The oil is a metaphor. The oil is us. We're the thing that no one thought could possibly last. We're the thing that logic says should sputter out. We're the thing that shone on anyway, day after day, brighter and brighter. We're the thing that can't be extinguished.

The miracle of the oil isn't a distraction from the story of a military victory. It's a reminder that the military victory isn't the point. The miracle isn't a successful rebellion, the miracle is the will to persist against impossible odds. To continue to exist *at all*.