The Widow's Mite

 Dr. Seuss once said “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”  There are so many problems in the world right now, like natural disasters, disease and poverty. We all want to help. But seriously, how can just one person make a difference, especially if their resources are limited? Mother Teresa advised us that “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” The lesson of the widow’s mite is an enduring testament to the value of a small but meaningful contribution. It is proof that when our hearts are in the right place we can not only help but inspire others to be generous as well.

 During the last Passover week of Jesus’ life, streams of visitors came to Jerusalem. As part of the celebration, Jewish people were required to visit the temple and make contributions to the treasury. On one particular day Jesus watched people cast their offerings. Much attention was being given to the wealthy men who made ostentatious contributions in front of everyone. In the mist of this, a poor widowed woman quietly came in. There she unselfishly casted into the chest her last two mites, hardly enough to buy a loaf of bread. (Mites were ancient pennies, fairly worthless at the time.)

And Jesus looked up, “and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.” (Luke 21:1-4)
 

 

This woman could have easily gone unnoticed. But devotion like hers did not escape the Savior. Instead of pointing out the offerings of the wealthy men, Jesus commended on the gift of the widow. She was not well-known and important but represented the lowliest of her society. However Jesus saw her worth as a great woman who was willing to share all that she had.

The cash value of her gift was nothing compared to that of the wealthy man’s but the devotion behind it was another matter. That devotion beginning there and spreading throughout the world has built hospitals, helped the needy, fed the hungered and encouraged the impoverished. Today the world knows more about this poor widow than about the richest man of Jerusalem in her day. 

Centuries later this woman inspires me to have faith to give a generous tithing. As she could not have known where her next meal would come from, but believed that God would provide for her. She also encourages me to give of my time and talents to help others as well. As in her day money was often called “talents”.  

I know that I cannot fix all of the world’s problems but I can help someone make their world a little better. I can take a meal to a sick friend, visit someone who is lonely or give a little money without judging a person in need. Like the Widow who gave her mites to God, I can give all of my might to serve Him and His children on earth. In doing so, I know that I can make some difference, will you?

Mary of Bethany Anoints Jesus

Six days before the Passover, Jesus Christ made a trip to Bethany. There He attended a dinner that was never to be forgotten. As He sits at the meal, Mary the sister of Lazarus comes into the room and interrupts the flow of words. As I imagine this scene, I see her quietly walk over to Jesus who is the center of conversation. She is holding an alabaster box containing a very costly amount of precious ointment. Mary opens the box, produces a jar and then pours spikenard from the container onto Christ’s head. Through her silence, she creates a sacred space, a holy place. She is anointing Jesus. Everything about her actions is lovely, the reverence in which she opens the box, the sweet fragrance of her faith filling the room. 

 

Mary then anoints Jesus’ feet and wipes them with her hair. To anoint the head is to do Him honor but to anoint both the head and the feet with such expense is an act of homage rendered to kings. When Mary wipes His feet with her hair is an overwhelming expression of humility, devotion and respect. The act of her letting down her hair is extremely personable and something Jewish women do not do in public. Servants also wash the feet of guest with towels. Mary is using her beautiful hair to show that she does not care about the things of the world, only about her Lord and His ministry. The utter extravagance and adoration of it all is a prophetic symbol of how very precious Jesus’ life is.

But one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot, does not approve and scolds Mary by saying “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?” But, Jesus sensitive to her feelings and meaning says, “Leave her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always”. (John 12:4-8) Verily I say unto you. Wherever this gospel shall be preached to the whole world, there shall also this that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial to her.” (Matthew 26:13)

Jesus‘ words “my burying hath she kept this” bring Mary’s offering into focus. Jesus had been telling his disciples of his impending death. Since women were among His followers, it is likely that Mary too had heard these warnings. Her act of love symbolized that she had a deeper understanding of what Jesus was about to face, an understanding that even some of His male disciples may have lacked.

The amount of spikenard Mary used was worth about sixty dollars at the time. I wonder what length she went through to obtain the ointment. Did she have to sell some of her jewelry or give up part of her inheritance? Did she travel far to purchase it or did she pay someone else to obtain it for her? Judas criticized Mary for being so extravagant but soon he would betray the Savior for just thirty pieces of silver, the equivalent of about twenty dollars. Certainly Mary used her money justly and was the more righteous disciple. Her unselfish gift was a balm of faithfulness that soothed the way for the Savior who would suffer in Gethsemane and trudge to the cross alone.

Mary must have also been worried about the enemies Jesus had and the danger that awaited Him in Jerusalem. He was a provocative man who divided the people and angered religious leaders. Many thought He committed blasphemy. Others thought he was crazy or possessed. But Mary was among those who believed He was the Savior of the world. She needed to show her devotion to Him in an unmistakable and remarkable way. This anointing of Jesus’ body was the only one He would receive upon His death. It was a powerful message on the eve of His being handed over to suffering and death. She anointed Him, as if to say, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”

No wonder this incident is a “memorial to her”.

As this Easter season comes upon us, I want to focus my thoughts and heart like Mary. I want to show my love and gratitude to my Savior. For many Christians, “Holy Week” describes a season of observance that begins with Palm Sunday and ends on Easter morning. I have committed myself to reading and pondering about each one of the days and events leading up to the resurrection of Christ. I invite you to read along with me by following this link.

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=4a57eafcee340210VgnVCM100000176f620a____

Like Mary, we must come to know that Jesus Christ is our prophet, priest and king. I know that as we learn about and reflect upon His life we can receive a special witness of this. I bear witness that He is the Savior of world.

Your Friend in Christ,

Patty

Mary and Martha

Artist: Minerva Teickert

Every time I turn on my computer, this beautiful painting of Mary, Martha and Jesus appears on the screen. This image serves as a daily reminder of who I want to be and the choices I want to make. 

I love how Martha is busy working while turned towards the Savior and how Mary is focused on Christ but still nearby to help her sister. In a world full of responsibilities and options, I appreciate what their story teaches us about balance in our lives.

Mary and Martha lived in Bethany, a small village about two miles from Jerusalem. They and their brother Lazarus were good friends of Jesus and often received Him in their home. On one occasion, Jesus arrived and Martha immediately busied herself with preparations for her guest. The scriptures tell us that Martha “was cumbered about much serving.” Mary on the other hand sat at the Savior’s feet, earnestly listening to His teachings. No doubt, Martha would have liked to have sat too but chose to express her love for the Savior by serving Him instead. 

I imagine Martha trying to do everything herself. Setting the table, chopping the herbs, stirring the stew, how could she get it all done and was it fair? She wanted everything to be perfect for Jesus but instead of achieving her goal she made everyone uncomfortable by lashing out in frustration “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me.”

This must have been an awkward moment for Mary who may have helped in the beginning but was now captivated by Jesus. Tenderly, the Master replied, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

I don’t believe that the Lord was unsympathetic to Martha’s cause or dismissed the value of her service. I just think He was trying to get her to focus on what mattered most, the “good part”. He was there to tell them the “Good News” and she was missing it, His words, His teachings, His spirit, because of the STUFF that she had to do!

Like Mary, I want to sit and learn at the Savior’s feet, while like Martha, I need to figure out what’s for dinner. I don’t have lots of time. Like these two wonderful sisters, I have to choose between the spiritual and the temporal. To discern God's will in my life so that I can follow the Savior into the next.

In a world filled with distractions, the story of Mary and Martha can help us set our lives in order. Martha was anxious with preparing the meal. Martha was not a bad person. She was not involved in wicked or sinful activities. She was a good woman, and her only desire was to serve and please the Lord. But she got her priorities out of whack. Mary on the other hand had chosen the spiritual. She had made the better choice. She had chosen to listen to the words of Jesus – the spiritual bread which leads to eternal life which could never be taken away from her. 

I believe that the Lord wants us to be anxiously engaged in good causes and is happy when we are industrious but at the same time we cannot let these activities become more important than our spiritual growth. We cannot let the temporal things of this world rob us of the eternal blessings that await us.

When I was a child, I watched the “Jetsons” cartoon show. I dreamed of a world of technology and robots like “Rosey” who would do all of my work for me. However, now that I have a personal computer, cell phone, fax machine, and a fast moving vehicle, my life is busier than ever. In fact busyness threatens to take over my life. I know that if I am to be more like Mary, I must spend time with the Lord each day in prayer, scripture study and obey His command, "Be still, and know that I am God". (Psalm 46:10) 

Somewhere between Mary and Martha I am striving to find me, a productive person, serving others, but most of all, obeying the Lord's will. I have a testimony that if we take the time to sit at the Savior's feet each day, we will find peace and direction. The word of God and the power of His spirit will teach us how to balance our chaotic lives and be truly happy. Most importantly, we will choose the Good Part, which shall never be taken away. 

The Woman with the Issue of Blood

 If only she could reach him. For she knew He had the power of God. Jesus had already healed so many and she was certain that He could cure her too.  But the crowd was so great and pressing upon him that she just couldn’t get near. She prayed with all of her heart. “Please God, just let me get close enough to touch him.  If you do, I have the faith that He can make me whole again.”

For twelve years she suffered from an issue of blood. Strictly speaking, she should have not even come that day. According to the laws of ritual purity, women who were experiencing their monthly cycle should stay at home. It was a time out for them, when they were relieved of their normal duties like drawing water from a well, going to the market place or serving dinner to their family. (see Leviticus 15:19-31). This worked for healthy women who were confined once a month but she was bleeding every day of her life! It was not acceptable for her to mix in public, worship at the temple or even to be held in the arms of her husband. According to the Mosaic Law, she was considered unclean, impure and untouchable.

In these years of shame and pain she had gone from physician to physician seeking help.

Each time new hope rising within her but in the end she had wasted all of her money and was physically worse off than before. Perhaps just as significantly, she was mentally spent. Her mind had been plagued with worry and despair. She was frustrated, disappointed and she could not be at peace when her future was so uncertain.

Encouraged by her faith, she had fought her way through the crowd that day until she could finally reach Jesus. Approaching Him from behind, she touched His robe; “For she said, if I touch but his clothes I shall be whole.” She immediately felt His healing energy go through her body and knew that she had been made well. Having accomplished her heart’s desire, she tried to escape back into the crowd. But Jesus also sensed that virtue had gone from Him, for He turned and said “Who touched me?

 Seeing that she could not go unnoticed, she came forward trembling and fell at His feet. In the presence of all the people, she told Him her story of suffering, why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly healed. Then He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.'" What triumphant words for a woman who had suffered for twelve years!

I love this beautiful story and this woman of great faith. In fact her example challenges me to develop my own faith more fully. When she went to see the Savior that day, she completely expected to be healed. She was determined, unwavering and resolute.

Her story makes me evaluate my own relationship with Jesus Christ. When I come to Him with my “issues”, do I fully expect for something to happen? Or do I just think He is there listening and will eventually get around to my problems when He can?

This story teaches me that our Lord does care about us individually and knows our deepest concerns. Even though many others were calling out to Him that day, He stopped and acknowledged this woman. If fact, He called her “Daughter” so that she understood, she was a member of His family.  

This woman represents all of us who are sick with sin and or burdened by the cares of the world. We can follow her example and come to the Savior too. For He has said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” And He promises us, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Jesus Christ has the power to heal all manner of illness, whether spiritual or physical. Through His Atonement we can be forgiven of our sins and have peace in our lives. Like the woman in this story we can be whole and happy again. If we just reach out to touch Him and believe.


http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/mark/5?lang=eng - Find this story in the Bible

The Woman of Samaria

 She came to the well at midday, perhaps to avoid the gossipy women who usually gathered there each morning. Her life had not been easy. She already had five different husbands and was now living with a man who she never married. Whatever the reasons were for these failed relationships, she must have suffered a great deal of hardship. She may have longed for a different life but thought it was just too late or difficult to change. However, her life did transform that day. When a stranger, a man named Jesus saw her at the well and asked “Give me to drink?”

By the rules of hospitality, she should have responded to this thirsty traveler and let him drink from her water pot. But He was a Jew!  She was surprised and perhaps speechless at first. Why would a Jewish man speak to a Samaritan who was considered to be his enemy? Jews always avoided Samaritans because they were a mixed race, unclean and beneath them. The Samaritans in return disliked the Jews who treated them with disdain and rejected their common Israelite ancestry.  To disregard this adversarial connection was ‘Asur” or forbidden.

More significantly, why would this outsider dare speak to her? Jewish custom discouraged men from speaking with women who were not accompanied by their husbands or fathers. One saying of the Jewish law went like this “Let no one talk with a woman in the street, no, not with his own wife.” Yet, Jesus saw the value in her that she likely did not see in herself. He disregarded tradition and prejudices. He knew her only as a daughter of God and wanted her to know His true identity too.

Jesus then said to her, “if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and he would given thee living water. “ The woman reminded Him that He had no cord or bucket to draw water from the deep well and perhaps sarcastically added, “Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us this well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?”


Jesus answered, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thrist again; But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

His words intrigued her because each day required the hard task of carrying heavy water to and from the well. She was no longer young.  Her body like her spirit must have been somewhat worn out. The very thought of an ever flowing supply of water pleased her.  As she contemplated this and continued to stand in the presence of our Lord, a change came over her. She began to recognize His eternal truths and to receive a glimpse of what this living water might be. With a great longing in her heart to know more about it she said “give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”

 Jesus seized this opportunity to teach and told her to go get her husband. She informed Him that she had no husband. Knowing this already, He said “For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband.” I wonder if his statement stung her or if she felt his love and concern? Regardless, she received his words with humility. His ultimate knowledge about her life convinced her that he was a prophet.

Christ went on to teach her more. Perhaps she did not understand everything He said or needed a polite way to end the conversation by finally saying, oh well “I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ; when he is come, he will tell us all things.” Jesus then unequivocally pronounced, “I that speak unto thee am he.”He said it and she believed it. The Messiah had come! Not just to the Jews but he had come for everyone. And to her, an outcast woman, who others believed to be of little worth.

One can only speculate as to why the Messiah would choose to reveal himself to someone like her.  I believe that he looked upon her heart that day and knew she hungered for truth. Her life to this point had been hopeless and he was the fulfillment of her very hope. 

Hurriedly, she left her waterpot and went into the village to tell everyone about the man, “which told me all things that ever I did, is not this the Christ?” Because of her testimony many believed and heard for themselves, exclaiming “this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. “

I believe this story is exceptionally important to women because it shows the value that Jesus Christ placed on women and their discipleship. The length and depth of the conversation is significant and the beginning of the revolutionary way He involved women in His ministry. 

More importantly this story invites each of us to partake of the living waters by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior. Like the Samaritan woman, we too can have this precious opportunity. We may feel undeserving or inadequate, but the Savior knows who we truly are. Also like her, we must be willing to change our lives and except Christ’s admonitions with humility. We can discover His authenticity through scripture study and personal prayer, knowing for ourselves that He is indeed the Messiah! This is my prayer for each of you. Whoever you are reading this.

May God Bless and Keep you. And may you drink of his eternal truths this day.

Patty

http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/4?lang=eng  The story of the Samaritan woman in John 4

Mary, Did You Know?

Mary the Mother of the Savior

Her name was Mary and she was chosen by God to bear His only begotten Son. She was humble, faithful, courageous and a true disciple of Christ.  But most of all she was real. She did breath, hurt, hope and love like all of us. I envision Mary holding her newborn son for the very first time, crying with elation, gratitude and relief all at once. Did her heart rejoice knowing who her son was and what He was to become? Did she comprehend His mission and the sacrifice that He alone would perform?  Did she understand how wonderful she was and how much she would be revered and loved? Certainly, she was one of the noblest and greatest of all the spirit children of our Father in Heaven.

The Christmas story from the gospel of Luke.
http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/luke/2?lang=eng 

As the mother of Jesus Christ, Mary stands apart from all women in history.  Not only was she chosen to be the mother of the Messiah but she was to raise the only perfect man to walk on earth.  Mary was a young poor girl from Nazareth betrothed to an ordinary carpenter. These facts made her unsuitable in the eyes of her people. How could such a common girl be the chosen one? Yet, the angle Gabriel visited her and told her that she was “Highly Favored by God”. Even with God's favor, Mary would still suffer much. Though she would one day be highly honored as the mother of the Savior, she would first know disgrace as an unwed mother. She would nearly lose her fiancé. Her beloved son would be rejected and cruelly murdered. Mary's submission to God's plan would cost her dearly, yet she was willing to be God's servant.

God knew that Mary was a woman of rare strength and obedience. She was the only human being to be with Jesus throughout his entire life, from his birth until his death. She gave life to him as her child and watched him die as her Savior. Mary also knew the Scriptures. When the angel appeared and told her that her child would be God's Son, Mary replied, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word." (Luke 1:38). She knew of the Old Testament prophesies about the coming Messiah.

God looked upon the quality of her trust and obedience. He knew she would willingly serve God in one of the most important callings ever given to a human being. Just like Mary, God looks at our obedience and trust, usually not the qualifications that man might look upon. God will often choose and use the most unlikely of choices.

Some mistakenly cast Mary as the “Mother of God”. She was indeed the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. However, God the Son existed from eternity. Mary was the source of Jesus’ human nature. Even so it is appropriate that we honor Mary and the faith that she displayed throughout her life.

This Christmas, as I celebrate the birth of Christ, I celebrate Mary too.  I am so grateful for this wonderful woman and her ability to fulfill her role as the mother of our Savior.  My heart is full of love for her and I marvel and thank her for her example and gift to the world.

Merry Christmas Everyone.  May the true meaning of Christmas fill your heart and home. God Bless, Patty