Pathways to the Nations Muestra

Day 2

Last Loaf of Bread

You may not personally know any Tishbites and likely neither did the widow of Zarephath. When Elijah of Tishbe showed up on her property asking for water and the last of her bread, he surprised her. What kind of prophet with even a tiny heart for the poor would ask a destitute widow in a drought-starved country to produce the last of her famine food for him?

Elijah came from beyond the Jordan River far to the southeast. According to Kenneth Bailey in Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, the widow, living near Sidon in Baal country, wouldn’t have expected the God of Israel to hold the power or the inclination to save her and her son from starving.

But God did. He enacted a miracle following the widow’s surprising act of faith in using her final bit of flour for Israel’s prophet. God multiplied that supply and kept the widow and her son alive. In serving Elijah, she demonstrated a deeper belief than many in Israel. God blessed her household in the eighth century before Christ.

Many generations later, the Bread of Life, speaking in a Nazareth synagogue, held up the widow of Zarephath as an example of outstanding faith. He pointed out the amazing belief of an impoverished Gentile and how God saved her—an example for His followers. 

Overseas missions among people in poverty need not consist entirely of one-way provision, of the wealthier missionary giving to those much worse off financially. Long-term disciplemaking missions among impoverished populations should involve mutual appreciation and relationships that can stand the test of time, blessing people of faith like the widow of Zarephath.

You’re not a Tishbite and not likely to be directed by God to ask someone in poverty for her last slice of Wonder Bread. But how can you best engage with Jesus’ heart for impoverished people at home and overseas?