1 THE WIDOW'S GIFT Mark 12:38-44 First Presbyterian Church of ...

1Mark 12:38-44THE WIDOW’S GIFTMark 12:38-44First Presbyterian Church of Georgetown, TexasDr. Michael A. Roberts October 25, 200938 As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in longrobes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and to have the bestseats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40 They devour widows’houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive thegreater condemnation.”41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into thetreasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in twosmall copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and saidto them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who arecontributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of theirabundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had tolive on.”The events in our gospel reading today take place at the very end of Jesus’public ministry. When these incidents take place, Jesus is only days awayfrom the crucifixion. He has already entered Jerusalem. He will give one finaldiscourse on the future in chapter 13 and then he will be arrested.I want us to focus on two parts of today’s reading: Jesus’ strong warningagainst the scribes and the story of the widow who presented a gift. Jesus isat the end of his ministry and he offers us a warning and an example. Thereis a warning about the scribes and the example of the widow. We willconsider them each in turn.Scribes are the principal opponents of Jesus in this gospel. They have beenmentioned over twenty times in Mark’s gospel already. This is one finalwarning: “Beware of the scribes, Jesus says, “who like to walk around inlong robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to havethe best seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets!”We have to remember that for most people these words would have beenshocking. The scribes of the first century would have been considered themost religious and most pious, who had given up everything to serve andworship God and to study and teach the scriptures. They were the

2gatekeepers for the kingdom, the go-betweens for the people to God. Jesus’condemnation of them would have been shocking to most (Andre Resner inThe Lectionary Commentary p. 273).Jesus reserved some of his strongest words for spiritual leaders. He had littlepatience with spiritual leaders who were involved in religion in order toreceive the acclaim of the people. He had little regard for spiritual leaderswho were people-pleasers rather than God-pleasers.These verses are really directed more to me as a pastor than they are to youas a member. As members, though, you do have a role. Your role is tobeware- to beware of spiritual leaders, who as one commentator (WilliamLane) says, are self-intoxicated.The robe referred to here was a long, white, linen robe with a long fringe.Prominent people of the time wore white linen. The scribes liked beinggreeted in the marketplace as “Rabbi”, a title of respect and honor. When ascribe went by on the street, people were expected to stand out of respect.Only trades people involved in their work were exempted from this display ofdeference. The scribes liked the front seats of the synagogue. There was abench before the ark, which contained the scrolls, and since the bench facedthe people, it was a desirable place to be seen. The scribes also liked theseats of honor at the banquets. Actually, the people often wanted aprominent rabbi at their banquet. These scribes were even given precedenceat these banquets over the elderly and the parents.The scribes wanted to be seen. They wanted to be noticed. They wantedpeople to recognize their accomplishments. They wanted the prestige thatpeople often conferred upon the office.I know spiritual leaders in our time who are like this. I know some fellowpastors who are like this. Sometimes, I see myself in this warning. In allhonesty, I admit to feeling a bit uncomfortable today about wearing mypulpit robe. I wear it as a symbol of my teaching role in the church. But Ihad better be careful about what I think and you think this robe means.There are broader applications in this warning. Jesus warns against thedesire for prominence. It is still true that a person can accept an office in thechurch because they think they have earned it, rather than seeing the officeas an opportunity to serve. It is easy to “get off” on the titles: Elder,Deacon, Stephen Minister, Pastor, Reverend, Doctor. It is still possible toseek office in the church to get attention for ourselves, rather than fulfillinga call from God.

3Jesus also warns against the desire for deference. Everybody wants to betreated with respect. The scribes and spiritual leaders crossed the line. Theywanted to be valued, esteemed, respected above all the rest. That’s an everpresentdanger for leaders in the church. Through history, the church hashad to beware of such leaders. Leaders themselves always have to examinethemselves and their motives carefully. Self-examination is an importantdiscipline for all spiritual leaders.By the way, it seems that the reason that Mark the gospel-writer highlightsthese words of Jesus is because this issue had already become an issue inthe early church. Evidently, the first readers of this gospel were alreadystruggling with the character of their spiritual leaders.So Jesus warns against the desire for prominence and deference. He alsowarns against greed. Jesus levels one final serious charge against thescribes: “they devour widow’s houses.”Their pretentious practices of strolling about in long robes, seeking publicacclaim, taking the best seats in the synagogue and local banquets, and “forthe sake of appearance saying long prayers”- all mask their exploitation ofpoor people, especially of widows.Remember, in that society, widows were often defenseless, without income.Widows represented the most vulnerable members of society. They had noinheritance rights in first century Jewish culture, and most had to rely onfamily or community welfare programs. The Old Testament explicitlycondemned extortion against widows and the helpless (Isaiah 1 & 10,Malachi 3). The Old Testament makes clear that God was their ultimateadvocate.Yet, the scribes “devour widow’s houses.” The situation behind that phraseseems to be this. The scribes were forbidden from earning a salary forinterpreting the law. The scribes seem to have lived then on the subsidiesfrom various patrons. The scribes had managed, though, to convey to thepeople that there was no higher duty and privilege than to support a rabbi incomfort. It was considered an act of piety and hospitality to provide thissupport. Some of the scribes were greedy, trampling on that hospitality, andbegan to abuse this practice by deriving support from people of limitedmeans. They worked deals to get people’s estates and even their houses orlands.

4It is still possible for churches and spiritual leaders to be greedy. The churchin the middle ages became incredibly wealthy. From time to time today wehear about pastoral leaders which are living extravagant lives. The televisionevangelist scandals of the 1980s and 1990s had many abuses.In many of these situations, there are few checks and balances; there is noBudget Committee, no Session approving the budget, no annualcongregational meeting where the financial information is presented. Thereare very good reasons for all of these practices in our own congregation.Jesus’ condemnation of these scribes is especially blunt. They will beseverely punished. “They will receive the greater condemnation.”Immediately following this warning against the scribes is the contrastingexample of the widow. Jesus had been teaching in the temple. He now sitsdown by the treasury watching the people give their offerings.Right off the Court of the Women in the temple were 13 different trumpetshapeddonation chests. These were for different special offerings for theexpenses of the temple. It is likely that the people would place theirofferings in the chest and announce the amount of the gift to the officiatingpriest. It was an interesting stewardship approach.Many rich people put in large sums and announced the amounts for all tohear and appreciate. Jesus is struck by the example of a poor widow(probably noticeable because of her clothing). She puts in two small coppercoins. There is this contrast between the rich people who were putting inlarge offerings and the destitute widow giving her last two coins. There alsois the contrast between the woman’s humility and the rich peoples’boastfulness. There is the contrast of the false righteousness of the scribesand the wholehearted devotion of the widow.The law of the tithe and a long, complicated tradition of how it was to befigured out guided the large gifts of the rich people. Evidently, they gavewith some reluctance. The woman gave freely, without any reluctance at all.Jesus says, “This poor widow has put in more that all those who arecontributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of theirabundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all shehad to live on.”The widow is a character remembered and recognized by Jesus for herextraordinary commitment. Remember this is at the end of Jesus’ ministry.

5He sees in the widow a wholehearted giving that he himself is about to give.She foreshadows the gift that Jesus himself is about to make with his verylife.This brief story teaches us about giving. The widow gives freely, not out of asense of obligation. The widow’s gift recalls the words of the apostle Paul tothe church in Corinth: “Each of you must give as you have made up yourmind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2Corinthians 9:7). The apostle Paul wants the Corinthians to help theJerusalem Christians but not if they will regret, or grieve (which is the literalmeaning) over giving their gift.John Calvin says that what is most important in our giving is not the amountgiven but the motive. Not the external magnitude of the gift but the internalstate of the giver.We also learn from her that giving needs to be sacrificial. Her gift wassacrificial. It wasn’t as much as what others were giving, but it was asacrifice for her. And Jesus recognized her sacrifice. There are some amongus who are not able to give what others give, either in service or of financialresources. God knows our hearts, God knows our situations in life, and Godunderstands.Someone has said that what God asks from us is not equal gifts, but equalsacrifice. Not equal gifts but equal sacrifice. The Bible recognizes what weknow to be true today- people have different resources. There are peoplewho have great resources and there are people like the widow in the story.We are all called by the widow’s example to sacrifice.For Jesus, commentator James Edwards states, the value of a gift is not theamount given, but the cost to the giver. It cost the widow far more than itdid those who were rich, Jesus says, “who gave out of their abundance”(James Edwards p. 381).The widow, therefore, is a model of discipleship. Throughout the fall, wehave focused on the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus teaches us what it meansto be his disciple. We have heard him speaking of sacrifice in recent weeks.Back in chapter 8, Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let themdeny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” That verseprovides the theme of the following chapters. In chapter 10, Jesusencounters the sincere rich young ruler who wants to knows how to achieve

6eternal life. Jesus challenges him to sacrifice: “You lack one thing; go, sellwhat you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasurein heaven; then come, follow me.”The young ruler becomes a vivid example of the thorny soil in the parable ofthe soils where Jesus says: the thorny soil are “the ones who hear the word,but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for otherthings come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing” (Mark 4:19).Also, in chapter 10, Jesus is asked by James and John about their place inthe kingdom. Jesus tells them to be servants, to sacrifice for others. Andnow at the end of this section on discipleship we have a model of sacrifice.She contrasts greatly with James and John, with Peter, with the rich youngruler for she “out of her poverty has put in everything she had.”No gift, whether of money, time, or talent, is too insignificant to give, if it isgiven to God. And what is truly given to God, regardless of how small orlarge, is transformed into a gift of great value and importance.