Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Let us consider one more application from the account of the poor widow who gave “two mites” (Mark 12:42-44). Jesus’ commendation of her faithful giving is as strong as possible. I think of many such people who have blessed me through the years. When my Grandmother Jepson (who had as little of this world’s goods as anyone I have known) learned that I ate jelly every day, she made sure that I always had her homemade jellies year round. My Grandmother Boston also had little (my grandfather died of cancer quite young, leaving her with eight children ranging in age from thirteen years to three months). Later in life she still had little. Yet when I took my family to visit her before Christmas, she always made sure that my boys left with an orange each (which served as a ball in the car on the way home and later as a treat). The kids always found ways to make my birthday and Christmas special, even though they had no money. A file of drawings and cards (on scrap paper, which we used for such things – and which I have always used for sermon notes) remains a prized possession in my otherwise minimalist way of life. These examples are just three of many. The point is simple: the giving of “two mites” is a great blessing to both the giver and receiver.