Jesus' Rant Against the Widow's Mite

This text has always bothered me. Whether we’re reading it from Mark12:38-44, or in Luke 10, it’s not one of my favorites.

38As Jesus taught [in the Temple], he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."

41He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

It goes beyond the obvious. I mean, imagine standing in a pulpit, wearing a long robe, after you’ve prayed what anybody in this sanctuary might have said was a prayer too long, all the while trying to look twice as good as the scribes and half as good as the widow! Authenticity and genuineness are especially on my mind because of what happened at a restaurant this week.

I stopped for lunch at nearby Smokin’ Good Soul Food on 38th Street. As soon as I walked through the door three people - whose names I don’t know - called out to me, loudly, by name. It was like the TV show Cheers. Remember when Norm walked in? “Hey, Norm!”

The food is terrific, and though the price is more than I usually like to spend on lunch, the size of the helpings is more like a Sunday dinner. It was well worth the price.

As I left, the owner invited me to come back on a Sunday. She said that since they sell more meals then, the prices are actually lower. When they sell more, they buy more and pass their savings to the customers. I said, “Well isn’t it crowded?” (They only have 15 tables.) She said, yes, but most people get carryout. Then she said, “Don’t worry. When I see you in line I’ll just bring you up to the front.” Oh, yeah, I want that to happen.

Now I’m always glad we don’t get to this point in our weekly trek through the Gospels until we’re passed our annual stewardship campaign. Talk about an opportunity to try to shake down the shekels. Imagine the guilt a real money-grubbing preacher could put on a congregation with this text.
This time we’ve come round to the text, I decided to explore my unease with extra study. Let me share some of what I discovered and we’ll see how it strikes your walk in faith.

At first glance, this looks like two separate, unrelated stories. But since Jesus seems to stress the word, widow, in both of his observations, Jesus seems to want his hearers to see a link.

That’s another point. Jesus is no longer talking to scribes. Mark says Jesus is teaching in the Temple. He’s talking, perhaps, to some of his followers or maybe to some casual listeners, but he’s no longer speaking directly to any of the religious leaders.

Jesus offers these comments just after he’s told one scribe, we heard this last week, that he’s got it right when he says that loving God and loving neighbor as we love ourselves are the first of all commandments – that the law of love trumps every other one of God’s laws. In addition, whatever causes Jesus to speak this way about scribes and the widow; he doesn’t say it directly to them.

Interesting, too, is what Mark writes next. After this incident, Jesus leaves the Temple and on the way out says, very forcefully, that this Temple is doomed. It would seem, then, that whatever is on Jesus’ mind when it comes to the widow, is framed between Jesus disregard for these Temple authority figures, as well as for what they’ve done to warrant the Temple’s destruction.

Now, here are some details about language. The word translated here in verse 38, as “like,” is, in Greek, the word for want, or deep desire. We’d say it this way: Beware of scribes who really, really want and seek out attention on themselves by wearing long robes, receiving greetings, etc. Get the picture?

Look, too, at verse 41. The English translation says, He sat down…and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. The Greek says, He sat down and watched…how (or the way) the crowd put money into the treasury. Also, in verse 42, the word translated as “poor,” means, in reality, a destitute beggar. Think of those folks who rush to wash your windshield wneh you top at a redlight and expect you to pay real money for this "service."

So what do we have? Jesus is really honked off at the scribes’ self-centeredness, their self-aggrandizing, as well as their abuse of power and office. Some scribes had responsibility for managing widows’ assets. Jesus may be referring either to their overcharging for services or, perhaps, their embezzling, or both. As educated interpreters of God’s law, and as capable stewards for the welfare of God’s most vulnerable children, the scribes knew better and Jesus expected more of them.

That’s when Jesus begins looking at how, or the way, people are making their offerings to the Temple treasury. We know only two things for sure. First, Jesus determines that most givers make an offering out of their excess, their abundance. Their offering seems to cost them little. Second, he believes the two coins offered by the beggar widow cost her her very life. In Greek, the text says she gave her bios.

I want to suggest that what we hear Jesus say is an expression of his fury. Jesus does not, in this rant, commend, command, or suggest that anyone, including us, should imitate this woman’s way of giving.

All the ways we’re used to hearing Jesus commend or command an attitude or behavior are missing in this text. He doesn’t say things like:
• your faith is great
• I haven’t seen such faith in all Israel
• go and do likewise
• the widow has chosen the better part
• come follow me
• she’s not far from the kingdom of God.

It looks to me as though Jesus’ initial righteous anger at the scribes’ behavior moves to his outrage at the faulty notion of making offerings the begging widow has internalized. She believes, because she's been taught erroneously, that it’s more important for her to give all her money to the Temple treasury than it is for her to hold some back to keep herself alive. She’s been abused by her oppressors, and so, has taken on the value system of the oppressor class.

I think Jesus is saying here what we’ve heard him say elsewhere; the health and well-being of people before God’s law, can never become a rationale, even a pious one, for tormenting the people under - and with - God’s law. Up until now, Jesus has made a career of announcing the in-breaking of God’s rule (the Kingdom of God) that liberates God’s people from all oppression and injustice, including that which comes from misusing the real desires of God-for-us, unruly interpreters find in scripture.

Why would we think that here, near the end of his ministry, Jesus makes such a drastic change as to prefer the widow’s making an over-the-top offering to an enterprise he’s already judged to be death-dealing, in support of its religious personnel he’s already condemned as wolves in sheep’s clothing?

Before this scripture is our story, it’s God’s story. This scripture, like all scripture, tells us first, who God is and what God wants for us. Only then, knowing and trusting whose we are, does scripture offer us insight and truth about what God wants to lead us to become together, by grace through faith.

What this grief-laden, mourning-cry of Jesus offers us is an insight into how the God of Jesus would have us organize our common life, structure our walk in faith together. What this text gives us, as church, the called-out ones - able to name and claim the will and actions of the God broken open and poured out for us while we were yet sinners - is an opportunity to decide how we want to relate to one another, as well as what we’re willing to give and to do in order to make that happen.

As disciples of the son God sent to save, not to condemn, the world, whatever we do in here is supposed to relate to God’s saving intent out there (John 3:17). As believers in the life-giving, freedom-bringing, home-making works Jesus did, whatever we do in here ought to strengthen us to perform even greater works out there (John 14:12).

That makes this a good time for us to ask, in light of Jesus’ critique of religious organizations, his condemnation of selfish religious leaders and bad religious teachings, as well as his compassion for those done in by the effects of those prior two; what do we want, now and what are we willing to do to get it.

At one level, we’ve already addressed that. We completed a very generous stewardship campaign (Consecration Sunday). More of you offered your time and talent in ways that stretch your energy and extend your commitment than ever before. More of you increased your monetary offerings to higher levels than ever before. We can all be grateful to a lavishing God and thankful to one another for our shared kindness.

Strengthened by that, this text invites us to go a bit deeper, to ask some harder questions about how we: organize church; what we teach, as church; what we do, as church in Jesus' name; and, how church leaders, especially pastors, are to serve by leading.

Does this expression of the body of Christ on earth teach and preach a life-giving message? Are we leaning into the living faith of the dead (standing on our traditions as we move forward into God’s future), or are we mired in the dead faith of the living hanging onto our traditions so we won’t have to face the present or deal with an uncertain future?

Are these core values of ours: inviting; welcoming; discipling; nurturing; healing; and, rejoicing attitudes that give meaning for our lives, furnish direction for our shared journey, and drive the shape of our ministries, or are they merely buzz words that look good on our stationery?

Do we keep alert for ways to actively, intentionally relate to and encourage those burdened and oppressed to experience what we have here, and enrich us with the ways God loves them, or are we content only to wait for folks to straggle in here, as if by accident?

Does this expression of the body of Christ on earth have appropriate pastoral leadership? Is my faith walk compatible with yours, individually and collectively? Am I painting a vision for our faith journey together that compels you to get jazzed up about what we’re doing in the name of Jesus? Or have we reached a time and place where new leadership is required?

Jesus, then, and now, would have all those - all of us - who stand this side of Psalm 146, to sing, to echo, to walk by, that very grace-filled tune:
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
9The LORD watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10The LORD will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.

There really are no people better suited to do that than we are.