This morning, six of us (3 women and 3 men) gathered in our den to connect and discuss God and life. Jo expounded on the question, “What would Jesus do?,” suggesting that a better question would be, “What would Jesus do if he were me, living in today’s culture and facing today’s social and political challenges?”
I responded with a confession that I tend to withdraw into self-guilt when I’m asked to do what Jesus did; “Jesus turned water into wine, raised the dead, fed the multitudes, healed lepers, and walked on water.” I’ve tried to heal others and failed miserably! I mean really tried, sometimes for months. I didn’t do it in public but I did pray and practiced remote healing from my secret place under the shadow of the Almighty. The results were not what I hoped for. With that not so encouraging history, how am I going to do greater works than these because Jesus went to the Father? As I made my confession, it occurred to me that the one thing Jesus did, the one thing that was more important than healing and miracles, and the primary reason for his incarnation was that he laid down his life for humanity.
Peter, one of the young men in our group, talked about Jesus in the olive garden of Gethsemane and the pressure needed to squeeze olive oil from the fruit. The pressure Jesus was under while praying in the garden was such that blood oozed from his pores. Under that pressure he seriously considered bailing on his purpose. Jesus once told us that no one could take his life. He could have chosen to walk away but He chose to lay his life down. He humbled himself and lifted humanity up. And it is Jesus who said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” It wasn’t a belief or platitude for Jesus. He lived it, even in death. This one act was greater than all the healings and miracles that some of us strive to perform.
While listening to Peter, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the story of the widow’s mite.
And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.” (Luke 21:1–4, NASB95)
It was a moment of clarity for me that came with grace and lifted me out of my what-would-Jesus-do guilt. Jesus was equipped with many spiritual gifts. He ministered out of the abundance of his ability. But in this story of the widow, the Spirit was showing me that those of us who are spiritually poor (compared to Jesus), those of us who are not gifted with healings and charisma and vision–we can still give out of our spiritual poverty and it matters. It is not the outward effect so much as the inward sacrifice that counts. The widow gave the little she had, but in doing so she tapped into the mind of Christ. She was laying her life down for others–that is of great value. I’m not just applying this to money, but also to the spiritual gifts and anointings we have. We may feel impoverished at times, but like the Scripture says, every joint supplies and each one gave as they were able. We can be one with Christ as we lay our life down. I’m not talking about suicide, but of dying daily as Paul did. He died to his ego, he died to those things within his mind that held him back from freely loving.
Lord help me, and help us, so we don’t respond to great needs by withdrawing into guilt or insecurity over what we do not have; help us to keep our heart and mind open to love and give what we have, not expecting anything in return. God can take what we give and work wonders; He can turn our few loaves and fish into food for the masses. Give us the grace to help people, and give us perfected love that is stronger than our fear of egoic and physical death. And help us remember that the poor in spirit are blessed, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)
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