PINE. The widow Jesus praised put in everything, and that is where PINE began. But in time, I just couldn't stay put. Meaning, put isn't my favorite word, and besides, I had another word that meant essentially the same thing, but which brought even more meaning to PINE, and it was a word I have always loved, and that is pour. Pour IN Everything. PINE. This was perfect. And also fits the story Jesus told in a powerful way. Jesus refers to "a poor widow" so now I like to think of her as a "pour widow" since she poured out all she had to live on, by gifting it to the LORD through the temple treasury.
Pour spelled p-o-u-r is such a beautiful image, and reminds me of another one of my favorite stories in the life of Jesus, this one is also in Mark, chapter 14, verses 1-9:
"Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
And, so, joining these two stories, PINE became Pour IN Everything.
Something I noticed is that the poor, those who live without much financial resource, were mentioned in both stories. The poor widow who put in everything she had to live on, and the poor who theoretically could have benefited from the sale of the perfume, according to the indignant guests in Simon's home. In both stories, Jesus' attention is on the pour, that is, on what is being given. Both times, it was everything. The reason, I believe, is because both women had a longing for something more than this world offers. Their vision was higher and deeper, which compelled them to pour in everything. They had hearts that PINED, and both stories took place in the temple, as Jesus referred to his body as the temple. There is so much more to consider in all of this. I hope you do!
