For those of you who are old enough, you will remember Jim Croce playing our heart-strings with his Time In a Bottle, memorializing how critically important moments with his mate had been. Unless one is a stoic, everyone seeks to be valued this way. Stoics, coming from ancient Greeks, saw human relationships as a weakness and aimed to have a type of distance to other humans, as uncaring and unmoved from the human condition, as they believed people in ancient times experienced from all their pagan gods. Pagan gods viewed Jason and the Argonauts etc, with a passive uninterested eye from a distance. Stoics emulated that pattern. (Dr Jim Fleming, 8/2012, Biblical Archeology seminar, First Century Christians Experience the Parables of Jesus, Ocean Grove, NJ).
Christianity of course, is the opposing view. Relationships are the value of life. Yes they bring pain. However they also bring joy and companionship along with many other benefits. And Jesus shows us how to deal with and transform that pain into good and benefit for ourselves and for others.
In the book of Psalms King David writes of God that He collects our tears in a bottle.
Yesterday I learned that this actually was a first century practice. In the excavation of tombs is found small tear shaped bottles that contain crystallized salt residue of actual tears. The shape of the bottle allows the individual to hold it under their eye so that their tears will flow into the bottle. Dr Fleming explained that the value of the grief brought on by love was a gift given to the loved one who had died. Tears so precious to be worth collecting and memorializing.
He went on to discuss the woman who had washed Jesus feet with her tears.
The passage of scripture actually relates that the woman was in the house prior to Jesus entering. Although Jesus was an invited guest, the moment he walked in he was purposely and rudely snubbed. Rituals of hospitality are very important in any culture, more so even in ancient times. Rituals included greeting with arms on shoulders and a kiss on each cheek, an invitation to sit, and washing of feet, food and drink. Simon did not greet Jesus.
The use of the past perfect tense of the Greek also indicates that this was a woman who had known Jesus prior to the visit. She could not bear to watch Jesus, who had already changed her life very probably, be treated in this manner. Chances are that she carried two bottles, one with perfume that would have looked the same as the other bottle, of her tears. To this I imagine she added her own tears swelling from grief that Jesus was treated so poorly. One can easily imagine all her own grief and anger and frustration and experiences of injustice and mistreatment welling up at the same time.
Perhaps it was that this incident caused her to pour out all her own grief onto Jesus feet.
Jesus publicly honors her, and contrasts the behavior of his host. One does not usually criticize ones host. Jesus was tough. He called Simon out right there in front of everyone and told him that a woman was of far greater value than he was. At that time that was a low blow a great insult as women were treated as chattle and owned. Indeed Jesus walking on the earth gave woman and children dignity and standing, respect and value. Here is a primary example.
What does it say to us in clinical psychology? Look carefully.
The woman trusted Jesus enough to pour out all her grief. She did not care who saw. In fact she was purposely honoring him where he had been shamed. She put herself out there for Him.
She might not have anticipated the raw emotion that welled up from within her. To display emotion was not acceptable at that time.
Jesus understands all this.
The reciprocal action, is that the woman leaves in peace.
Her grief had been assuaged.
Time and time again in the use of Christian Psychological Theory have I seen God come and assuage severe grief and sorrow. Such depths of trauma and sorrow as to be almost unimaginable. Poured out into relationship with Him, onto His feet in love and trust, people become healed. They truly do leave in peace as this woman did.
Under every type of mental disorder, even organically caused ones, there is trauma resulting in anger or bitterness under which is great depths of sorrow. Sometimes that sorrow is so great as to shatter the actually personality in attempting to contain it.
But no sorrow is too great for Jesus.
God collects our tears.
Our sorrows, hurt and weeping are heard by Him, and again the ancient text shows that the actual verb used means He weeps with us.
People recovering from grief know the helpfulness of having someone care enough to be willing to share in your sorrow. Crying together can be healing.
As we turn to our relationship with Jesus, as we bridge our clients to relationship with Jesus on greater and greater depths, the level of bonding allows deep sharing, and intermingling of grief with God the Father. From this comes peace and relief.
Jesus loves each of us just as much as He loved that woman.
He has collected all our tears in His bottle so that we can have peace.
Peace, be unto you this and every day,
Dr Eva
Christian Psychological Studies Institute - HOME
Christianity of course, is the opposing view. Relationships are the value of life. Yes they bring pain. However they also bring joy and companionship along with many other benefits. And Jesus shows us how to deal with and transform that pain into good and benefit for ourselves and for others.
In the book of Psalms King David writes of God that He collects our tears in a bottle.
Yesterday I learned that this actually was a first century practice. In the excavation of tombs is found small tear shaped bottles that contain crystallized salt residue of actual tears. The shape of the bottle allows the individual to hold it under their eye so that their tears will flow into the bottle. Dr Fleming explained that the value of the grief brought on by love was a gift given to the loved one who had died. Tears so precious to be worth collecting and memorializing.
He went on to discuss the woman who had washed Jesus feet with her tears.
The passage of scripture actually relates that the woman was in the house prior to Jesus entering. Although Jesus was an invited guest, the moment he walked in he was purposely and rudely snubbed. Rituals of hospitality are very important in any culture, more so even in ancient times. Rituals included greeting with arms on shoulders and a kiss on each cheek, an invitation to sit, and washing of feet, food and drink. Simon did not greet Jesus.
The use of the past perfect tense of the Greek also indicates that this was a woman who had known Jesus prior to the visit. She could not bear to watch Jesus, who had already changed her life very probably, be treated in this manner. Chances are that she carried two bottles, one with perfume that would have looked the same as the other bottle, of her tears. To this I imagine she added her own tears swelling from grief that Jesus was treated so poorly. One can easily imagine all her own grief and anger and frustration and experiences of injustice and mistreatment welling up at the same time.
Perhaps it was that this incident caused her to pour out all her own grief onto Jesus feet.
Jesus publicly honors her, and contrasts the behavior of his host. One does not usually criticize ones host. Jesus was tough. He called Simon out right there in front of everyone and told him that a woman was of far greater value than he was. At that time that was a low blow a great insult as women were treated as chattle and owned. Indeed Jesus walking on the earth gave woman and children dignity and standing, respect and value. Here is a primary example.
What does it say to us in clinical psychology? Look carefully.
The woman trusted Jesus enough to pour out all her grief. She did not care who saw. In fact she was purposely honoring him where he had been shamed. She put herself out there for Him.
She might not have anticipated the raw emotion that welled up from within her. To display emotion was not acceptable at that time.
Jesus understands all this.
The reciprocal action, is that the woman leaves in peace.
Her grief had been assuaged.
Time and time again in the use of Christian Psychological Theory have I seen God come and assuage severe grief and sorrow. Such depths of trauma and sorrow as to be almost unimaginable. Poured out into relationship with Him, onto His feet in love and trust, people become healed. They truly do leave in peace as this woman did.
Under every type of mental disorder, even organically caused ones, there is trauma resulting in anger or bitterness under which is great depths of sorrow. Sometimes that sorrow is so great as to shatter the actually personality in attempting to contain it.
But no sorrow is too great for Jesus.
God collects our tears.
Our sorrows, hurt and weeping are heard by Him, and again the ancient text shows that the actual verb used means He weeps with us.
People recovering from grief know the helpfulness of having someone care enough to be willing to share in your sorrow. Crying together can be healing.
As we turn to our relationship with Jesus, as we bridge our clients to relationship with Jesus on greater and greater depths, the level of bonding allows deep sharing, and intermingling of grief with God the Father. From this comes peace and relief.
Jesus loves each of us just as much as He loved that woman.
He has collected all our tears in His bottle so that we can have peace.
Peace, be unto you this and every day,
Dr Eva
Christian Psychological Studies Institute - HOME
