Oil in Her Lamp

Oil in Her Lamp
By Jenny Komenda

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”
Revelation 19:6

“Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom.”
D&C 33:17

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The Savior’s parable of the ten virgins found in Matthew 25 is a poignant reminder of our need to prepare spiritually for His coming. In this painting, a woman reverently holds a burning oil lamp, clothed in purple, blue and scarlet—the colors of the ancient temple veil (Exodus 26:31)—the bells and pomegranates that hem her robes likewise suggestive of the vestments of the High Priest in the Holy of Holies (Exodus 28:33). These all symbolize access to the presence of God, and this woman, through her preparation, is ready to meet the Bridegroom.

The lamp in her hands glows brightly—not with borrowed oil, but with the light born of her own discipleship. We are called to be like the wise virgins of the parable—those who did not merely carry a lamp but filled it, watched and waited in faithful obedience. David A. Bednar taught that “the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living.” In our lives, preparation is quiet and personal. It is prayer offered in secret, scripture study in the early morning hours, acts of kindness, and repentance when no one sees. The lamp of faith does not stay lit without effort. Like the wise virgin, we must tend to it with care.

The focus on lamps and olive oil in this parable is rich with ancient symbolism. As Old Testament scholar Margaret Barker has taught, the ancient Hebrews believed that the oil used in the temple “was extracted from the tree of life,” a symbol of the divine feminine, and its use in anointing “transformed humans into angels and made them wise.” The name Christ—the Greek version of the Hebrew term Messiah—means ‘to anoint’ with oil and, as Christians, we are called to take upon us this name. Further, the sacred oil came from the oil press, in Hebrew, Gethsemane, and olive oil used for light was produced in the last of three pressings. The first produced ‘virgin’ oil, which was sacred and dedicated for temple use and anointings. The second was for the body for nourishment and healing. The third and final pressing to produce the oil used in lamp came after soaking the olive fragments in water and subjecting them to great pressure. That the illuminating oil in the wise woman’s lamp came after oil for anointing and healing, soaked in water and under stress, suggests the layered ways that Christ’s Atonement is meant to bless us. This painting invites us to consider: do we have oil in our lamps? Are we clothed in covenant, as she is, prepared to enter into the presence of the Lord?

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