MARK 12:38-44
WHEN MY SON WAS VERY
YOUNG, I TOOK HIM CHRISTMAS SHOPPING. HE HAD TEN DOLLARS TO SPEND,
AND WANTED TO GET A PRESENT FOR EACH OF HIS FIVE OLDER SISTERS, AS
WELL AS HIS MOTHER. I GUESS HE FIGURED I DIDN'T NEED A PRESENT. IT
SEEMED LIKE AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK. WE WENT TO A FEW STORES, AND
FINALLY, I THINK WE WERE IN ONE OF THOSE ULTRA-DISCOUNT STORES, HE
FOUND ONE OF THOSE BUBBLE-WRAPPED THINGS CONTAINING FIVE COMBS,
DIFFERENT SIZES AND DIFFERENT COLORS. THAT TOOK CARE OF ABOUT FOUR
DOLLARS, AND THE REMAINING MONEY HE BOUGHT SOMETHING FOR HIS MOTHER
WHICH GIVEN THAT I'M GETTING OLD, I'VE FORGOTTEN WHAT IT WAS. I
SUSPECT IT WAS SOME CHEAP PERFUME OR SOMETHING.
WHEN CHRISTMAS MORNING
CAME AROUND THE SISTERS OPENED HIS GIFTS, TOOK ONE LOOK, AND PUT THEM
IN THEIR GIFT PILE, MOVING ON TO THE NEXT GIFT. THEY WERE NOT VERY
IMPRESSED, AND I COULD TELL HIS FEELINGS WERE HURT. HE HAD GIVEN ALL
HE HAD – ALL HIS MONEY, A LOT OF TIME AND DELIBERATION, AND HIS
HEART HAD GONE INTO THE GIFTS.
THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE SCRIBES WE HEARD ABOUT TODAY AND THE WIDOW. IT ISN'T
OBVIOUS UNLESS YOU DO SOME BACKGROUND READING. THE SCRIBES WERE LIKE
ANY PROFESSION; SOME GOOD, SOME BAD, AND A LOT IN BETWEEN. THEY
STUDIED HARD – THE RABBIS TODAY ARE THEIR DESCENDENTS, BUT SO ARE
AMERICAN LAWYERS – SO THAT THEY COULD APPLY THE LAW TO
CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE. AND THEY DID THIS FOR A FEE. IF TWO JEWS
WERE HAVING A DISPUTE OVER SOMETHING, THEY'D GO TO A SCRIBE. IF
THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT WHAT YOU COULD DO ON THE SABBATH, A SCRIBE
WOULD TELL YOU. SCRIBES ALSO HAD ANOTHER ROLE. WIDOWS SOMETIMES HAD
A LITTLE PROPERTY – USUALLY A HOME AND A BIT OF LAND FROM THEIR
HUSBAND. BUT THEY COULDN'T DO MUCH; THEY COULDN'T GET A JOB, THEY
COULDN'T SELL THEIR PROPERTY EXCEPT TO SOMEONE RELATED TO THE
HUSBAND, AND IN GENERAL, IT WAS TOUGH LIFE TO BE A WIDOW. SCRIBES
WERE ASKED TO STEP IN TO HELP WITH THE DISPOSITION OF THE PROPERTY
AND THE CARE OF THE WIDOW. THIS DIDN'T ALWAYS BENEFIT THE WIDOW.
AND THEY WOULD WEAR THEIR RELIGION ON THEIR SLEEVES WITH PRAYERS AND
OTHER ACTS, AND VERY FEW PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY UNEDUCATED WIDOWS,
WOULD THINK ANYTHING BUT GOOD THOUGHTS ABOUT SOMEONE WHO WAS SO WELL
VERSED IN THE LAW AND KNEW HOW TO SAY REALLY WONDERFUL PRAYERS.
AND MAYBE JESUS ISN'T
COMPLIMENTING THE WIDOW; AFTER ALL, IF HE WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING
ABOUT THE GENEROSITY OF THE POOR, HE COULD HAVE POINTED TO A POOR MAN
OR WOMAN, OR EVEN REFERRED TO THIS LADY AS A POOR WOMAN. BUT THE
TERM “WIDOW” DENOTED SOMEONE WHO WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF SOCIETY,
SOMEONE WHO ALONG WITH ORPHANS AND ALIENS THE JEWISH PEOPLE WERE
OBLIGED TO CARE FOR. SO MAYBE JESUS IS SAYING TO THE APOSTLES,
“LOOK AT ALL THESE GOOD CHURCH-GOING PEOPLE DROPPING THEIR SPARE
CHANGE INTO THE TREASURY. AND THERE IS A WIDOW JUST LIKE WHO I HAVE
BEEN TALKING ABOUT, WHO HAS BEEN BRAINWASHED INTO THINKING SHE HAS TO
GIVE WHAT LITTLE SHE HAS TO BUY CANDLES AND PAY FOR DECORATIONS.”
DO YOU OR I NOTICE THE WIDOWS AMONG US? AND WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT
THEM?
BUT GETTING BACK TO MY
SON. IT'S A LEGITIMATE QUESTION. WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT FROM US?
DOES HE EXPECT US TO GIVE THE CHANGE IN OUR POCKETS? OR MAYBE HE
WANTS US TO TITHE, WHICH AFTER ALL IS THE ONLY GUIDELINE WE HEAR
ABOUT . TITHING MEANS TO GIVE TEN PERCENT – BUT IT HAD TO DO
WITH CROPS AND SUCH, AND WAS MEANT TO PROVIDE THE LEVITES, ONE OF THE
TWELVE TRIBES WHO HAD NO LAND AND FROM WHOM CAME THE HEREDITARY
PRIESTHOOD, WITH A LIVELIHOOD. SOME SCHOLARS THINK THAT TITHING WAS
ONLY REQUIRED OF FARMERS, VINYARD OWNERS, AND PEOPLE WHO OWNED HERDS.
IN OTHER WORDS, IF GOD GAVE YOU SOMETHING, YOU OWED TEN PERCENT
BACK. OF COURSE MANY PEOPLE WHO READ THIS STORY OF THE WIDOW BELIEVE
IT IMPLIES THAT WE SHOULD GIVE EVERYTHING. AFTER ALL, THAT IS KIND
OF REFLECTED IN THE FIRST READING. THERE A WIDOW GIVES HER LAST BIT
OF FOOD TO THE PROPHET, TRUSTING THAT GOD WILL PROVIDE. AND OF
COURSE IF THAT'S WHAT IS EXPECTED OF US, THEN WE ARE ALL IN SERIOUS
TROUBLE.
AND YET, THERE ARE PEOPLE
WHO GIVE EVERYTHING – MANY OF THE SAINTS, SOLDIERS ON THE
BATTLEFIELD, POLICE OFFICERS AND FIREMEN GIVING UP THEIR LIVES IN THE
LINE OF DUTY. IS THAT IN SOME WAY BETTER THAN A SAINT WHO INHERITS A
FORTUNE AND USES IT FOR GOOD, LIKE KATHERINE DREXEL, OR SAINT
MARGARET OF SCOTLAND, WHO DIED A QUEEN WITH SERVANTS AND A CASTLE AND
INDEED, GREAT WEALTH?
I THINK NONE OF THE ABOVE
ARE TRUE. JESUS HIMSELF GAVE US THE CRITERION FOR GIVING. HE SAID,
“GIVE AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN TO YOU … FOR THE MEASURE YOU USE, IT
WILL BE THE MEASURE USED FOR YOU.” SAINT PAUL ECHOED THIS: “HE
WHO SOWS SPARINGLY WILL ALSO REAP SPARINGLY, AND HE WHO SOWS
BOUNTIFULLY WILL ALSO REAP BOUNTIFULLY. EACH ONE MUST DO JUST AS HE
HAS PURPOSED IN HIS HEART, NOT GRUDGINGLY OR UNDER COMPULSION, FOR
GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.” SAINT JOHN SAID: “BUT WHOEVER HAS
THE WORLD'S GOODS, AND SEES HIS BROTHER IN NEED AND CLOSES HIS HEART
AGAINST HIM, HOW DOES THE LOVE OF GOD ABIDE IN HIM?”
IN OTHER WORDS, FOR
CHRISTIANS OUR GIVING MUST BE MOTIVATED BY LOVE, MUST BE A RESPONSE
TO HOW MUCH GOD LOVES US. IF WE DON'T BELIEVE WE ARE LOVED, OUR
GENEROSITY WILL REFLECT THAT. IF WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE LOVED
COMPLETELY AND PASSIONATELY BY GOD, MAYBE OUR GENEROSITY WILL REFLECT
THAT.
SAINT PAUL SAID, “I
COUNT ALL THINGS TO BE LOSS IN VIEW OF THE SURPASSING VALUE OF
KNOWING CHRIST JESUS MY LORD, FOR WHOM I HAVE SUFFERED THE LOSS OF
ALL THINGS, AND COUNT THEM BUT RUBBISH SO THAT I MAY GAIN CHRIST.”
MY FOUR YEAR OLD SON GAVE
ALL HE HAD, AND HE GAVE IT OUT OF LOVE. THE FACT THAT IT WAS NOT
MUCH AND NOT APPRECIATED BY THE RECIPIENTS OF HIS GIFTS HAD NOTHING
TO DO WITH THE VALUE OF HIS GIFT. AND THE REAL QUESTION IS NOT HOW
MUCH WE GIVE, BUT WHETHER OUR GIVING REFLECTS OUR LOVE. AND THAT'S
SOMETHING THAT CAN ONLY BE ANSWERED IN OUR HEARTS.
