Widows of the New Testament - Essay Example

With this concept in mind, the purpose of this essay is to discuss how the New Testament represented these women, given the context of the time as well as deciphering what message was intended by including the tales of these widows in the Bible. Although widows are featured in the books of Luke 7 and 18, Acts 6 and 1 Timothy 5, this essay is going to focus on another selection that discusses widows in the book of Mark, chapter 12. Through an analysis of this text, as well as some secondary references, this paper will discuss how widows are represented in the New Testament, if the context of both the era and culture attribute to this representation and hypothesize about what message the Bible is intending to impart to readers through the inclusion of these tales about widows.

In beginning this essay, it is first essential to summarize the text of Mark 12. Amid the lines of Mark 12, there are certain key lessons and parables that emerge. Aside from the parable of the vineyard and the wicked husbandmen, another key part of the chapter is the parable of the widow’s mite. . Through this parable, there are several key issues that come to light. First and most obvious, the widow is portrayed as a person of kindness and generosity. As Jesus speaks of this widow women, he notes how she was not well off financially but, still found the ability to give all she had in an effort to pay homage to the church and God she loved and revered so much.

This aspect about the widow highlights the fact that Jesus seems to be showing readers the gentle and giving nature of women, in this case a widow. By using a widow for this parable, it is evident that Jesus is attempting to demonstrate that even those women who have lost their partners in life still maintain the often feminine traits of unyielding compassion and maternal nature to care and give to others. Through featuring women this way, the parable begins with the widow being immediately established as a woman with a giving and caring nature.

In addition to this initial view of the widow, a more complex analysis of the context of the era surrounding this time leads to the discovery that the widow was in a very desolate position. During the time of the New Testament, poverty levels were at literal desolation. To indicate that someone was particularly poor meant that they were at the lowest level of society possible (Study Light). As Jesus did this in regard to the widow with the two mites, readers can decipher that she was a person who literally had nothing to live off of and struggled just to find food everyday.

With this realization, it makes the message of the parable even more astounding that someone in this situation could find it within themselves and their faith to give