The Poor Woman's Mite
Fter delivering His withering denunciation against the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus left the Outer Court and passed into the Court of the Women, where stood thirteen chests arranged along one side, in which the Jews deposited, as freewill offerings, whatever contributions their ability or generosity prompted. There was a stream of people passing along through this court, which was also called the treasury, and here Jesus took a seat beside one of the pillars, evidently with the purpose of watching with what spirit contributions to the support of the poor and the Temple priests were being made. He noticed that the arrogant, self-important and self-righteous air which distinguished the Pharisees when they went up to pray was not lacking here, for as the rich approached the chests it was with great pomposity and effort to attract attention to the liberality of their offerings. Presently, however, Jesus descries a woman, dressed in the garb of widowhood, timidly advancing, and having every appearance of poverty. He watches her, because she exhibits so much humbleness, and so much sh3mess, and so much desire to avoid notice. What can be the cause of her embarrassment, her hesitation, her uncertainty, which seem to justify suspicion as to the purpose which brought her into the treasury court? Has she committed, or does she contemplate a crime? The eye of Jesus is upon her, watching every faltering step, until in a moment when the woman thinks no one will obsene her she deposits in one of the chests her voluntary offering of two mites, a coin so small that it took two of them to make a farthing, and then turning quickly she walks away lest some one might know how beggarly was the contribution which she has made.
Jesus spake no word to the woman, but He called His disciples and said, “You see that poor widow woman, who is just now on her way to the Outer Court? Well, she is worthy of all honor. I noticed how a moment ago she came in the rear of the procession of rich Jews, and marked how they made their offerings. One had a pocket full of money and he threw in a dollar; another, whom I knew to be rich and able to give a very large sum, came flaunting his splendid robes and jewelry, and dropped in one small piece of silver, so that it would make a noise when falling; another gave a dime with an air of importance that would not become a man who gave a hundred times as much. But that poor woman cast in freely every cent that she had, and showed a pang of deep regret
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because she could not give more. She had only two mites, but it was all she had, and thus I say she gave more than all the rest. They gave to gain credit of men; they begrudged the offering even; but that poor woman made her gift out of a devout spirit, and happily denied herself things which were greatly needed, in order that she might fulfill in the largest measure her obligation to God.”
Certain of the Greeks Desire Audience with Him.
As Jesus ceased talking to those disciples who had come at His call to hear the lesson on the generous and righteous spirit which the poor woman had exhibited, two others of His disciples, Philip and Andrew, came to tell Him that some Greeks desired to see Him. It must not be supposed that all who attended the Passover were Jews, for the teachings of Jesus and John had already spread among the Gentiles in the Holy Land, and some of these who had renounced their nationality to embrace Judaism were in a condition of semi-conviction that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. They had seen some of His miracles and had proofs of many others, sa that their curiosity to know more of Him was a creditable ambition. These Gentiles were Greeks who lived in Galilee and from the manner in which they were introduced to Jesus we must believe that they were acquaintances of Philip. They had certainly nearly outgrown the crude religion of the Hellenes, whose gods peopled the air and the earth alike, but they had no conception of how an incarnate God could redeem the world through His death.
Jesus gladly accorded the Greeks, who thus sought Him, an interview, apparently regarding them as the nucleus around which would gather those seeking a higher conception of the Deity than was offered by Hellenistic beliefs, and which would spread until the gospel of the true faith should be embraced by all the Gentile nations of the world. When, therefore, Jesus met the Greeks, knowing their desire, He said, “The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified.” This declaration He followed by an explanation of how His suffering and death should save the world. Said He, “Verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” In other words, seed will not produce unless it be planted; in planting, the grain dies, but the seed-germ blossoms forth into new life and produces a hundred- fold. Grains of wheat have been found in the necropoli of the Egyptians, where they had remained in mummy cases of the dead for thousands of years suffering no destruction of their germs, and when planted they have brought forth curious-looking, but splendid wheat, like that which the Israelites harvested in the time of the Pharaohs. Therefore, the illustration which Christ gave was to show that death to the grain meant productive life to the plant which succeeded, so His death was that seed which would bring forth the fruit of redemption in the harvest of spiritual life
THE widow’s mite. — Drawn by Dore.
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The dual nature of Jesus made Him alike the suljject of spiritual and natural laws. Had He come onh’ preaching the gospel and making no sacrifices of His life, He would have been likened unto the wheat which lay for ages in the mummy cases of the Egyptians; the germ would have lived, but it would never have brought forth spiritual fruits. Hence, His subjection to natural laws and human conditions made it necessary for Him to suffer and to die in order that from His death might spring up the harvest of the resurrection. So likewise must death come to all, that being like a seed planted in corruption we .spring forth anew in ancorruption. Therefore, thus spoke Jesus: “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve Me, let him follow Lie; and where I am, there shall also My servant be; if any man serve Me, him will My Father honor.” At this moment a sudden change came over our Lord; His eyes closed as if in deep reflection, a pallor spread over His illustrious features; His breath grew fitful, and the heaving of His bosom showed that some terrible mental trouble had assailed Him. A cloud had enveloped His pure soul out of which it struggled to escape, but a vision of martyrdom was before Him, and the tragic sacrifice which He was to suffer hung upon Him in a great and terrible pall. His lips now moved and in agony He spoke, “Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name.’’
But in this hour of trouble, when the cross was before Him in prefigurement ot the horrible death which He was so soon to suffer, and when an ocean of agony seemed rolling over Him with dark and beating waves, His sinking spirit was revived by a voice that came like a paean out of the sky, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” Once before this voice of God came down in benediction upon Him at His baptizing, and again on the Mount of Transfiguration, and a third time it spoke, not only to His oppressed spirit, but as a testimony to His Sonship of God to an assemblage in the Temple.
The voice ceased, the vision of torture faded, the spirit of consolation had settled its wings upon the soul of Jesus, and He resumed His discourse to the people about Him. Some had said the voice was inarticulate, others that it thundered, while others declared that it was an angel speaking in some unknown tongue, but Christ stilled their disputes by assuring them that it was indeed a voice from heaven given as a testimpny of His Messiahship, as some who were given the power to understand knew it to be. “Now, “said Jesus,” is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up (crucified, as I must soon be), will draw all men unto Me; for the time approaches when men will understand, and will perceive that My death was the seed of their salvation.” Then some asked Him: “We have heard out (45^)
of the law that Christ abideth forever; and how sayest Thou then that the Son of Man must be lifted up [crucified]? Who is this Son of Man?” But Jesus did not choose to answer them directly; they would soon be able to know what He meant, the fulfillment of His words was almost at hand. The day was dying and the night of death was stealing down to cover the world with sorrow, and Christ said,” Yet a little while is the light of My presence with you. Walk while you have this light, lest darkness overtake you. While ye have the light, believe in the light; that ye may be children of the light.”
Prophecies Uttered on Olivet.
The day, Tuesday, had been a most eventfuj one, in which Jesus had vanquished His enemies at every point of conflict, and during which He had given many incomparable lessons condemning the scribes and Pharisees. It was now far in the afternoon and Jesus prepares to leave the Temple, whose interior He would never again behold, and to which He would not again bend His steps as an instructor of His people. Slowly He leaves the sacred edifice, followed by His disciples. His heart burdened with sad reflections on the departed glory of the ancient house of Israel, in which the hopes of the nation had so long centered, the dedication of its sanctuaries to God, and how now it was profaned by impious uses of a worldly priesthood. And thus together they pass out of the gate leading to Bethany, down through the valley of Jehoshaphat, over the Kedron and on to Olivet, upon the apex of which Jesus and the Twelve sit down to look again upon the splendors of Jerusalem, crowned as they are by the grandeur and magnificence of the Temple, sparkling in the sunlight like a city of pearls and diamonds, and amethysts and beryls in the splendor of dazzling combination.
While sitting on the Mount, one of the disciples, remembering how Christ had wept over Jerusalem and foreshadowed the Temple’s destruction, said to Him, “Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! “Such a structure, with its immense masonry, with its stones of astounding size, some of them being as much as forty feet long, twelve feet thick and eighteen feet broad, seemed to be able to defy time itself, so that the disciple was anxious to know how these would be destroyed. And Jesus answered him,” See ye not all these things ?■ Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.”
Then asked Peter, James, John and Andrew, in all of whom surprise became at once overmastering, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world?” What a momentous question was this to the disciples who had begiui to comprehend the spiritual nature of Christ and who possibly were thinking that the end of the world was now not far away.
Jesus answered them very much as He had once before, for said He:” Take heed that no man deceive you, for many shall come in My name, saying, ‘I am Christ,’ and shall deceive many.” This forewarning He had given them on a previous occasion, but it was proper to repeat it because, as His disciples were to become missionaries to spread the gospel, it was important to impress upon them some of the difficulties which they would have to encounter. But He did not regard it as advisable to inform them positively when the events which He predicted would be fulfilled, preferring to give a warning that would cause them to constantly watch and pray and to fulfill all righteousness.
Continuing His prophecy, Jesus said, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” No, not yet, for there shall rise nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, despite peace congresses and boards of arbitration, and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes despite our transportation facilities, and our quarantines, and our signal ser’ice. Christ foresaw all these just as He foresaw what civilization of the nineteenth century would be, and He said all these are but the beginning of sorrows. Then looking again into the future and taking in at one glance all the persecutions to which His followers would be subjected, the burnings, and crucifixions, nd tormenting with steel and claw and screw and rack and dungeon, and fangs of half- famished beasts. He told them, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted [tormented], and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another and shall hate one another.” How often already has this prediction been fulfilled? Ask the spirits of the persecuted Protestants and of the persecuted Catholics. First, heathen against Christian, and then Christian against Christian. It is a horrible remembrance, and as truthfully pictured by Jesus as it is recorded in history.
“And many false prophets shall rise and deceive many.” Scarcely a year passes that we do not learn of the sudden appearance of one of these, and though other continents have been afflicted with a great number, America, for a young country, has supplied more than her quota. “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Judgment to Swoop Down Upon Jerusalem.
All these are judgments which were, and some of which are yet to come upon all nations; but there were other judgments to be visited upon Jerusalem, and upon all Judah, the worst of which, let us believe, have already been fulfilled. Continuing therefore, He spake,” When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by David, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth let him understand). When armies shall encompass Jerusalem, then let that be a warning to flee into the mountains.” How fortunate would it have been had the people followed this advice, when Titus encompassed the walls ot that city at the time of the Passover, and when Gallus surprised and invested it during the feast of Tabernacles and killed a million people.
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sotmd of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” This should be the sign of the Lord’s second coming. No description can ever surpass this, no words of poet, philosopher or rhetorician can ever equal these which fell from the Master’s lips. So thrilling that the heart is shaken by the reading, so picturesque that the whole prophecy presents itself like a terrible picture before our horrified vision: as we look on at the shadow cast by an obscured sun, and see the sooty moon riding on wing of storm, and stars leaping out of heaven like serpents of fire, and mountains toppling, and cities tumbling, we are fairly cast down with terror. But our eyes then turn to the background of this picture, and we see a rising light flooding the distracted earth, scattering cloud and falling star. Behold now how the dark clouds are gilded, and how they grow into gigantic pearls with rainbow above and aurora borealis below and flame of glory in the centre. The magnificence of the scene grows into sublimity of lustre as we observe Jesus riding on chariot of cloud with all the sumptuousness of heaven about Him, and bands of angels preceding in phalanx of iridescent wing and radiant face, and trailing robes of gossamer. Why-, so faithful is the picture that we can almost hear the trumpet blast calling together all the Christians of the world, those to whom reward shall be given, and can see that as God combs the long black tresses of the storm with lightning and then adorns them with ribbon of rainbow, so has He lent to the picture of a tottering world the refulgence and bewildering splendor and dazzling glory of Jesus coming to save those who are prepared to give Him welcome.
Prepare for the Lord’s Coming.
Jesus declared to His disciples that many signs would be given even during
that generation, but that the hour of the day of His coming no man knew, not even
the angels in heaven, the time being concealed from all save from God Himself.
“Watch, therefore,” .said He, “for ye know not what hour your lyord doth come.
But do not be as were the people in the time of Noah; let it be sufficient for you
to have revealmeiit of the fact that the Lord shall come, and use all your time in
preparation to receive Him. If you do not watch and pray yoa will grow heedless, and relapse into sinful indulgences, for
the temptations to pursue worldly pleasures
are so great as to wean you from righteous
resolutions unless you fortify yourself against
them by an ever-constant regard for your
religious obligations. Be vigilant, for the
hour of the Lord’s reappearing will be like a
master going into a far country, and leaving
his effects in the charge of servants who are
commanded to be diligent in their duties and
keep a faithful watch unto his return. If
the servant be dutiful the master will reward
him, but if he be slothful and say in his
heart, my Lord has delayed his return, and
in this feeling of security he plunge into
all manner of guilty indulgences, and neglect longer to keep watch, surely he will
not escape punishment. The master will
return when the servant is not expecting
him, and seeing how he had disregarded his commands, the master will
drive him out and deliver
him up for punishment.”
“You know,” said
Jesus,
“that if
a householder
should
be apprised
of the
hour
when a
burglar bronze lamp used by eastern nations.
would come to rob him, he would watch to prevent his house being plundered. But as a thief comes in his own secret time so will the return of the Son of Man be similarly sudden and unexpected.”
Parable of the Ten Virgins.
The coming” of the Lord for judgment was illustrated by Jesus by a parable of ten virgins, who had been invited to participate in a marriage procession. It was customary with the Jews in the higher circles to make a festival of marriage, among other practices being that of going out in a procession to meet the groom, the celebrants first providing themselves with musical instruments and with lamps and torches, to receive and conduct him to the bride’s home, where the marriage ceremony was performed and a great feast given. In the parable related by Jesus of ten virgins who went out to welcome the bridegroom, five were wise in that they took lamps filled with oil and also carried an additional supply in their oil cases to provide for refilling their lamps if they should burn out during the time of waiting. The other five, being foolish, did not make such provision, being heedless of consequences, since they reckoned upon a quick appearance of the groom. So the ten went out in the evening to a house by which the groom must pass and there waited his approach; but hour after hour went by with no signs of his coming and the long delay serving to make their eyes heavy with slumber they all finally lay down and slept. At midnight the sound of music and of singing aroused other people in the house, who, rushing out, saw a procession advancing, headed by torches, and girls in white singing, and they called out to the sleeping virgins, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh: go ye out to meet him.” Then there was a hasty scrambling to make ready, but when the five improvident virgins trimmed their lamps they discovered that the oil had burned out, so they begged of the others to give them a supply; but the wise answered, “Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.” They now realized how neglectful they had been, and rushed off in great haste to a neighboring oil merchant, hoping yet to have their lamps refilled before the groom should reach the bride’s house. But while they were gone the bridegroom came and the five wise virgins joined the procession and went on with it to the bride’s house, where they were joyfully received, and the door being soon shut the festivities and feasting began.
After a while the five foolish virgins came with their burning lamps and sought admission to the house of celebration, but to their knockings and their suppliant cries of “Lord, Lord, open to us,” they received only the chilling reply, “I know you not.”
See that you be not neglectful like the five foolish virgins, but be prepared against the time when the bridegroom from heaven shall appear, coming in glory to spread a banquet in celebration of His wedding with those who have been faithful to Him through night of temptation and through’ day of promise.
Jesus having given to His disciples the parable of the ten virgins, then repeated that o£ the talents, practically as He related it in Jericho, giving to it
THE FOOLISH VIRGINS. — Drawn by Bida.
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however a re- enforcement by way of deeper impressment upon the minds of His twelve auditors, showing how they should not only prove faithful in maintaining towards God a worshipful feeling, but that it was obligatory upon them to exercise whatever abilities with which they were endowed towards advancing the kingdom of the Gospel, for their reward would be in proportion to the service they rendered in spreading the gospel and bringing souls to repentance. And Jesus also gave His disciples an illustration of the Judgment which was to be sent on the nations, saying, “And before Him shall be gathered all nations; and He shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats, and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” To the sheep, who know Him as their shepherd, and who obey His voice, rewards of salvation and blessedness shall be given; but the goats on the left, signifying the hypocrites, the Pharisees, and those so worldly-minded as to have given themselves to sinful indulgences, will be cast into outer darkness — the one to a blissful life that shall be unending: the other to punishment that shall be like everlasting.