Have you ever heard of or seen an ancient tear jar?
Stories of tear jars—or lachrymatories—appear often in middle eastern history. In Roman times, women would fill these small glass jars with their tears and place them in tombs as symbols of love and mourning for their deceased loved one. A wife in antiquity might use such a jar to collect her tears of grief and longing for a husband who was away at war. Then, upon his return, she would present the jar to him as a tangible symbol of her unfailing love and devotion.
It’s no wonder this custom developed. Look at Psalm 56:8 in which David prays to God, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” You might say the Creator of the Universe first patterned this act of devotion and eternal love for us.
In April 2019, I had the immense blessing of making a pilgrimage to Israel with 38 other wonderful sisters in Christ. Kristi McLelland, a truly gifted Bible teacher who I’ve sat under for the past two plus years, led us on this journey. And oh, what an incredible experience it was to walk where Jesus and our spiritual ancestors walked.
Bringing back lots of souvenirs from travels isn’t my thing. But there were two items I really did want to bring back with me from Israel. A replica of an original tear jar and a widow’s mite. I’m happy to say I was able to bring back both—and I treasure them!
When a sweet friend (waving to you, Rebekah Joy!) returned to Israel with Kristi last fall, I asked her to please bring back two more tear jars—so that I could give them away in February’s giveaway for my reader friends!
Here are the two tear jars she brought back with her from Jerusalem (handcrafted there, of course) and that I’m giving away this month!
Aren’t they gorgeous? They look very similar to the one I brought back from the Christian Quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem.
Another 2019 highlight for me was attending LifeWay’s filming of Kristi’s new video Bible study series! Do you notice anything familiar on the cover? : )
In this new video series releasing in March, Kristi provides amazing cultural and spiritual insight into several key women in the New Testament who encountered Christ. Among them, the woman recorded in Luke 7 who anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume (and her tears), and who then wipes his feet with her unbound hair (scandalous in Biblical times!).
About Jesus & Women video series featuring Kristi McLelland:
Imagine walking the dusty roads of Galilee with Jesus of Nazareth—braving jostling crowds just to touch the edge of His cloak and hear Him say, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you.”
Those words, once meant to comfort a hurting woman’s soul thousands of years ago, were also meant for you.
Join biblical culturalist Kristi McLelland on those dusty roads as she transports you back to Jesus’ world, following in the footsteps of the women who came face-to-face with the Living God. Over 7 sessions, examine the historical and cultural climate of first-century Middle Eastern society to not only understand Jesus more deeply but to fuel your worship of Him today.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this March 2020 video series to you and your women’s groups. It’s truly life changing! And if you’re interested in going to Israel with Kristi like Kelsey and I did (she takes coed groups all the time too), visit Kristi’s website New Lens Biblical Studies. A pilgrimage to the Holy Land opens up the Living Word like never before!
I hope you’ll enter to win one of two jars from Israel, too! And remember, God never wastes a hurt. He sees—and collects—every one of your tears. Even when we can’t see him, can’t feel his presence, he’s working for our eternal good and his life-giving glory.
Do you love ancient history? Have you ever heard of a tear jar before?
Blessings on your Tuesday!
Tamera
Thanks to the over 600 friends who entered January’s giveaway! And congrats to Deborah Jones and Beverly Calcote who each won an adorable bent spoon “I LIKE BIG BOOKS & I CANNOT LIE” bookmark that I purchased over Christmas while in Hilton Head, SC!
Tamera Alexander
Latest posts by Tamera Alexander (see all)
- A trip with the grands to the pumpkin patch - November 19, 2024
- Tips for a great Election Day - November 5, 2024
- Petticoat Gumption — Releases Today - October 15, 2024
Thank you for your post, Tamera.
I have never seen tear jars before even though I have been to Israel several times. A friend of mine is going to a tough time and I would love to give her such a tear glass as a reminder that God is collecting and seeing our tears.
Could you tell me the name of the shop in Jerusalem where you bought the glass? I would really appreciate it.
Hey Eli, aren’t the jars beautiful, as is the meaning behind them? I’ll see if I can get the name of that shop for you. There are several shops in the Old City that sell them and where we looked (and I finally bought one), so let me get with Kristi (who has been there many times) and get you the name and hopefully a contact. What a thoughtful gift that will be for your friend. I’m praying for her. God sees and hears. He’s working.
Those jars are so beautiful!! Thanks for the giveaway and for all you do to encourage us in our walk with Christ. God bless you!!
Bless you, Kathy!
How fascinating the tear jars. Thank you for sharing. Blessings
I’m fascinated with them, too, Lelia.
Beautiful post! I’ve never heard of tear glasses before. Very interesting. What special memories you made on that trip. One day…maybe I’ll get to go. But until then, I’ll enjoy your trips. Happy February!
Hugs to you, Angie, and I’m praying right now, even as I type, that God will open a door for you to go to Israel. I prayed that for years and years for myself, then the opportunity came last year. No telling what doors he’ll open!
I love these jars and I had heard of them. I wish I would’ve thought to get one when we were in Israel a couple of years ago…guess I’ll have to go back, eh? I was just telling my 8 year old granddaughter how God gathers our tears in a bottle a couple of days ago. I find that fascinating to think that the Creator of the universe cares that much about me. Thank you for the opportunity.
Isn’t he so faithful? So loving? He cares about the tiniest (and what we might often consider minute) details. And yes, you MUST go back! 😉
So interesting! Thanks for sharing.
Hugs to you, Betty!
Thanks for showing these fabulous photos of the tear jars! Fascinating! I’ve wondered what they would look like. Now I’m really curious what a widow’s mite looks like…any chance of a photo of that in the future?
Oh yes! If you google Zac’s Antiques in Old City Jerusalem (in the Christian Quarter), they’re one of the stores I visited while there, and they have several authentic ones for sale (they’re just slightly more expensive than the replicas!). I believe they still sell the replicas too, but I’m checking first!
Thank you but……I don’t know how to “follow” on Amazon. And I checked that box. 😳. I love the idea of the tear jar, a reminder of our Savior’s love and care.
LOL, Mindy. NO worries. You make me smile. You “follow on Amazon” by following the author’s page. Simply go to Amazon.com and type in an author’s name and their page will come up. There will be a box beneath their pic on the left that will give you the option to follow them, which will then tell Amazon to notify you of all sales of their books and their new releases. Amen on that reminder of our Savior’s love, too!
I have not heard of tear jars! We visited Israel last summer (June 2019) and did not hear of them. I may have seen them in our travels but didn’t know what they were. Wish I had known to look for them…..
Don’t feel badly, Sherry. I didn’t know about them either until about two years ago. In case you’re interested, I’m checking with some people who know the Old City in Jerusalem well to see if there’s a trusted shop there that we can buy those online. We’ll see!