It’s probably wrong to try to guess what the oil in the story ‘stands for’ (some have suggested that it means good works; others faith, or love, or almost any of the Christian virtues). It isn’t that kind of story. Within the world of the story itself, it simply means being ready for the key moment. You can’t squash all these parables together and make the details fit with each other; all the girls in this parable, including the ‘wise’ ones, go to sleep in verse 5, whereas in verse 13 Jesus tells