Woman with the Alabaster Jar
Extravagant Gratitude Jesus said, “The one who is forgiven little, loves little.” Luke 7:47 The risk was great, the ridicule inevitable. But she went to the Pharisee’s feast anyway because the love in her heart couldn’t be contained. She had to see Jesus. In her arms she carried an alabaster jar filled with perfume. She pushed her way through the …
Syrophoenician Woman
Lord, Help Me! I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Ephesians 3:16-17 We don’t know her name. She could be called many things—a Syrophoenician, a Canaanite, and a Gentile. Jews usually considered Gentiles unclean and wouldn’t …
Joanna
No Matter the Cost Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 2 Corinthians 9:13 As the wife of Chuza, King Herod’s financial manager, Joanna had status and influence. Yet …
Anna
Choose to Spread Hope and Joy She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Luke 2:37 Life didn’t work out as Anna hoped. Like most other Jewish women, she probably dreamed of marriage to a devout Jewish man, followed by the birth of several sons. But after seven years of marriage, she became a widow, …
Simeon
Waiting on God It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Luke 2:26 I don’t usually feel grateful or happy when I have to wait. And yet the Bible often tells us to wait on the Lord. For example, David wrote, “Wait patiently for the Lord. …
The Innkeeper
Don’t Miss the Miracle And she [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 (ESV) There were no five-star hotels in first-century Palestine. Travelers who were unable to stay with relatives often found lodging in shelters that …
Caesar Augustus
Lord of All Leaders The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. Proverbs 21:1 ESV Octavius was a member of the triumvirate that ruled Rome after the death of Julius Caesar. A victorious warrior and shrewd politician, he eventually became sole emperor of the Roman Empire, taking the …
Elizabeth
The Lord Has Done This for Me “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” Luke 1: 36-37 Barrenness was considered a sign of God’s disapproval. Elizabeth probably felt the shame …