What They Could: Significant Small Things

Mary came to Jesus during a meal and anointed His head with spikenard, a “very precious” ointment. Judas called this wasteful. Jesus corrected him: “She hath wrought a good work on me. She hath done what she could.” Mary was anointing Him for burial. She could not stop a single whiplash. But she did what she could, and He accepted her offering with gratitude. Many who loved Him did what they could, showing love and support in meaningful small ways He understood.

The Spirit in Doing What They Could

Men, women, and children did what they could as Christ rode triumphantly into Jersalem. Large crowds waved palm branches, signs of  victory and triumph. With the branches they scattered palm leaves, representing eternal life and peace, along the road before Him. “Hosanna!” (Savior!) they shouted. “Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

“Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!” Pharisees ordered Jesus, “Rebuke thy disciples.” He answered, “If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Some Jewish leaders were angry as children cried out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” They snarled at Jesus, “Hearest thou what these say?” He replied, “Yea; Have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” Doing what they could, those sweet children just kept praising. (Details in  Matthew 21, John 12, Mark 11.)

Adoring crowds and precious children could not release Christ from vicious enemies or bring Him down from the cross. They did what they could; He knew they were there, and He knew what they proclaimed.

Their Efforts As He Loved and Taught

Like the triumphal entry, the passover supper started with celebration that became serious. The apostles did what they could, but like the shouting crowd they did not completely understand the real nature and full significance of what was happening.

Christ was the only one who understood. Everything He did was planned and purposeful. The apostles would need more time and experience before they could fully comprehend and act upon what happened in that upper room. John reported, “He loved them to the end.”

Perspective

The apostles listened and engaged, doing what they could. As He spoke of  His Father’s kingdom and eventually bringing them there, Christ added, “And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.”

Thomas, grounded in earthly matters, was troubled: “Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?” The Savior lifted him to eternal matters: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

As Christ stressed His unity with His Father, He explained, “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.” Philip, like Thomas, looked for an earthly experience: “Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.”

Philip also had to be lifted to perceive eternal relationships: “Hast thou not [yet] known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.”

Later Thomas and Philip would grasp eternal perspectives and concepts of the highest order as courageous missionaries in distant parts of the world.

Progression

The Savior knew the Apostles would not understand the full impact of the sacrament or the washing of feet; He helped them process what they could.

 When the Savior came to wash his feet, impetuous Peter  protested. When he learned its importance, Peter offered his hands and his head also; the Lord said feet would be sufficient.

Christ’s warning was serious: “Satan hath desired to have you . . . But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”

When Peter declared he would go to prison and to death with the Savior, the Lord know Peter was not yet ready. “Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.” (Details in  John 13-18, Luke 22:17-,45, Matthew 26, Mark 14.)

The Lord knew all about “afterwards.” Peter would provide powerful leadership for the early Church and die an excruciating martyr’s death. But he must do what he could until he matured into it.

Blessed to Do What They Could

As Isaiah prophesied, Christ must tread the winepress alone (63:5). No one could join Him on the winepress, but they did what they could.

John was the only disciple at the foot of the cross. Seeing His mother watch in agony, Jesus turned to John: “Behold thy mother.” John took her to his home.

Secret follower Joseph of Arimathaea got permission to take down and attend to the body of Jesus, offering his new garden sepulchre. Nicodemus, Christ’s night visitor, brought a large quantity of myrrh with aloes. The two wound  Christ’s body in linen with the spices, the Jews’ burial custom. These small things they could do.

These two did not see the women following them, watching how their Savior was laid. They would prepare their own spices for Sunday morning.

Among the most faithfilled,  loving, loyal, and dependable of Christ’s followers was a group of women, some who had been healed by Christ and “many others,” including mothers of disciples and other followers. In Galilee they accompanied and ministered to Him.

They went with Him to Jerusalem and to Calvary. They stood “afar off” and watched everything. Lani and John Hilton emphasized that despite terrible danger, they stayed until the bitter/triumphant end.

Although the women at the cross could not change the situation, they remained present with the Savior in His excruciating pain. Their examples show us that one way “to mourn with those that mourn” . . . is simply to be with those who suffer.¹

Jeffrey R. Holland spoke in praise of  “small things, probably unpremeditated things where you through your actions preach peace by Jesus Christ . . . [and] are, like He is, a teacher of truth.”²