of the past Advent experience known by eyewitnesses, which later believers can accept because the Scriptures harmonize with that experience as the prophets harmonized with Christ's miracles, crucifixion and resurrection. Other applications place its slumber in Protestant churches, in the 1843 excitement, or in the growth of the United States as an asylum of liberty, while denying it concerns a material parousia or gradual conversion.

Since 1844 believers are in patient waiting time without another prophetic time movement, like men waiting for the Lord to return from the wedding and like Israel on the Day of Atonement, keeping the Sabbath and the third angel's message. The parable applied in 1844 and also has further application, for Christ went in to the marriage about seventy years before 1916 and his friends must remain ready for his coming and wake themselves and others before it is too late. The bridegroom's return from the wedding is his coming out of the most holy place after entering it in 1844, marking the close of his work there and the end of probation at an unknown and sudden hour. Present experience is waiting only in the general sense of waiting and the patience of the saints, watching and praying until the shut door is fully explained and the kingdom is entered.

Oil Lamps and Readiness

The oil is the Holy Spirit, the grace of Christ, and faith and good deeds feeding the lamp and causing the light of life to shine, while the lamps are the Word, profession, and outward forms such as membership, prayers, almsgiving, and fasting, which without oil cannot burn no matter how much they are trimmed. Readiness is shown by the difference between those who have oil and those who have none, reflecting genuine inward grace and a settled commitment to follow the Lord, not outward profession, passing emotion, or mere expectation. Each must obtain that grace from God for himself, for another's merits cannot secure entry. Having the Word while rejecting the Spirit's influence and appointed gifts is taking lamps without oil.

Readiness requires the wedding garment of Christ's imputed and imparted righteousness, a clean life, pure heart, and burning lamp, examined in the judgment, without spot, wrinkle, or hidden sin, and only those so clothed and overcoming enter the marriage supper and city. In the marriage analogy, readiness includes entering the appointed place, putting on the wedding garment, and being examined for acceptance or rejection before the ceremony. Before the marriage, candidates for the kingdom are examined in the investigative judgment, and those found fit, clothed in Christ's righteousness, enter with Him into spiritual union as He is crowned, with the door shut when priestly work ends and kingly office begins. To be ready is to stand as a watchman with garment on and lamp burning, not sleeping when He comes, lest the morning of joy be turned to weeping.

The foolish are careless, self-satisfied, lukewarm professors who know theory and the standard of righteousness but lack vital connection, grace, and oil through self-love, pride, worldliness, neglected Scripture, and cherished sin. They appear confident and for a time indistinguishable from the wise, yet are strangers whom the bridegroom does not know, and even professed believers awaiting Him may be among them. Their final effort to obtain oil shows the same carelessness that led them to set out without it, for they do not act as they should. The wise and foolish are two classes rather than fixed individuals, so one who has been wise can yet be lost and one who has been foolish can yet be saved.

Readiness is not natural but an inward work of grace transforming character, by which persons are reconciled through Christ's blood, regenerated, anointed by the Spirit, rescued from defilement and polished until every stain and wrinkle is removed, and made fit for glory, service, and fellowship with God. It is shown by repentance, new birth, faith working by love, obedience to all the commandments including the Sabbath, overcoming besetting sin, faithful use of talents, unselfish service, watchful prayer, and steady witness, forming a reserve of character and grace that cannot be transferred from another. It means being alert and prepared while patiently waiting for the Lord's time, not fretful or over-anxious, with lamps trimmed and steadily shining in genuine revival, using this world to make ready for a brighter world.

Oil must be obtained beforehand from God for oneself and cannot be borrowed, shared, or gained at the last moment when the cry sounds, at death, or when the case is tried, for waiting until then is too late. Readiness means more than knowing the gospel or its standard: the wise keep spiritual life replenished by Christ's grace and the Holy Spirit, with faith, patience, and love continually growing through living connection. Their discernment remains alive, their affections are set on heavenly things, and their lives show God's love through steady witness, seeking the lost, faithful self-examination, earnest work, prayer, and keeping the lamp burning rather than giving in to sleep, worldly pleasure, or distraction. Outward claims to serve and await Christ do not suffice, for those without fellowship with Christ through the Spirit are unfit for heaven's companionship and cannot share its joy.

Watchfulness and Final Application

The verse calls everyone to watch, to wake from sleep, to trim the lamp, to pray, to repent without delay, and to keep oil from failing, because readiness decides admission or exclusion with eternal difference. The bridegroom arrives while the foolish are away, and the ready enter with him to the marriage feast before the door is shut, so delay in seeking the Saviour and in prompt reformation leaves the late outside with opportunity passed. His coming surprises as in the days of Noah and Lot, not for lack of warning but because warning is ignored, and worldly absorption, drowsiness, and neglected preparation end in being shut out while the kingdom of God is being established and growing.

The chapter teaches that the righteous and the wicked are judged before they receive their respective rewards, rather than entering glory or punishment at death. At his coming the living saints are separated from the living wicked and the dead saints from the wicked dead, and that separation follows a prior decision about who are righteous, since the shepherd knows the sheep before separating them. The scene belongs to the final advent at the close of human history and to the judgment, when Christ as King directs the execution of his changeless award, addressing each group and explaining the reason for the separation. Through the whole scene he acts as executor of judgment, not as judge conducting the trial, and the chapter does not describe the great trial of the dead but the separation accomplished by the resurrection of the just.

The parable must be read in harmony with other Scripture rather than treated as a literal sequence of events, with going in representing entering the marriage by faith while Luke 12:35-36 shows the Lord's later return from the wedding and the marriage supper where the saints are honored guests. That coming to the marriage is not the personal coming in the clouds, because the coming for which believers look is after the wedding, and while the marriage work is still being completed his people are guests called to the supper who must remain ready. In this time after its fulfillment believers need patience, must keep loins girded and lights burning, must not harden or grudge against one another, must give meat in due season, and must not say the Lord delays his coming and beat fellow servants, for he who seeks to save his life now by conformity to the world will lose it and he who loses it for truth's sake will find eternal life. The verse is also connected with the Philadelphia open-and-shut-door, with the end of the 2300 days and the cleansing of the sanctuary and the third angel's message of keeping God's commandments and the faith of Jesus, with the antitype of the live scapegoat and final disposal of unconfessed sin, and with Revelation on the commandments, plagues, and kingdom.

Keeping the lamp burning is responsibility to others, because letting the light go out is serious failure when others depend on it for warning and guidance toward Christ. Readiness means faithfully reflecting the light given, guiding endangered souls by godly example, personal effort such as earnest conversation with a neighbor and giving a tract with a kind request to read it, faithful daily duties, and gospel mission with available resources. Hearts warmed by love of God and neighbors are shown in self-denial and doing good through loving, humble service to people in need, instead of only giving money to religion while remaining covetous, worldly-minded, and deadened by money getting, and instead of criticism, conformity to the world, or comic caricature of sacred scenes.