Scripture: Mark 12:38-44
38 As he was teaching, he said, “Watch out for the legal experts. They like to walk around in long robes. They want to be greeted with honor in the markets. 39 They long for places of honor in the synagogues and at banquets. 40 They are the ones who cheat widows out of their homes, and to show off they say long prayers. They will be judged most harshly.”
41 Jesus sat across from the collection box for the temple treasury and observed how the crowd gave their money. Many rich people were throwing in lots of money. 42 One poor widow came forward and put in two small copper coins worth a penny. 43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I assure you that this poor widow has put in more than everyone who’s been putting money in the treasury. 44 All of them are giving out of their spare change. But she from her hopeless poverty has given everything she had, even what she needed to live on.”
Questions
- Why was Jesus observing the collection box at the Temple, what was he trying to understand about society by the way people gave?
- Is Jesus calling attention to the widow to comment on her generosity or on the stinginess of the wealthy?
- What would true generosity have looked like for the rich who were donating to the Temple?
- How do you ensure that you respond to God not simply in your abundance and wealth, but, also in your poverty and scarcity?
Background
Related Scriptures: Psalm 112:5, Proverbs 19:17, 22:9, Luke 6:38,Acts 20:35, 2 Corinthians 9:11, Hebrews 13:16, 1 John 3:13-19
Mark 12:38-44 is tied to the concept of leadership and forcing the disciples to ask the question what kind of society and what kind of leaders do they want.
Jesus is doing more than praising the widow for her generosity he is also critiquing the wealthy who do not give from a generous mindset and the system that allows the wealthy to give from their surplus while ignoring the woman and forcing her to give from her poverty.
But what, brethren, is more mighty than that not only Zacchaeus should acquire the kingdom of heaven by the half of his goods, but even the widow for two pennies, and that each should possess an equal share there? What is greater than that the same kingdom should be worth treasures to the rich man, and a cup of cold water to the poor? -St Augustine[1]
“There is an old saying that a tightwad lacks as much what he has as what he has not. One may have a whole world of wealth, another not a single scrap. Let each one live “as having nothing and yet possessing all.” -Jerome[2]
Reflection
I expect Jesus to be in the Temple the week before Passover, it would have been a bustling location with worshipers coming and going. What I do not expect is for Jesus to plant himself opposite the collection box and to people watch and critique the people who are making donations to the Temple. Does Jesus, who probably contributed very little to that box, really care what people are throwing in? Is this simply an opportunity to heap praise on one particular poor widow? Or is there something else we should pick up on from this interaction?
This incident happens on the second day Jesus is in the Temple, the day before he had “cleansed the Temple” by chasing out the money changers (11:12-19). And early that day Jesus had a discussion with the Pharisees about the duty of paying taxes (12:13-17). And throughout both days these events are part of or interspersed with conversations about proper authority. Clearly the idea of giving in 12:41-44 is somehow tied to the Temple hierarchy and how society is structured. Jesus is not simply praising the widow his statement is a criticism of both the wealthy and the system that governs the Temple. Too often Jesus’ statement about the widow is read as if he is complementing her generosity even though she has very little to give. Rather, he is criticizing those who are wealthy who have more than enough and whose abundance is not compromised by their contributions to the Temple. These wealthy individuals are living off this poor women when they should be caring for her so she is not living in poverty. Jesus’ warning in 12:38-40 is a description of the people who are contributing to the Temple in 12:41, and it is their commitment to becoming wealthy at the expense of others. Jesus is upset that these individuals are taking advantage of a system to keep themselves wealthy instead of showing a commitment to helping the woman who is in need.
The earliest Christians took this criticism to heart and began giving up their wealth to commit to helping the poor, we see it in Acts where Christians were giving to the Church so that food and money could be distributed to the needy and in Paul’s letters where he takes up a collection for the church in Jerusalem that had severe need. Not only does the Scripture present this message about generosity, “With one voice the church fathers declare that to fail to see and to respond to human need is indeed to act in an inhuman, animal-like fashion.”[3] The Church Fathers saw the rich who hoarded money and did not help alleviate poverty as no better than highway robbers stealing from passersby. The concept of generosity for Jesus and the early Church was that people understood the plight of others and sought to aid in lessening their material want. Since Jesus has arrived in Jerusalem he has been demonstrating that his authority rests in God who wants to see a major change in the way those worshipping at the Temple think. They are to love their neighbors as themselves, which includes using their resources and the Temple systems and structures to help the poor who are completely committed to living for God, evidenced in the poor widow, but who are being crushed while these individuals prosper.
Jesus’ call to generosity is greater than simply throwing alms in the plate, generosity is seeing the world around us and contributing to those who are in need. Generosity is about understanding that because God has given us everything we have, it is not ours to begin with and we are called to share the blessings to make this world into the kind of place God desires.
Takeaway
I am richly blessed by God whether I am wealthy or poor, and it is God who will sustain me in life, not my own work; and I am called to be generous with everything I have because God is generous with me.
[1] Mark Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, 169.
[2] Mark Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture,170.
[3] Christopher A. Hall Living Wisely with the Church Fathers, 67.
Squinting in the Light 
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