This one little line comes at the end of the “Parable of the Ten Virgins” (or so the ESV Bible provides the heading). In some versions of the Bible it is called “The Wise and Foolish Virgins.” Any way you cut the cake, this is a parable that Jesus taught to encourage his followers—then and now—to be vigilant about how we live our lives while we wait for the Lord’s return.
And boy, have we ever been fascinated with trying to crack that code. People have worked for two millennia trying to figure out when Jesus will return. I remember the NASA scientist (you’d think he was smart, correct?) who wrote a book years ago: “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Occur in 1988.” In case you have not noticed, it didn’t happen. The scientist announced on 1/1/89 that he’d made a mathematical error. Mm-hm.
But remember what Jesus said in this parable, as well in other places: we will not know when that time will be, until it comes. In the meantime, we need to live as wise followers, aligning our hearts with Jesus’ heart.