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Matthew 25:1-5 (NLT)
1 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of ten bridesmaids [1] who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 The five who were foolish took no oil for their lamps, 4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. 5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all lay down and slept.

[1]
Or, virgins; also in 25:7, 11.

DRAWING NOTES:

TIME OF DAY:
Some time before midnight.

LIGHTING NOTES:
The lamp light of the 5 wise bridesmaids (or virgins, as in some Bible translations) illuminates this scene.

CHARACTERS PRESENT:
5 wise bridesmaids (on the left of the scene) are sitting under a tree. The 5 foolish bridesmaids (on the right) are asleep under a 2nd tree.

RESEARCH/ADDITIONAL NOTES:
This is a straightforward interpretation of the narrative described in Matthew chapter 25. We can see the 5 wise bridesmaids (or virgins) sitting or lying down on mats, under a tree on the left hand side of the scene. Two of them are holding their lamps & keeping a watch for the delayed bridegroom. The 5 foolish bridesmaids (or virgins) are under a 2nd tree, on the right of the scene, all are asleep (not keeping watch, which is a rather foolish thing to do, under the circumstances!)

There is a large earthenware jar on the right, which contains water.

I found a photograph of a man sleeping among the roots of a tree on the internet, and it seemed a good idea to use the image as the basis of my Bible Cartoon. The man was curled up among the tree roots, which seemed quite a cosy resting place!

I suppose that the rest of the wedding party (bride’s parents, groom’s relatives, etc) are probably close by, perhaps resting in a tent or pavilion. In any case they are not visible in this scene.