Although Easter is behind us, I am still reflecting upon events which took place during the week leading up to His death and resurrection. After all, if you knew you had only one week left to live, what would be the most important life lessons you’d pass along to family and friends? Passion Week was that week for Jesus. He pointed out some important life lessons to prepare His disciples for His soon departure. He was like a college professor preparing his students for Finals week, cramming as much important information into them as he could before the final.
One of those important life lessons unfolded that week because of two radically generous women . It was Tuesday of Passion Week and Jesus was standing beside the Temple entrance observing the multitudes putting money into the collection plate. He took note of many rich people donating large amounts. Then a poor widow comes and puts in her two small copper coins, equivalent to a penny. Jesus took that moment to call over His disciples and point out the actions of her donation. Hey guys, He says, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:43,44.
I wonder what the disciples thought in that moment?
The next day Jesus was reclining at the dinner table of Simon, the leper enjoying a meal with friends and His disciples when a woman enters the room carrying an alabaster vial of very costly perfume. Then she does the unthinkable, she takes her vial of expensive oils and breaks it then pours it over Jesus. From His head to his toes Jesus is covered as the aroma fills the room. Meanwhile, the dinner guests are Indignant, the accountants have calculated the cost of this extravagant display to be about 300 denarii, equivalent to $54,509 in USD. They murmur amongst themselves, “What a waste, she could have sold the perfume to help the poor.” But Jesus disrupts their judgemental conversations to defend the woman’s actions. He goes to acknowledge her radical generosity will be a good deed long remembered.
On my journey through Passion Week, Jesus taught me an important life lesson from these two women. First of all, these women were radically generous. Secondly, Jesus didn’t measure their radical generosity by the value of their gifts. No instead, it was measured by a radical generosity of the heart.
So on my journey this week I’ve been praying God show me areas where I have been less than generous and opportunities where I can be more generous like these two women.