Women of the Bible Part 26

-Proverbs 31:28 - 29 Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compa.s.sion on the child she has borne?

- Isaiah 49:15 Friday HER LEGACY OF PRAYER.

Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.

-Matthew 20:21 Reflect On: Matthew 20:20 - 28.

Praise G.o.d: That his Son has shown us the true meaning of greatness.

Offer Thanks: For all the ways, large and small, that G.o.d has served you.

Confess: Any pride and misguided ambition.

Ask G.o.d: For the grace to make the connection that the way down leads to the way up, that it is the humble woman who will be considered great in the kingdom.

Lift Your Heart Many women have heard the message of servanthood and =yvl/ internalized it in unhealthy ways. Instead of realizing their inherent dignity as women, they have defined their worth primarily in terms of others. But both men and women are called to model themselves on Christ, who was not a person who suffered from low self-esteem. His humility wasn't a cover for a sense of unworthiness.

If you have made the mistake of living your life through your husband or your children, ask G.o.d for the grace to change. Admit you are a human being who needs care, consideration, and replenishment. Ask G.o.d to restore balance in your life. But as you go through the process of finding balance, don't eliminate the word humility from your vocabulary by embracing a life of selfishness. This week, ask each day for eyes to see another's need. Then ask for grace to serve in a way that truly models the humility of Jesus.

Lord, forgive me for any pride that has crowded you out of my heart. Whenever I am tempted to think or act with selfish ambition, place a check in my spirit. Give me, instead, the courage to be a servant. Make more room in my heart for your love. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

The Widow with the Two Coins Her Character: Though extremely poor, she is one of the most greathearted people in the Bible. Just after warning his disciples to watch out for the teachers of the law, who devour widows' houses, Jesus caught sight of her in the temple. He may have called attention to her as a case in point.

Her Sorrow: To be alone, without a husband to provide for her.

Her Joy: To surrender herself to G.o.d completely, trusting him to act on her behalf.

Key Scriptures: Mark 12:41 - 44; Luke 21:1 - 4 Monday HER STORY.

With Pa.s.sover approaching, the temple was packed with worshipers from all over Israel. The previous Sunday, Jesus had created a sensation as he rode down the Mount of Olives and into Jerusalem, mounted on a donkey. A large crowd had gathered, carpeting the road with palm branches and shouting: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest."

Some of the Pharisees, scandalized that Jesus was being hailed as Messiah, demanded, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"

"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.

Stung by his words, the teachers of the law began to plot how they could break the law by murdering him at their first opportunity.

Days later, after warning his disciples to watch out for the teachers of the law who preyed on widows for their money, Jesus sat opposite the temple treasury, in the Court of the Women. The place was crowded with people dropping their offerings in one of the thirteen trumpet-shaped receptacles that hung on the walls. But Jesus had eyes for only one of them. He watched as a widow deposited two small copper coins, less than a day's wages.

Quickly, he called to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on."

No one else would have noticed the woman. But Jesus, with eyes that penetrated both her circ.u.mstances and her heart, recognized the astonishing nature of her gift. Her gesture was a sign of complete abandonment to G.o.d.

Without faith, she wouldn't have offered her last penny, believing G.o.d would care for her better than she could care for herself. But there is yet another, more subtle aspect to her story. How easy it would have been for her to conclude that her gift was simply too meager to offer. What need had G.o.d for two copper coins anyway? Surely they meant more to her than they would to him. Somehow she must have had the grace to believe in the value of her small offering.

Maybe G.o.d, in a manner of speaking, did need what she had to offer. Perhaps her gesture consoled Jesus a short time before his pa.s.sion and death. She had given everything she had to live on; soon, he would give his life.

The story of the widow and her two copper coins reminds us that G.o.d's kingdom works on entirely different principles than the kingdom of this world. In the divine economy, the size of the gift is of no consequence; what matters is the size of the giver's heart.

Tuesday HER LIFE AND TIMES.

MONEY.

Two tiny coins. Mark identifies them as two Greek lepta, tiny copper coins worth less than a penny.

Roman coins (denarius), Greek coins (drachma, farthing), and Jewish coins (mite, pound, shekel, and talent) are all mentioned in the New Testament. The Israelites typically used the coinage of the nation that ruled over them, but they also developed their own local system of coinage.

Coins didn't come into use in Israel until after the people returned from exile between 500 and 400 BC. Before that time people bartered, exchanging produce, animals, and precious metals for goods and services. A woman might barter a flask of oil for a new robe or the wool from a lamb for a new lamp.

The Israelites probably carried Persian and Babylonian coins back to Israel with them when they returned from exile there. These coins were rather crudely made. Each was individually punched from gold or silver or some other metal, then a design was hammered onto each side. Greek coins most often had images of nature or animals or G.o.ds stamped onto them. Later, Roman coins carried the image of the emperor of that time as well as his name. Coins have been found with the images of all twelve Roman emperors.

By Jesus' day, a large variety of coins had come into use in Palestine. New Testament Jews used coins from Rome and Greece as well as their own Jewish form of coinage. The temple tax had to be paid in Jewish currency-in shekels. Money changers set up their businesses in order to change other coinage into shekels for temple worshipers, then, adding insult to injury, cheating their customers. Jesus was not opposed to the operation of such businesses, but to their dishonesty and to their operation within the temple itself. He furiously scattered them, declaring that his Father's house was a house of prayer, not a business site (Matthew 21:12 - 13).

While money is necessary for life in most cultures, the Bible warns against placing more importance on it than it should rightfully have. The widow who gave all she had furnishes us with the best example of recognizing the need for money-she had money, although very little - but also the need to hold it lightly-she willingly and lovingly gave it away. Peter warns us not to be "greedy for money" (1 Peter 5:2), and the writer to the Hebrews admonishes us to keep our "lives free from the love of money and be content with what [we] have" (Hebrews 13:5). When writing to Timothy, Paul penned those famous, and often misquoted, words about money: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (1 Timothy 6:10).

The pervasive lure of money and what it can provide - the need to have more and do more and get more-is probably more prevalent in our culture than in any other in history. Christians are just as susceptible to its enticements as anyone else. Money drives an effective and forceful wedge between our Savior and us. Jesus knew that and pointedly reminded us with these words: "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both G.o.d and Money" (Luke 16:13).

Wednesday HER LEGACY IN SCRIPTURE.

Read Mark 12:41 - 44.

1. Why would Jesus watch people putting money into the offering?

2. Why do you think he pointed out the widow to his disciples? What did he want them to understand about her and about the teachers of the law who preyed on women like her?

3. Why would someone give everything she had to live on?

4. Does giving your last dime seem to you like faith or folly? Why?

5. Describe your relationship with money. To what extent are you a spender, a saver, a giver, or a craver of money?

Thursday HER PROMISE.

G.o.d's promise of provision is nowhere more evident than in this story of the widow who gave all she had. She had no one else to rely on-only G.o.d. That's true of us as well, isn't it? Regardless of our financial situation, whether we are financially well off or constantly skimming the bottom, we have no one else to rely on. Our true security is not in our belongings or our bank accounts, but in G.o.d alone. And he has promised to provide.

Promises in Scripture The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

-Deuteronomy 31:8 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

-Psalm 9:10 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our G.o.d.

-Psalm 20:7 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

-Matthew 6:25 - 26 Friday HER LEGACY OF PRAYER.

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on."

-Mark 12:43 Reflect On: Mark 12:41 - 44.

Praise G.o.d: For judging not by outward appearances but as one who sees the heart.

Offer Thanks: For blessings of money, time, energy, and emotional resources.

Confess: Any tendency to act as though your security depends more on you than it does on G.o.d.

Ask G.o.d: To make you a generous woman with the faith to believe that even small gifts are worth giving.

Lift Your Heart This week, think of an area of your life that feels particularly empty or impoverished. You may be lonely, financially stretched, or worried about the future. Whatever it is, pray about it. Listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. Is G.o.d inviting you to do something to express your trust? What kind of offering would be the most pleasing to him? Once you hear his voice, go ahead and give him what his heart desires.

Father, you are the source of every blessing. This week, help me to give, not only out of my wealth, but out of my poverty. Remind me that I belong to you, body and soul, heart and mind, past, present, and future.

Mary Magdalene HER NAME MAY MEAN.

"Bitterness"

Her Character: Though mistakenly characterized as a prost.i.tute in many popular writings, the Bible says only that Mary was possessed by seven demons. She probably suffered a serious mental or physical illness from which Jesus delivered her. She is a beautiful example of a woman whose life was poured out in response to G.o.d's extravagant grace.

Her Sorrow: To watch Jesus' agony at Calvary.

Her Joy: To have been the first witness to Jesus' resurrection.

Key Scriptures: Matthew 27:56, 61; 28:1; Mark 15:40, 47; 16:1 - 19; Luke 8:2; 24:10; John 19:25; 20:1 - 18 Monday HER STORY.

She made her way through the shadows to the garden tomb, grateful for the darkness that shrouded her tears. How, she wondered, could the world go on as though nothing at all had happened? How could the mountains keep from crashing down, the sky resist falling? Had everyone but her lost their minds? Had no one noticed that the world had collapsed two days ago?

For the past three years she had followed the rabbi across Galilee and Judea, providing for him out of her own small purse. She had loved his hearty laughter and the smile that flashed across his face whenever he saw her. Wherever they went, she felt privileged to tell her story, grateful to be among his growing band of followers.

She had grown up in Magdala, a prosperous town on the west bank of the Sea of Galilee. But she had not prospered. How could a woman thrive when she was filled with demons who controlled her mind? Though she had begged for mercy, no mercy had been given. Instead, her delusions locked her in a nightmare world, isolating her even from small pleasures and simple kindnesses.

But then Jesus had come. Like no rabbi she had ever encountered, he seemed neither afraid nor repulsed by her illness. "Mary," he had called to her, as though he had known her all her life. Despite the heat, she shivered as he drew near, her stomach suddenly queasy. Though she backed away, she could feel a great light advancing toward her, forcing the darkness away. Suddenly her familiar companions were themselves begging mercy, but no mercy was given.

Mary Magdalene, a woman possessed by seven demons, was restored to her right mind, her bondage a thing of the past. Eyes that had once been holes swallowing the light now shone like pools reflecting the sun.

Since then, everyone in Magdala had marveled at the change in her. How could Mary not love such a man? How could she not want to do everything for him? She thought she was living in heaven-to be close to Jesus; to witness healing after healing; to be stirred, surprised, and refreshed by his teaching. This, indeed, was joy to a woman unaccustomed to joy.

But Jesus had his share of enemies, she knew. Religious leaders in Jerusalem had been stung by his truth-telling, offended by his galling lack of diplomacy. Still, every trap they laid for him had failed . . . until now.

How suddenly they had struck, even though Jerusalem was crowded with pilgrims for Pa.s.sover. The temple guard had arrested him at night and then turned him over to Roman authorities, who mocked and whipped him nearly to death. The rabbi from Galilee, who had promised the poor in spirit they would surely inherit the kingdom of heaven, was now in chains. His hunger and thirst for righteousness had left him not full, but empty and broken. Unblessed, he had become a curse, his body hanging naked on a Roman cross.

Mary had done her best to fight off the shadows that crowded near again as she waited through the awful hours of his agony, unable to look at the spectacle before her, yet unable to turn away. Whatever his suffering, she needed to be near him.

When it was over, she had watched Nicodemus and Joseph ofAri-mathea unfasten his body from the cross. Gently they had wrapped him in myrrh and aloe, enough for a king's burial. Finally, as the stone rolled across the tomb, sealing it shut, she had turned away.

After the Sabbath was over, on the next day, Mary purchased yet more spices. Before the sun came up on Sunday, she approached the tomb. How on earth, she wondered, could she roll away the ma.s.sive stone? But, to her surprise, the mouth of tomb lay wide open. Strips of linen were lying on the floor and the burial cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus' head was folded up by itself. What had they done with his body? she wondered. To be cheated of this last chance of touching him and caring for him was more than she could bear.

She stood outside the tomb weeping. Then, bending over, she looked inside. Two creatures in white sat on the stony shelf where the body had been laid. "Woman, why are you crying?" they asked.

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." Then she turned and saw a man studying her.

"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"

Mistaking him for the gardener, she pleaded, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

"Mary," he said.

Startled, she cried out, "Rabboni" (meaning Teacher).

By now the sun had risen. With it fled the darkness that had pursued her ever since she had heard the news of his arrest. Jesus, the one who had raised her from a living death, had himself risen from the dead.

Mary fell to the ground in awe, remembering the words of the prophet Isaiah: "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." The garden that had so recently been a place of shadows and gloom now seemed green and bright, as though paradise itself had broken through.

The risen Jesus had appeared, not to rulers and kings, nor even first of all to his male disciples, but to a woman whose love had held her at the cross and led her to the grave. Mary Magdalene, a person who had been afflicted by demons, whose testimony would not have held up in court because she was a woman, was the first witness of the resurrection. Once again, G.o.d had revealed himself to the lowly, and it would only be the humble whose hearing was sharp enough to perceive the message of his love.

Tuesday HER LIFE AND TIMES.

WOMEN IN JESUS' LIFE AND MINISTRY Looking, caring for family members, spinning, weaving, sewing, baking bread, cleaning-all of these were common tasks for women in New Testament times. Most women spent the majority of their time and energy within their homes, caring for their families. But several women stepped outside the cultural expectations of their time to play a significant role in the ministry of Jesus. Only the twelve disciples are mentioned more often than certain women, Mary Magdalene being one of them.

Mark tells us that a number of women "followed him [Jesus] and cared for his needs" (Mark 15:41). During the years of Jesus' ministry, when he and his disciples weren't earning an income, several women stepped in to care for them. They used their own financial resources to support Jesus and his disciples (Luke 8:3). While Jesus was teaching and healing, these women probably spent their time purchasing food, preparing it, and serving it. Perhaps they also found homes for Jesus and his disciples to stay in while on their travels. These particular women probably either didn't have children or had children who were grown, so their responsibilities at home were decreased, and they could instead provide for the needs of Jesus and his disciples.

Two women in Bethany, Mary and Martha, always generously opened their home to Jesus when he was in their town, providing meals and a place to rest (Luke 10:38). Jesus was close enough to these women and their brother, Lazarus, that he called them his friends (John 11:11).

The most significant woman in Jesus' life was, of course, Mary, his mother. She remained in the background during his years of public ministry. Jesus' gentle care of her when he was hanging on the cross reveals a son's true love for his mother.

Women watched Jesus suffer on the cross, remaining there until he had breathed his last and was buried. Women were the first to go to the tomb on Sunday morning and the first to witness his resurrection.

Luke's gospel in particular portrays Jesus as someone who both understood and respected women, conferring on them a stature that most of them had not previously enjoyed. Jesus' dealings with women throughout the Gospels gives all of us, men and women alike, a model to follow as we consider the status and treatment of the women with whom we come into contact every day.

Wednesday HER LEGACY IN SCRIPTURE.

Read Mark 15:33 - 41.

1. What do you think Mary Magdalene thought and felt as she heard Jesus cry out to G.o.d (verse 34)?

2. How might she have reacted when she saw him dead?

3. Why do you think she went to the cross to watch him die? Why not spare herself that?

Read John 20:1 - 16.

4. Why do you suppose Mary didn't recognize Jesus until he spoke her name?

5. How sure are you that Jesus knows your name (Isaiah 43:1)?

6. How would you compare your love for Jesus to Mary's? What feeds or dampens your love for him?

MARY MAGDALENE 395.

Thursday HER PROMISE.