Women
Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her. Matthew 26:13 (NIV)
This devotional is about two lesser-known women in the Bible who had a great impact, with their stories recorded for all eternity. Jesus specifically calls them out. I know you may be thinking of well-known women: Eve, Mary (the mother of Jesus), Sarah (or Sarai, depending on the part of her life), Ruth, Esther, and the list goes on. But these women are recognized for acts that don’t get talked about as often. Jesus spoke specifically to His disciples about both of these women. Who are they, you may ask? Well, the truth is, we don’t know. The Bible doesn’t give us their names—only the acts that each performed.
Mark 14 describes an unnamed woman who came to Jesus in Bethany while He was at the home of Simon the Leper. She poured expensive perfume on His head. Some people criticized the expense, but Jesus defended her and said she had done a beautiful thing for Him, preparing His body beforehand for burial. I am mentioning the Mark 14 woman because Jesus specifically says her act would be remembered wherever the gospel is preached, in Mark 14:9.
The second woman was a poor widow. She was in the temple giving her offering with all the other worshippers. Jesus specifically pointed her out because of her offering. Though it was small in comparison to what the rich people gave, her offering was all that she had to live on. We don’t know how her story ends, but what we learn is that Jesus honored her offering enough to make it a teachable moment for the disciples. Her story is also written so that we can read it and learn from it for all time to come. Mark 12:41-44 (NIV), Luke 21:1-4 (NIV)
Both women decided they were going to do something extraordinary. Neither of them did it for show or for recognition—they acted from a heart of obedience. The Bible doesn’t tell us any more about how their lives turned out after their encounters with Jesus. What we do know is that Jesus was pleased with their sacrifice, obedience, and their willingness. Their journey and sacrifice caught Jesus’ attention. The obedience of these women is what Jesus is calling our attention to, not simply their sacrifice. The sacrifice was just a means to understand their story. We know this because we do not learn anything more about these women, only their willingness to be fully obedient to Jesus. What might we learn from these two women?