The Widow's Offering

For 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. Mark 12:44

I struggled with this text a lot as I was preparing to preach my sermon a couple of weeks ago. The greatest temptation with the text, I think, is to focus on the money we give to the church, i.e., to talk about the importance of tithing. Another temptation is to focus on "giving ourselves" to Jesus. Both of those topics could make interesting and somewhat safe sermons. After all tithing is good as is giving ourselves to Jesus.

But, as someone so focused on God's call to strive for justice and peace in all the earth, I had something else nagging at me as I pondered the text -- justice -- more specifically -- economic justice. You see for some time I've been wondering whether Jesus (and John the Baptist) took another aspect of the law, tithing, and turned it inside out and upside down. Let me explain.

In Luke 3:11-14, we see John the Baptist teaching the crowds as they push forward for baptism. Among them are people of faith, poor people, tax collectors and soldiers. As John admonishes them all to repent, they ask him what they should do. John replies, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Then he admonishes the tax collectors and soldiers to "collect no more than the amount prescribed for you" and to refrain from extorting "money . . . by threats or false accusations." I don't want to make too much of what John didn't say, but I like to think about it. Why didn't John say, "If you have ten coats give one to your neighbor in need"? Wouldn't that be an example of tithing? Maybe - maybe not - but I think you get my point. Good stewardship certainly goes beyond tithing. In fact, I would argue that good stewardship requires us all to be more cognizant of how we live out our lives as benefactors of God's creation.

Let me flesh that out a little more. In the Mark 12 passage, Jesus is teaching as he observes people giving to the Temple treasury. So many are putting on quite a show as they parade past with their abundant offerings and tithes. They assume that through their giving, they are doing what is required under the law, i.e., to tithe. In the midst of all of that a widow comes forward and offers a few coins. Jesus tells us that's all she has. I have to admit that's a little confusing to me. After all if the widow puts in everything she has how will she pay her bills or take care of herself? It's a good question that we should dig into a little. Under the way in which the society of the day was structured, the widow would have been totally dependent upon others for everything she had. In fact, the very coins she put into the Temple treasury that day most likely had been doled out to her from that very treasury. I think, therefore, it's safe to say that what the woman puts into the treasury is all that she has left after her needs are met. In other words, she had two coats and only needed one so she put the extra one in the treasury understanding there are others in need. She completely and totally trusts that God will provide what she needs. Since she doesn't need what's left over, she gives it back to God so it can be used to provide for someone else in need.

I liken it to the Manna God provided in the wilderness. From Exodus 16 we learn that God provided Manna for all, each according to their need. Some, however, tried to hoard it. The hoarded Manna rotted and was of no use to anyone. We can still smell the stench of that hoarded Manna all these years later. Have you ever heard the phrase "save it for a rainy day." I think what Jesus says, though, is that we should save it for a rainy day only if we truly need it for a rainy day. If it results in us having an abundance while there are others out there without coats and food, we're being more like those who parade by the treasury than the widow who gives all that she has.

So how does all of that relate to economic justice? I'm not much of a mathematician, but I understand that if we have a pool of resources (God's blessings) and a few people hold onto (or hoard) a majority of those resources, a majority of people go without. "But," you protest, "that's not me. I not only tithe; I'm very charitable and give to many causes." That's great, but after all of that how many coats do you have left? And, how many do you need? When you shop, do you look for those bargains you can get without thinking about child on the other side of the world who worked for 18 hours straight to make those bargains so she could buy her family a few bowls of rice? Do you vote for tax cuts that reduce heath care benefits to the poor so you can save yourself a few more dollars to buy that bigger house or a new car when what you have is already more than you need?

Like I said - I really struggled with this text and continue to do so. I pray we all do.

You can find more information about the ELCA's position on economic justice by studying it's Social Statement on a Sufficient and Sustainable Livelihood for All at www.elca.org/socialstatements/ecnomiclife.

Blessings,

Chuck Bentjen

The views in this blog are the beliefs of the author and do not necessarily reflect those held by the ELCA or the Nebraska Synod.