The parable of the virgins is a particularly difficult parable. It is very difficult to avoid reading it in a way which exalts our foresight and provision, making the believer (the virgin) the person responsible for being well equipped for heaven, procuring all he needs and preparing wisely so as to present himself in good order at the Lord's coming. What will we do then?
First, we need to remember that the supplier of the oil for the lamps is not mentioned. Our Lord has supplied his Holy Spirit - the universal "oil" of Scripture, to bring us warmth and light. He has given us what we need. As we acknowledge this work of God, as we trust in his supply and not ours, we are promised that we will have all we need.
It seems that some people, though they presumably had access to the "fuel" of the Holy Spirit, chose to reject that and depend on their own supply. When they asked other humans for a share in their supply, the response was negative. Am I in a position to give the Holy Spirit to you? What spiritual blessing can I give you? I am not your source of life. You must go to the true source of life. Yet the people in this parable, the foolish virgins, rather than waiting in the dark for the Master to come with oil aplenty, seek out supply through their own human means. And you have to realize that Palestine in the 1st century was not crawling with all-night lamp oil stores. Where do you go in the middle of the night when you need more oil for your lamp? All I can say is that you'll have about as much success finding an all night fishing tackle shop in the Sahara desert.
When we seek our own method of filling our spiritual lamp with the Holy Spirit we find nothing but a dry fuel tank. We have to wait for the Master to come. He has a limitless supply. We see our poverty, which is obvious since we have no lamp and really can't see anything at all. We call upon the Lord and we receive what we need.
What would have become of those foolish young ladies if they had simply waited in the dark? The Lord who is the light of the world would care for them and welcome them into the feast. Let us be wise. Are we waiting in the dark? The Lord is here through word and sacraments. His kingdom is at hand, and he welcomes us to his feast. He brings light and life through the resurrection of the Son, another thing which happened at night when we couldn't see anything. Let us rejoice in him and be ushered into his light.
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