Note: This was preached on Ash Wednesday, but the content is good anytime of the year. The first two sections support the final section about the poor widow and call for a recommitment to Jesus. God bless.
- Peter
What is it that God is looking for in our lives? When God sits back and looks at our day to day lives what pleases Him?
Here in this Scripture from Mark we see Jesus telling us that our expectations of the kingdom of God are too small. We are in danger of becoming so preoccupied with small benefits from our walk with Christ that we miss what God is really looking for in our lives, and we miss it because we are afraid to full depend upon God alone.
Here on Ash Wednesday, as we start the season of lent, we have the opportunity for reflection on how we are living our Christian lives, but also an opportunity to change who we are.
In our Scripture this evening Jesus starts by pointing out again that the messianic expectation of the people was too small. They had great faith in the fact that the prophecy would be fulfilled that the Christ would come through the line of King David, and He the messiah, would save them – that does take faith to believe and hold on, especially when, all signs around them say otherwise – to believe that a delivery from injustice is just around the corner, that takes quite a faith. There is no doubt that the people had a strong faith in the coming of the messiah, still, they missed what God was looking for in their lives.
In verses 35 –37 Jesus questions this whole national hope, He questions an interpretation that was a solid assumption with pretty much everyone – The Christ will be an son of David, meaning, from the line of David. Jesus does not deny this, but raises a question regarding its proper meaning. We should understand it like this: What do the scribes mean when they say the messiah is the son of David – what Jesus is getting at here is Lordship. This is why He quotes Psalm 110:1, and points to the fact that the Christ is Lord over David, so how can he be David’s son?
Here Jesus asks a Haggada question. a Haggada question is a question where a rabbi takes two texts which are true on their own, but when placed next to each other, they seem contradictory. Usually the unity of biblical texts was stressed by noting their harmony, but Jesus, He takes two affirmations that are concerned with different situations and He places them side by side for a greater truth. These two Scriptures alone are true, but when brought together, appear to conflict…..Jesus is pointing out, using the Haggada question, that though they look contradictory they are not – because He, Jesus, is the answer that ties them together. Jesus is from the line of David, and Jesus is the Lord God.
These two scriptures: The Christ is the son of David, the Christ is the Lord of David, though true are only part of the picture – together they show the true meaning of the Messiah.
Jesus teaches the people this as a set up for the next two sections. In the next two sections people see a truth, but not the whole truth, and miss out on what God is looking for in their lives.
Jesus first example here is the Scribes. To Jesus, these men have thrown away a great chance to know God. The Scribes were men who were given the luxury of preoccupation with the Law. Because of their single minded study of the law it should have been clear to them that God alone is to receive the praise of men – but in fact, the Scribes don’t turn away praise offered them, they seek it out.
A scribe was distinguished by his linen robe, it had a long white mantle that reached all the way to his feet and had a long fringe along it. White linen clothes were regarded as a mark of distinction, so those who wished to parade their position, wore white. With this white they would be noticed and stand out in a crowd.
The Scribes were venerated by the majority of the people with great respect and awe. People would stop what they were doing and rise in respect as a scribe would walk by. This was an expectation of the population, only tradesmen were exempt. Their words were considered to posses sovereign authority. These men had a position that demanded great respect. Scribes were greeted with the deepest respect: Rabbi, Father, Master.
When one of the important men of Jerusalem gave a feast, they considered having a scribe in attendance as ornament to the feast. The highest places of honor were assigned to the Scribes. They were given precedence over age and even parents. They would be walked past all guests and be given the seat of honor at the table. In the synagogues the seat of honor was reserved for them too. What is Jesus so upset about? Jesus condemns them for their seeking of token status. They were to point people to God, but in practice they pointed people to themselves.
See, Scribes primarily lived on subsidies, since it was forbidden that they should be paid for exercising their profession as a scribe. Though some were reduced to begging, evidence shows that the Jerusalem scribes belonged to the poor class, they were poor, but it was like a vow of poverty, it was an honorable poor. The extension of hospitality to the Scribes was strongly encouraged as an act of piety. A family would be held in high esteem if they took on supporting a Scribe. Many well to do people placed their financial resources at a scribes disposal – and their were abuses. Big time.
When Jesus says that they devour widows houses, Jesus refers to the fact that, not only do the rich support these men, but these scribes sponged off of whomever they could, even people who were barely making it. The Scribes were people who were to point others to God, but they instead they simply point to themselves. Even their prayers were selfish. Jesus says that their public prayers may look pious but in reality were used as opportunities to gain the respect of men – giving them the opportunity to sponge all the more off of people. So they use their position to enrich themselves. The sad thing is that not only are they throwing away the opportunity given to them to teach others about God, they are missing the true riches God has had in store or them.
Again Jesus shows us how we miss the boat. Like not fully grasping the meaning of two Haggada Scriptures, we can, like the Scribes be satisfied with small, rewards, that feel good in the moment, but have little if any, eternal value. These men were satisfied with public respect and some material possessions, really, small rewards, they somehow couldn’t see the real and satisfying life that God wanted for them. They missed what God was looking for, and so can we.
So what do we do? How do we not end up like these Scribes, missing out on the true blessing that God has for us? Jesus tells us, He tells us by the example of the poor widow.
Usually when we look at the poor widow we consider stewardship – and that is accurate. But there is more here to this story than stewardship, more and of greater value to us.
This poor widow, she places into the receptacle two small coins for her offering, in verse 42. In the Temple there were thirteen trumpet shaped containers that lined a wall in the court of women. They were made out of metal and so when money was placed in them everyone could hear the coins clanging around – remember they had no paper money. Some sources say that those giving would announce the value of the gift to a priest before placing it in a container, “Seven Shekels for the Temple”, this is possible, but in the case we have here, it appears Jesus didn’t need to hear the amount, he saw her place the coins in the container.
She places two of the smallest copper coins which circulated in Palestine. The coin was called the lepton. It was worth one four hundredth of a shekel or equivalent to our money, roughly 1/8 of a cent. Understand that these coins were so small and so thin that very few survive today, they have simply disintegrated over time. They were so small that they could bear no portrait or inscription, only a pattern.
Jesus is very impressed. The Scribes should have been the true example for all to look up to, but this poor widow, who was most likely looked over by everyone else, is noticed, and held in high esteem by God. Why is that? It certainly isn’t the amount she gave…..or is it?
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said,
“I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.
44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty,
put in everything—all she had to live on.”
She put in everything, that means more than all her money, that means that she gave more than her whole savings - when we look at the Greek, we see that she gave her whole self. How does she give her whole self by placing, two, for all intents and purposes, worthless coins in an offering?
She did not have to give it all, should could have kept one of those coins, but she doesn’t, she gives all. Let me ask you, what is the value of her offering? The value is total commitment. She put it all in there, what was left? There was only herself, and God.
See, placing the coins in the offering, was not placing the coins in the offering. No, placing the coins in the offering was a phenomenal step of faith, a commitment of faith. As those two small coin fall from her hands her current life falls away. There goes the rent money, there goes her next meal, there goes the shoes she needs, there goes any possibility that she can take care of herself. This was a greatest act of faith Jesus had seen all day, for what she gave was her total trust to God.
Now imagine, she gives her offering and turns and walks away… what is the feeling, the emotion that overwhelms her? Is it fear? Is it despair? Is it anxiety? Is she just numb? I would content that it the emotion that flows over her as she turns away from the offering is….relief. “I finally did it. I released my anxiety. I am now free.” Why? What a great step of faith, she gives all she is, holding nothing back – how can that not feel great?
Let me ask, who knew she had done this? In fact who cared that she had done this? I’m quite sure this whole act of faith was overlooked by everyone there…except the one who really counted. Jesus.
Is there a promise that everything will work out for her? No, there is nothing. Why didn’t Jesus keep on talking and say, “The Father who sees all things will reward her and make sure she is taken care of”? The reason Jesus doesn’t tell us that all her material needs will now be met because of her great faith and generosity is because that is not what this is all about. See, the Scribes thought that was what it was all about. So they concentrated on praise from men and stacking up clients who would take care of them. This widow, this poor widow, by her act of faith receives more as she is walking out of that Temple than any one of those Scribes would ever see in their lifetime.
For she has made that critical step of release. She drops those coins, and turns from her old life – a life where she took care of things – and she turns away from that offering and turns toward a new life, a life where God takes care of things, a new life, where she is free from her burdens, I’m sure it was something she wished she had done long ago.
Here we are gathered on Ash Wednesday to began the season of Lent. We have a great opportunity to let go of things that we have been holding onto, things that we are trying to take care of, but in reality only God can take care of.
I think that Jesus makes a point of highlighting the widow’s offering because to her, these coins were of great value and it must have been quite difficult to give them away. But in the grand scheme of things, what she was holding onto was of little value. We do this, we hold onto things tightly, but in the grand scheme of things, they are of little value.
In a few minutes, as we receive the ashes, I challenge you to take the step, step forward, and release yourself to Jesus Christ. Quietly, let go of those lepton coins as you receive the ashes, and like the widow, turn, and walk away with a new sense of relief, with a new sense of freedom, with a new commitment to Christ.
