By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
A large crowd was listening to Jesus gladly. v38As he taught them, he said, “Watch out for the teachers of the Law, who like to walk around in their long robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplace, v39who choose the reserved seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts. v40They take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers. Their punishment will be all the worse!” v41As Jesus sat near the Temple treasury, he watched the people as they dropped in their money. Many rich men dropped in a lot of money; v42then a poor widow came along and dropped in two little copper coins, worth about a penny. v43He called his disciples together and said to them, “I tell you that this poor widow put more in the offering box than all the others. v44For the others put in what they had to spare of their riches; but she, poor as she is, put in all she had—she gave all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:38-44).
In this temple teaching, Jesus reproaches the religious authorities for flaunting their religious prestige publicly while privately exploiting the poor who live on the fringes of society. Jesus uses a poor widow who gives all she has to the temple treasury to illustrate true wealth – the richness of her faith and lavishness of her generosity. Some see this text as Christ’s lament over the plight of the poor and the marginalized.
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There was once a fellow clergy (he is now retired in heaven) whose vehicle accidently sideswiped a boy from a nearby squatters’ area. The priest and wife rushed the boy to the nearest hospital for treatment. When the parents of the boy arrived in the hospital the priest tried to reach out to them and expressed how sorry he was that the accident happened. In the midst of their conversation he asked the mother, “Magkano ba ang anak mo?” (He meant how many children the couple have). His wife promptly corrected the offensive question and explained what her husband really meant. Nobody can put the real price of life but we can show the value of one’s life by reaching out with love to help in others’ needs.
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In my service as Rector for ten years in one big parish in the city, I encountered some people that flaunts their giving and suggest that they should be given more attention than those who do not. I also observed some loyal church members who think that their tithe and/or pledge commitments give them entitlements and more favor in the church compared to those who don’t give or give less. There are also those who are very keen that their financial support to the church should be acknowledged publicly and posted in the bulletin board. Failure to do so would make the priest and the Vestry ingrates. While there should be an appropriate recording system of these financial support to the church it should not be equated to a step ladder to gain better status and entitlements more than church members who cannot or can afford less. God owns everything because He is the Creator, Maker and Giver of all things — so when we give, we are merely giving back a portion of what belongs to God anyway.
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We have heard the saying, ‘It is the thought that counts, it’s the self-giving in the gift which expresses love” – and that is one way of understanding Jesus in the story of widow’s mite. What makes her gift valuable and important is not the amount but the heart and the sacrifice behind it. In the eyes of the passersby, the widow’s offering is virtually worthless but in the sight of God it is most precious. After throwing her last coins in the box, she is able to say, “This is the best I can do for it’s all that I have got.” What wins her the Lord’s favor and earns his commendation, is the fact that she keeps nothing back for herself. Her small gift is her all. In a way she is making and offering of her total life to God.
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We all are subject to changing our tune when money is suddenly involved. That is why this passage of Scripture has been an enduring image throughout the ages. Relative to the coming election in 2022, aspirants especially in the highest position have resorted to many tricks to get the votes of the people particularly those in the fringes of society. Of all these tricks money is the bottom line. The more money given or spent the better the chance to winning. We play favorites. We treat those who give more as if they are the pillars on which a good government is erected. I would like to share what was forwarded to me in the Facebook, “You sharing fake news speaks more about you than the candidate you support. Win or lose our candidates will still have money, fame and maybe even power. While you my friend will always be remembered as someone who spreads fake news and false information.” These candidates are now busy and visible among the poor distributing ayuda and other packages wrapped as assistance. But where were they when the pandemic has just started or during the earlier calamities? Remember what the street smart says on election money: “The more they spend, the more they shall collect when they sit in office.”
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It is the same in the church. Some of the big givers think that without them the mission of the church will fail. Jesus, sitting opposite the place where the offerings were put in the Temple, is observing the people make their donations as they come into the temple. He is not alone. Seated with him are the leaders—the Sadducees. It is startling to think of Jesus sitting with those whom he had scorned for their hypocrisy. Remember that as they watch there is no paper money, so all of the offerings make a terrible noise as they roll down this long horn shaped object and fall into the pool of coins. And here comes this little old lady and she has two small coins worth nothing and drops them in. They barely make a noise. You can almost see the Temple leaders as they roll their eyes and hope for better results with the next person who walks in the door. Jesus then calls his Disciples over and says, “This poor widow has put more in to the treasury than all the others.” To the Sadducees this woman is a waste of time, but to Jesus she is the stuff by which Kingdoms are erected.
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Dissecting the message of the Gospel about the “widow’s mite” we see how Jesus puts things into a different viewpoint. For him, what truly matters is not what is seen or outside, but what lies within the heart. This is the reason why Jesus praises the poor widow so lavishly. “They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
The hidden value of the widow’s offering teaches us that material goods are not the most important in the world. The issue here is about truly following Christ or discipleship: generosity of spirit, not money, for we all have something more precious than money to offer God. What God is looking for is our lives. He wants our hearts and not our possessions. So often our giving and contributions to worthy causes are conscience solvers. They amount to fulfilling of the externals without indicating any real compassion of heart. We can all use them as an excuse to avoid personal involvement and dedicated service to the marginalized of our areas. What is hardest to give is ourselves in love and concern, because it costs more than reaching for our purses.
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A preacher once wrote that learning to give generously to God is difficult lesson to master and yet there is no true following of Christ without such self-denial. This gospel story invites us to live in a way that hurts and does not count the cost, for it is in giving that we receive. Our life story can easily be one of non-response to the needs of others, indicating how little we really give of ourselves to God. There is an immense gap between what we are and what we should be. The life-giving sacrifice of Jesus, who gave up everything for us on the cross, can inspire us to bridge that gap.
Let us pray.
O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (ECP-BCP Proper 27 Collect).**
