HIDDEN MANNA

The Holy Bible says, “……I will declare openly that they belong to me. (Revelation 3:5)

Seated near the Temple treasury Jesus watched those who dropped their gifts; and as He knew His time was drawing close to be handed over to the authorities He continued instructing His disciples to be on guard against the Teachers of The Law.  After the crowd had dispersed, in came a poor widow cheerfully dropping all that she had and with great contentment walked off.  That coin could have perhaps fed her while she was hungry it was her only possession which she treasured in the Temple Box-a symbol of offering herself to God. She heard the Lord’s rhythmic voice which lyrics that to gain the most glorious and priceless jewel from God- Kingdom of Heaven, one has to totally give away all that he/she possesses; that helped her to deposit those two coins so courageously into the Treasury. With her pale figure and humility her act of generosity would have gone unnoticed had the Lord not drew His disciples attention saying, “I tell you that this poor widow put in more than all the others. For the others offered their gifts from what they had to spare of their riches; but she, poor as she is, gave all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:3-4) Definitely His words amazed His disciples as they witnessed those heavy moneybags the rich had deposited.

In The Book of Deuteronomy, the Sovereign Lord strictly instructed the people of Israel to take care of widows, children and strangers to uphold equal dignity for them in the society. In front of Jesus, the rich were offering their best to God. We often see that those who possess the worldly wealth offer it in generous amounts to their places of worship,  overlooking their duties towards the underprivileged. In their attempts to impress God by their huge amounts as offerings; they fail to understand what exactly God desires from their wealth. One cannot own God or the Kingdom of Heaven by merely donating lumps of amount to build a wealthy place of worship for the Sovereign Lord.

Perhaps Jesus Christ was explaining the valuable reward that waits for the one who generously obeys the Law of self emptiness. Few days later, Jesus of Nazareth gave away everything, emptying Himself in exchange for us who are the most precious and honorable in His sight. In order to set us free from this present evil age Christ gave Himself for our sins in obedience to the will of God our Father. “Becoming a curse for us, Christ has redeemed us from the curse that the Law brings.”(Galatians 3:13) He gave Himself to rescue us from all wickedness and to make us pure who belonged solely to Him. “We are all purified from sin by the offering that Jesus made of His own body once and for all.” (Hebrew 10:10)

His idea is not to withdraw people from the world but to redeem the world inclusive of all what it contains. Unlike St. John the Baptist who lived a reclusive life, concentrating on preparing everyone to welcome the arrival of Savior, Lord Jesus lived a life mingling with those who approached Him. With pure simplicity He accepted the invitation to a rich man’s banquet; so also He did not refuse a meal at the house of a tax-collector. Moved with love and compassion, he accepted sinners; narrated parables to explain the beauty of the Kingdom of God which was at hand to one and all. He accepted the triumphant journey and also the accuses that were thrown at Him when He was sentenced to death.

Let us worship the Merciful Father who loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have Eternal Life. For God did not sent His Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its Savior.

May the Lord bless you and take care of you. May He be kind and gracious to you. May the Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.

With love filled blessings,

Your Sister in Christ