Widow Series

Economics

What makes you uncomfortable to talk about? Money is essential our society does not function with out it.

When we set up our priorities, When we look at our timetables we do so with an under lying belief, a hidden voice at the heart of us speaks which shapes and influences how we respond.

I would like to say that voice is the voice of Jesus, but more often than not it is the voice of economics,

Money talks it speaks into our every facet of life.

Money is power. Lack of money cuts us to the bone

Too much money and we believe we can live a happy life.

Economics is the unavoidable still small voice that probably all of us listen too. The tragedy is that the voice that should speak to us about our priorities is the voice of God. Maybe that is why the average Kiwi, the average western person, the average Asian person does not like to talk money morning then with raw skin bared we will consider.

Probably one of the reasons we don’t like to talk about it is because economics is at the heart of our society, everything we do turns on money . Money talks but we don’t like to Talk about it in New Zealand

Who was she?

In the society the needs of the widow were often overlooked – but God singles them out for special attention – they were outcasts. If there late husband’s family did not look after them then no one would. Begging or prostitution were realistically the only options for survival

No welfare, no pensioner flats, no hope – We often associate the widow with being old but lets not forget – that Ruth was a young widow

What was her gift?

Everything, she came before God and gave everything

The Show of giving

It was good to be seen giving. Giving was a spectator sport it was done in front of everybody, there was no secret envelope numbers, no black bags that you could conceal your offering in There was no paper money so the more noise the more you were giving, chance are there was a lot of ooohing" and "aaahing" over the size of the gifts. Then comes this woman, perhaps with head bowed, seeking to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Trying to be unnoticed, she places her pittance in the offering chest. Do you suppose there was "ooohing" and "aaahing" when she made her contribution? I believe so. Not from the crowd, but from Jesus. He was excited about her giving.

He was excited about what she gave - all she had - and also about how she gave - with a heart toward God. She gave everything – and it didn’t even make a sound in the temple collection – it would have largely gone unnoticed by earthly eyes – but Jesus noticed and because Jesus noticed the sound of these small coins echoes through history.

Giving all she had was foolish

Just listen to the still small voice inside you, what does sit say about the actions of the widow?? Chances are if it’s driven by economics then it would say she was foolish. When you think about it giving all she had, And by giving all she had she was becoming even more dependant upon other, She was even more of a burden to society and here family (if she had one)

In an economic sense what she was doing was suicide

She may as well have took her won life because to give away what she had was to basically sign her own death wish. We are talking about a society where people did die on the streets

But apart from that she was giving the money to the one institution that she probably shouldn’t of given it to.

A few verses earlier, Jesus has dragged the Teachers of the law over the coals for what? Cheating widows Ripping them off .

Now we live in an age of financial accountability where every cent is audited, - even in Churches. The times here were different they were probably somewhat corrupt. The offerings were to be used for the poor, or at least that was what they were intended for. But it is clear that they were in fact being used to fund the expensive lifestyle of the scribes that Jesus.

The people Jesus has been having a go at were also the people that controlled where the treasury went to

She was giving money to those who were ripping her off.

So not only was she making her self a burden And giving the money to the institution that was ripping her off

Is that still small voice in side of you telling you that she has lost the plot. But is the voice of Jesus also saying that what she did was a beautiful act for God - -If it is then you have a tension.