Sermon Title: Walking the Widow’s Walk
Sermon Text:
Mark 12:35-44
Sermon Date:
November 12, 2006
I want to ask you this morning to
close your eyes as I read the scripture this morning. Close your eyes and visualize this event. Close your eyes and envision this happening
right here in our sanctuary. Imagine
yourself in the congregation, watching this story unfold.
Mark
12:35-44
35While
Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, "How is it that the
teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of David? 36David himself,
speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:
" 'The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet." ‘ i37David himself calls him
'Lord.' How then can he be his son?"
The large crowd listened to him with
delight.
38As he taught, Jesus
said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in
flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39and have the most important
seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40They devour
widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished
most severely."
The
Widow's Offering
41Jesus
sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd
putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large
amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth
only a fraction of a penny.
43Calling his disciples to
him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into
the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she,
out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."
Message
What did you see? What did you feel? Did you see the wealthy throwing their money
into the plate? Did you see the men
walking around in their long robes, impractical for manual labor and therefore
identifying themselves as professionals?
They loved it when they enter the
marketplace and people rose respectfully as they approached. In the synagogue they sat on the dais, in
seats of honor, supposedly to see what was going on, but mostly it was where
they could be seen by all who enter.
These scribes were both lawyers and
theologians. They not only assisted people
with their spiritual problems, but advised them financially as well, even
managing some of the people’s money.
While they couldn’t charge for their services, there was nothing to stop
them from soliciting contributions for their personal support. Then they offered long prayers and some,
thinking the scribes are closer to God than they, gave to the scribes out of
their ignorance. (lectionary.org)
Apparently one of the scandals of Jesus'
time was the insidious way that the religious establishment served the needs of
the wealthy and, in clear violation of the Torah, violated the poor, especially
those outside the social structures--the widows. The reference to "widows'
houses" could refer to the scribes' tendency to abuse their role as
trustee for the estates of widows, or it could refer more generally to the way
upkeep of the temple (a house of prayer) "devoured" the resources of
the poor. Either way, the practice of praying had become a cover for injustice.
What is worse, many involved with the temple were unaware of the way the
structures worked against needy people, for the needy were almost invisible.
They didn't walk and sit among the scribes and religious leaders. (Christian Century)
Jesus told the disciples and those
who listened that those who take advantage of people will be severely
punished. When they failed as stewards,
God would hold them accountable for their actions.
Did you see the widow making her
way up to the communion table to lay her offering in the plate?
In the Women's Court, along the wall, there are thirteen large,
metal, trumpet-shaped receptacles to receive offerings for various
purposes. People who might not donate
out of a spirit of generosity are
tempted to do so to be noticed by other people.
The receptacles
sit in plain view, and their clinking and clanking advertise the size of
individual offerings. The donor is
tempted to consider the clink/clank value of his/her offerings. (lectionary.org)
Our poor widow’s offering was not so worthless as a present-day penny. Each coin would be worth about ten percent of
a worker's hourly wage -- perhaps the equivalent of a dollar or two in today's
currency. They are too small to sustain
the woman for long, but are large enough to matter. (lectionary.org)
Did
you see Jesus watching as this unfolded?
His eyes watching every movement, not missing anything happening.
Did
anyone experience frustration with a woman who would put her last two coins in
the offering plate???? Did you wonder
why she was being lifted up as a worthy example when she has now depleted her
own funds and become a burden to the state?
Those few coins didn’t change her
situation from burden to taxpayer. She probably
had no means of support. Unless she had
a child or a father to provide her with the basics in life she probably had to
beg for her existence…. or worse.
Prostitution isn’t called the oldest profession for nothing. It has been said that she couldn’t pull
herself up by her own bootstraps because she didn’t even have feet for the
boots.
And
yet she gave away what little she had.
Just to hear the clanking of the coins?
I don’t think so.
What did Jesus want us to do with
this story? Let’s not spend time asking
what would Jesus do, because the question for us today is what does Jesus want
us to do about it?
A Thought for the Day this week was
this – “We are only poor when we want more than we have.”
At first glance you might
agree. Certainly my grandchildren want
more for Christmas than they actually need as if they need anything at all, but
quickly you realize that, probably unintentionally, this means poverty is all
in your head. If only it was that
simple.
The
2006 Federal poverty levels tell us that a family of four living on $20,000 a
year is living in poverty. Or a single
person living on $9,800 is living in poverty.
In fact, in
And what does Jesus want his church
to do about it? The Baked Goods
Distribution on Fridays is one way we do good things and it could use more workers. If you aren’t working on Friday mornings,
what are you doing on Friday mornings that is more important than helping
others? Can you give a couple of hours
to help?
Jubilee Christmas at First Baptist needs
money and toys to provide for 25 families this year. Can you give?
Can you help put all of it together on the evening of December 15 and be
here on December 16 to help those who come to wrap gifts for their children? Can you give a little to make a big
difference?
What else can we do?
I read recently that girls who have
good relationship with their fathers are less likely to become sexually active
than girls without good relationships with dads. How about sponsoring a series of workshops to
help men be good dads? Let’s find
someone to lead this and offer it at the public library instead of the church
where some might be reluctant to come.
If I recall correctly 12% of girls have become sexually active by the
age of 13. Let’s do what we can to help
girls make good decisions about their lives and help men become better
dads.
Becoming a parent before one is
ready – financially and emotionally – is a cause of poverty too.
Who
will help sponsor this and make it happen?
(Pause)
What
else is God calling us to do? What can
we at First Baptist Church of Lafayette, Indiana do to help others to be more
self-sustaining, to improve their self-esteem, and help the community and the
How
about offering to mentor people who need help with finances? How about tutoring high school and college
students? How about putting a group
together to explore ideas as to how we can help? Are you willing to be part of this group?
The
This
story may not be so much about lifting up a woman who gave it all but it is
definitely about giving out of what you have, not what you have left. Certainly financially, but also your talents
and time.
Yes, I know that Consecration Sunday
has already passed and pledge cards have been turned in, but the subject of
stewardship never goes away.
Our two widows – in Mark and in 1 Kings – are examples for
us. The widow who fed Elijah never went
hungry again but we don’t know how Mark’s widow fared but here is how I hope
the story went.
“And then a disciple went to the woman, asking about her
circumstances. Learning she had no
husband, no children nor a real home he brought her to another follower and
whispered to him, “Here is your new mother.”
The Jew looked stunned for a moment.
His mother had died when he was a boy.
A new mother? Then he turned his
head and saw that Jesus was looking into his eyes. No, not his eyes, but his soul. Jesus was looking right into his soul.
He couldn’t say he
didn’t have the means to provide for her, because he did. He couldn’t say he didn’t have room for her,
because he had that too. He couldn’t say
no, because he had no reason to do so.
Jesus was asking him to take care of this woman, to love her as his own
mother and ease her pain. He did it,
because Jesus asked him to do it.
“Mother,” he said to
her, “won’t you come and live with my family and me? We could use your wisdom as we raise our
children and we have love to share with you.
Will you come?”
Jesus looked into her
eyes and saw….not just relief, but peace.
Her jars of flour and oil would never run dry either. She did not run to Jesus and throw herself at
his feet in thanksgiving. Instead with grace and dignity, she bowed her
head, smiled slightly and followed her new son to her new home. And all was well. All had given to the glory of God. Amen.
Prayer:
God, we
are grateful for the ways you provide for us when we too are in need. You encourage people to reach out to us when
we need financial or emotional help. You
encourage people to step outside their comfort zones and do for another what
you would have them do. You encourage
them to love us when we feel unlovable.
Help us
to return that love to those you put in our paths. May we too love others as you love us. May we seek to lift another’s spirits, to
shelter another from the cold, to feed another when they are hungry, and to
help them be self-sufficient so that they too may be able to help another.
The
stories of these widows have long been examples for stewardship. May these widows now become part of the
fabric of our church and our own lives that we might walk the way they walk in
your name.
Amen.