January 26, 2025
The Gift God Treasures
Luke 20:45 – 21:4
45 In the hearing of all the people he said to the disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and who love respectful greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets. 47 They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; 2 he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them, 4 for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
We’re in our 2025 stewardship series called “Pathways to Generosity.”
Last week, you filled out your WHY cards, answering the question: why give to this congregation? Your “WHY” Words are on the bulletin cover. The key spiritual question driving this campaign is a personal question to each of us: “Where does God want me in my generosity?”
Given all of that, I want to ask an awkward question about this story of the widow’s mite.
Does it ever bother you that the widow in this story gives all she has to live on? Today’s reading from the gospel of Luke is known as the story of the “widow’s mite.” It’s a holdover from the King James language – mite is what she gave. And the story is often used as an example of sacrificial generosity.
So, Jesus saw a widow place two copper coins in the Temple offering. He said that out of her poverty she had given more than anyone, because she gave all she had to live on.
Now, over time, in Christian history, her gift has become a morality lesson of extravagant generosity. It was over and above a proportion of her income. It was over and above a tithe. She gave all she had.
But does it seem strange, just a little bit, that Jesus would praise a poor person who gave everything she had to live on? It’s beautiful in a way, but I find it also troubling. I think this interpretation is too easy, and I want to look more closely at the story with you.
Let’s set the context. We are in the final week of Jesus’ life. He has come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. This is the climax of his public ministry. The conflict between Jesus and leaders of his day has been heightening.
For a long time, there have been private or quiet arguments between them. But now, Jesus is going public in his criticism of the social and religious leadership.
So, standing in the shadow of the Temple, which was like the national capitol and national cathedral rolled into one, Jesus condemns corrupt and hypocritical leadership in a very public and awkward way.
In this story, he’s amping it up by instructing his disciples in the hearing of these social and religious leaders. He condemns their leadership, and at the same time gives his disciples tools to be able to see for themselves the ways that a social system can become corrupt.
So, I want us to look at the leaders, and why Jesus was criticizing them.
At the widow, and what she really stands for.
Then at what this encounter means for our faith, including our generosity.
45 In the hearing of all the people Jesus said to the disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and who love respectful greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets.
Beware of the scribes. Who are they? The last time we met the scribes was just a few weeks ago: they were surrounding Jesus as a twelve-year old boy and were amazed at his teaching.
Scribes were the teachers and experts in religious law. Luke, and other historical sources outside the Bible, agree that their leadership position among the Jewish people was pivotal. They held an elevated social status that placed them among the leading priests of Jerusalem.
They were the elite. In the way Jesus describes their behavior, we can see they had a driving ambition for status and public recognition.
Jesus says they “walk around in long robes.” Clothes were a status symbol then, and they are now. These robes symbolize their wealth. This is their bespoke suit, the designer coat, the custom-made shoes. This is not stealth-wealth; this is flashy, they want to be noticed.
Jesus says they do this in every area of social life.
The synagogue, (religion and education),
the marketplace (business world),
and banquets (culture).
In each area of life, wherever the great and the good gather, the scribes wanted to be honored. They wanted a table by the window, court-side tickets, front row seats, back-stage passes, insider access.
Let’s take a contemporary example: If they were invited to an inauguration, these are the folks would be seated on the front row. They would get a ticket for themselves and for their plus one.
So, they’re the elite. But here’s the thing about them, and this is why Jesus is on their back.
Despite their social standing, their wealth and power, their important role in society, the great respect and recognition that is given to them, they fail in the most important job they have: to interpret God’s commandments and respond faithfully.
Now, listen. This touches on the real meaning of life, not only for them, but for all of us. What’s the real purpose of life? You can have designer clothes, status symbols, and accolades, recognition, and wealth, and front-row seats: but what’s the purpose? What’s the purpose of all of that? Just to collect it? What’s the purpose of life?
Two answers in Christian faith are classic here. One is from the prophet Micah: “Love mercy, do justly, walk humbly with God.” That’s the commandment, and that defines our faithful response. A life well-lived.
The other come straight from Jesus: “Love God, love your neighbor.” This is the summary of the law, this is what all of God’s commandments come down to. Do this, Jesus says, and you will live: not just live, but thrive.
Now, back to our story, of all the people in society, these scribes were the ones who were supposed to get that.
So, how do they fail?
Jesus says, they “devour widow’s houses (a house is a metaphor for everything a person has) and for the sake of appearance say long prayers.”
Now, if scribes are at one end of the sociological spectrum in this historical society, widows are at the other. A widow in that society was a person without any prospect of fending for themselves. So, when we read “widow” this is not just a woman who has lost her husband. This is the weakest and most defenseless person in society.
It is pivotal for our understanding of this scene to see it this way: the persons responsible for interpreting and demonstrating God’s commandments (the scribes) and the system responsible for being the embodiment on earth of God’s presence (the Temple) are abusing and mistreating the very people for whom God has expressed special concern: the poor.
Rather than care for the weak and defenseless, they devour all they have. They commend someone like this widow for putting everything she has in the offering plate, and they say long public speeches to pretend they care — yet, they do nothing to help her situation, to make her life easier, or kinder, or more fair.
Jesus says;
“They will receive the greater condemnation.”
There’s a tragic irony at the heart of their life: they seek greater honor from the world, and they will receive greater condemnation from God. This a hard word, and Jesus gives it as a warning to those who follow him. He’s looking at their example, and saying, “Don’t be like that.”
Now, to continue in the story, as Jesus was saying this,
He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; 2 he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them, 4 for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
Now, over time in Christian history and preaching, this woman has come to be an example of sacrificial generosity. But Jesus does not present her that way.
Her gift – set into the context of what Jesus is saying – is not an example to be commended, but an example to be lamented.
By calling her out, Jesus calls out the hypocrisy of the leaders he is condemning. Jesus sees the widow and says, “There she is. She’s an example of what I’m saying.” This is his lament.
On the one hand, we have those who lives of opulence, and despite their large giving, their remaining wealth is so great that their lives do not meaningfully intersect with the impoverished in any way.
On the other hand, we have a person who takes all she has and give it away, trusting that somehow God will provide for her and she has no one else to help.
She put in “all she had to live on.” Two copper coins. How much was that? That is 2 lepta. A lepta was 1/132 of a day’s wage. I did the math in today’s terms: she put in a dollar. That’s all she had.
Jesus is drawing attention to her in order to condemn a national and religious system and a national and religious leadership that feeds off of those who cannot fend for themselves.
His condemnation is meant as a warning to his disciples – then and now: Do not behave this way. By lifting up the widow as an example of injustice, Jesus is opening our eyes and calling us to do the things that make for justice.
There are so many implications of this. This teaching, this call, has an impact on our personal lives – and how we spend our time, how we invest our energy, and with whom. It has an impact on our church, the kinds of things we give our attention, the people we pay attention to, what try to do in our life together.
But let me bring this specifically to stewardship. The animating question of our season this year is, “Where does God want me in my generosity?”
Each of us answers that question for ourselves, in response to how God has blessed us, and what our resources are.
But for all of us, I believe God wants us to be generous in a way that our lives will meaningfully intersect with those in need.
Generosity is not simply a tool to transfer assets from one person to others. Generosity is a spiritual practice God uses to grow us in faith, to reconcile our relationships across boundaries with other people, and to make us more like Jesus.
The problem with the scribes is not that they weren’t giving; they weren’t giving in a way that they could feel a meaningful connection with the widow.
God wants us to be in a place in our generosity where our lives meaningfully intersect with the people we seek to help. That means we need to give at a level and in a way that we feel it. Not only at a level that the other person feels it and that makes a different to them – but at a level that we feel, and it makes a difference to us.
This depends on your resources. For some, a small gift will come at a great cost.
For some, a tithe – 10% – will be what gets you to a level that you notice, that it makes a meaningful difference on your choices and your feelings.
For others, a tithe is not enough. If your income or assets are high enough, 10% will not make an impact that you feel. It won’t change you.
God wants us to be in our generosity in a place where it changes us, where our generosity becomes a meaningful pathway to growing our faith, to connecting us with others, making us more like Jesus.
You see, Jesus is our example of giving. Jesus is our example of self-sacrifice. If you want a counterpoint to the hypocritical leadership, it’s not the widow: it’s Jesus.
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, quotes what many think is the earliest Christian hymn: have the same mind in you that was also in Christ Jesus, who did not consider equality with God something to be exploited but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.”
Jesus gave himself for us and for our healing. He is the contrast to our pride, our selfishness, our status-seeking, our ego-drive.
He had a seamless garment, a symbol of wealth, but he did not hold on to that long robe. He was stripped of his robe, left naked and beaten for us and for the world.
He was welcomed into every place of honor: the center of the Temple, at dinner with the greatest and the best of society. But he did not claim a place of honor for himself.
He took the place of greatest shame. He went to the cross, the cross is a symbol of utter humiliation. He traded his honor for the cross, for us and for our salvation.
He did not devour the house of the poor. He blessed the poor, and he welcomed them into his own paradise. Out of his great wealth, Jesus gave all he had in love for us.
Jesus’ self-sacrificial love is our salvation, and his giving is the pathway to our generosity.
May each of us live our lives of faithful response to his love.
Amen.
Rev. Patrick W. T. Johnson, Ph.D.
First Presbyterian Church
Asheville, North Carolina