Platitudes used around stewardship times include: Give till it hurts; or, You can’t out-give God; or, Giving is an outward expression of an inward spirit; or, Giving is a barometer of faith at work; or, Giving is to be like the exhale of breathing, a necessary part of living.
Each of these holds certain truths, and, they may create guilt, not that guilt is always a bad thing.
And it seems the Gospel story today may have played towards guilt just a bit. For the occurrence of watching a widow drop in a couple of coins was right after Jesus had reprimanded the scribes for devouring widows‘ homes and saying long-prayers for appearance-sake only. Then after the story of seeing the widow give her offering, Jesus puts himself in opposition to the primary symbol of the Jewish-religious establishment---the Temple. In fact the scribes whom Jesus had earlier critiqued were very much involved in the life and power of the Temple.
So, Jesus very easily could have been using the widow and her meager offering as an example of one whose property had been taken or plundered by unscrupulous Temple officials. Therefore, it was no wonder she could give no more. As well, Jesus seemed to have been saying the Temple establishment was no longer built by God, ruled by God’s love, or God’s presence, so therefore, the Temple--the religious establishment-- would come under judgment from God. In fact, as stated in other Gospels, it was declared that Jesus would be destroyed and raised up in three days to create God’s alternative-temple to the human buildings of stone and mortar.
The stewardship season seems to create the temptation to reduce the greater truths related to giving or pledging to platitudes or trying to create guilt. But Jesus went beyond any guilt-producing attempts by using the widow and her mite or small offering to give both a great example to generosity, but also to make a judgment, and give us great truth.
First, the widow gave ‘all she had,’ or as Jesus said, “out of her poverty she gave everything she had, all she had to live on.” We hear it so often that everything we are and have belongs to God---that the truth of it may not ring clear.
Those of means gave large sums, but they gave from their surpluses. What they gave to the treasury, though large in comparison to the widow’s offering, would not have been missed by them nor would have had any kind of impact upon their livelihoods. But not so for the widow.
Second, Jesus condemned or passed judgment of those who gave the larger sums as not really giving as much as the widow, contrary to what they thought.
They gave from their leftovers, not out of little resources like the widow.
Now, here is an ironic twist from the story. The woman’s gift from poverty in the eyes of Christ, was abundant. And, the gifts of the others from abundance had the resulting-view by Jesus as being small.
This reminds us of what we may call the “theology of abundance.” Through the Gospels and epistles of the New Testament we hear it time and again. “In Christ’s poverty, we have been made rich.” Jesus in losing physical-life was raised to life for humankind. Jesus gave completely for the sake of the world’s salvation.
Abundance, not scarcity, is the mark of God’s kingdom, but it comes by way of Christ having become poor. We are called to live the theology of abundance as individuals and also as a church--a body of believers. For such abundance to be manifested through us, requires trust in God beyond anything or anyone else. I can hardly fathom. But the widow did. Somehow she put aside concerns about her personal welfare, perhaps what she would even have to eat the next day, to give from her heart. Her attitude and spirit must have known and trusted God and the abundance of God’s love. She did not flinch before the treasury.
Such a trust is hard to rationalize, even in the best of economic times. But it is not irrational. Rather to so live is a witness to the very character of God’s care for us and all creation. We recall how Jesus pointed out the abundant beauty of the lilies which labor not nor know about scarcity. Or, how the birds of the air are cared for even though they have no bank accounts.
Now, to the theological or spiritual truth. How are we to give? Are we to monetarily and possession-wise make ourselves paupers that we might give as the widow?
To speculate, Jesus does not suggest this is what those who gave from their excess should do. Nor does Jesus appear to expect that of them. Of course, it could have been because their hearts were too tightly drawn for their heart and purse strings to be loosened.
However, if we incorporate other Gospel-texts to our understanding here, we recall Jesus saying how difficult it was to enter the kingdom when persons were rich. Of course, it was not declared impossible, only hard. Therefore, it would seem that what Jesus would have hoped from all the others who were giving of their leftovers was humility to recognize their poverty without God and God’s providence and that their responses would be in-kind and intentionally generous, believing that all they were and had truly belong to God.
This is not easy, even for those of us who do not consider ourselves materially rich. For it involves amazing confidence in God. So, I will not let you leave today thinking I have attained such trust. For I still hold to certain material things as a security-blanket---keeping gasoline in my car at all times, never wanting to get caught behind on bills for electricity, natural gas, and water. My list of necessities has grown to include cable TV and internet, along with a trouble-free automobile, and having cell phones for my family.
I confess that the list of ‘necessary things’ and obligations easily grows as I attempt to give myself and those I love a sense of security or abundance. Truthfully I am not like the widow of our story. I am very much like the others. I give far too much from my last-fruits, not my first-fruits. I entertain too much of the attitude of scarcity--that if I give too much of myself or of my possessions, I will die. Yet, the theological truth about God is, that it is in dying that life is found. First, in the dying of Christ abundant life was extended. And in taking up our crosses to follow Christ, there must come death to all things which hold one back from complete trust in life through Christ.
Is it possible to keep all these things that material-security is built upon and yet see the goodness of God and have faith like the widow. Theoretically, yes; hopefully, spiritually, yes; but it is hard, said Jesus.
What does Jesus expect of us? What does it mean materially to take up our crosses to follow Christ? What does it mean to try and save our lives yet loose them? What does it mean to lose our lives for Christ’s sake and the gospel to save them?
May we in humility come to see more and more our poverty, save for God’s grace in Christ that all we are and have been entrusted will be faithfully returned as our trusting responses.
Amen.
