On Line Bible Study - For the Week August 8-14, 2011
Lesson 505
Luke 21: 1 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
In our previous lesson we read Jesus' warning with regard to the Scribes. Their motives are there for all to see. The robes, greetings and best seats in the synagogue, while due those who hold positions of responsibility, are not symptomatic of an attitude of humble servant leadership. In the pericope before us now we have an example of a different kind.
While the rich are specifically mentioned, one can't help but assume the religious leaders are also present and attentive to the message Jesus is offering.
Warren Buffett recently wrote a piece in the NY Times that has received quite a bit of comment. It had to do with what Mr. Buffett called 'coddling the rich'. Jesus excuses no one from paying into the temple treasury. He does level the playing field by suggesting that generosity is not measured by the amount one gives, but by the sacrifice the gift imposes on us. By this standard, the poor widow is exceedingly more generous than the rich who had been parading before the treasury and delivering their offering.
This does not give anyone license to judge the gift of another, only to judge the gift we ourselves bring. We talk 'sacrifice' much more than we embrace it. And when we do experience it, it is usually because it is being imposed upon us!
Some commentators say that the widow gave the minimum that was allowed. It was not permissible to give just one copper coin. For her, the minimum was more than the maximum she could reasonably offer. Is Jesus telling us, as Darrell Bock suggests, that "'the common person' is in better touch with God than the 'religious person'"?
For me, the sting here is the simple fact that many of the poorest in our country and culture are far better off in terms of worldly possessions than the poor of the world. And last I checked I am well into the top 5% when it comes to wealth - however you choose to measure it - by global standards.
But be careful - in the final analysis, it truly is not the amount given, but the attitude that inspires the amount. Does it make any sense for us to simply give with childlike abandon to 'the work of God'? Is it possible to give generously - but foolishly? Or to give just for show?
It is so easy to give too little. And it's easy to give a lot for the wrong reasons. Just give. And give. Grow in your love for God, and then give again. And don't worry about who's watching.
While the rich are specifically mentioned, one can't help but assume the religious leaders are also present and attentive to the message Jesus is offering.
Warren Buffett recently wrote a piece in the NY Times that has received quite a bit of comment. It had to do with what Mr. Buffett called 'coddling the rich'. Jesus excuses no one from paying into the temple treasury. He does level the playing field by suggesting that generosity is not measured by the amount one gives, but by the sacrifice the gift imposes on us. By this standard, the poor widow is exceedingly more generous than the rich who had been parading before the treasury and delivering their offering.
This does not give anyone license to judge the gift of another, only to judge the gift we ourselves bring. We talk 'sacrifice' much more than we embrace it. And when we do experience it, it is usually because it is being imposed upon us!
Some commentators say that the widow gave the minimum that was allowed. It was not permissible to give just one copper coin. For her, the minimum was more than the maximum she could reasonably offer. Is Jesus telling us, as Darrell Bock suggests, that "'the common person' is in better touch with God than the 'religious person'"?
For me, the sting here is the simple fact that many of the poorest in our country and culture are far better off in terms of worldly possessions than the poor of the world. And last I checked I am well into the top 5% when it comes to wealth - however you choose to measure it - by global standards.
But be careful - in the final analysis, it truly is not the amount given, but the attitude that inspires the amount. Does it make any sense for us to simply give with childlike abandon to 'the work of God'? Is it possible to give generously - but foolishly? Or to give just for show?
It is so easy to give too little. And it's easy to give a lot for the wrong reasons. Just give. And give. Grow in your love for God, and then give again. And don't worry about who's watching.
posted by Mark D at 11:01 AM
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