7th November 2021 Pentecost 24
(Twenty Fourth Sunday after Pentecost)
Title: Giving and God’s Presence
(Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 17:8-16; Mark 12:38-44)
By Heeyoung Lim
God told Elijah to go to Zarephath and directed a widow in that place to supply you with food. This was the heartland of Baal worship, but a remarkable place for the prophet of God to be protected. This is a place where the Lord’s power could be seen. The widow was suffering in times of drought and famine. This was hardly the place a person would look for help.
In spite of the strangeness of this command and promise, Elijah obeyed. He asked her for a little water and a piece of bread. The woman was in between the demands of hospitality and her own desperate condition when Elijah requested it. She said to him, “I don’t have any bread, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”
This was a bold request for a stranger to make, but it was followed by an even more remarkable promise: The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. As a result of her trust, she experienced God’s supernatural provision, not just on that occasion but for an extended period. The prophet had learned to trust God, and he invited the woman to trust Him as well. They experienced God’s presence by giving and doing. The widow and her son became rely on the Provider, not the provision. In the process God revealed that He alone, and not Baal, was the Lord of all.
God is our provider. The woman shows us courage that gives all to another. The spiritual courage is the capacity to stand for the Lord and sustained only as we are trained to know Him better and to trust Him more. It comes from commitment to the Word of God. Faith grows as we trust God’s word and see His faithfulness to his promises.
The difficult places of life are God’s training ground, and the Lord trains us under His plan and providence. God is consistently faithful, meeting the need just in time every day. God is generous, giving, loving, forgiving, and gracious, and we are worshipping and trusting God. May we deepen our confidence in God’s power and have spiritual courage in the presence of God.
In the first scene of today’s Mark’s gospel, Jesus taught and said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets.” Jesus warns against religious leaders who would make a show of how great they are. They sought to draw attention to themselves, and their attention was all external show, designed not to give honour to God but to attract it to themselves.
They also acted out their attitudes of superiority by oppressing other people. Because of their great knowledge of the law, they should have done with compassion toward the vulnerable as they knew God did. What can we hear and feel when the two coins hit the bottom of treasury? How do we respond to those who cry out in need? She was not seen by the religious leaders, but she was seen by Jesus. They overlooked her, but Jesus looked at her and recognised the meaning of her giving when the poor woman throws two coins only. Jesus contrasts the greed of the scribes with a poor widow.
In the second scene of today’s reading, the temple is a busy place and there are many events taking place. What does Jesus notice? What events do we give our attention to in our lives? Are our important events truly important in the eyes of Jesus? The widow was doing real action which is based on her faith while the religious leaders were doing empty ceremonies. God sees our actions even when people do not.
In verse 40, they devour the property of widows, and make long prayers without meaning them. Some religious leaders exploited the poor woman’s property and then tried to show what they are praying without meaning. They misused their positions and exploited the poor rather than helping to care for them. The widow’s action is not only an example of faithful giving but also a demand for justice.
Jesus contrasts the hypocritical teachers of the law with a woman who demonstrates true spirituality. Jesus did not condemn the people who put in large amounts of money. His intent was to show the disciples what true sacrifice is. She gave all she had to God and took the huge risk for the work of God. Jesus makes the point that this poor woman has given more than all the others who contributed to the treasury. Jesus draws attention to that which other might easily overlooked. God does not look on the amount of money a person gives, but on the attitude and heart a person has.
If we are consumed and addicted by honour, power, money, social media, and beauty, they will leave us empty. I hope we can seek and have nutritious and healthy spiritual food rather than spiritual junk food. Spiritual courage for giving comes from God’s presence and words. Helping those in need, doing or giving something constructive with all of our resources, not just our money, will be a way to live by the gospel.
Giving to God is an act of worship. Her giving and worship grab Jesus’ attention. In the eyes of God who sees the heart she has put in more than all the rest. God looks at our heart and wants us to trust God with all that we have. Her offering represents total trust and abandonment of herself to God. She exemplifies the attitude of surrender to God in trust.
In Mark 10:45. Jesus said to His disciples, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In today’s reading of Mark 12, He wants them to see the true faith behind their offerings: the widow’s offering demonstrates her total trust in God. Jesus sees a widow’s attitude of surrender to God and moves toward his passion and death, giving up his life for all of us. He gives his life so our life will change forever. May we focus on faith and its growth in Christ, and we give our Lord the precious things we have with all our hearts. I hope the work of God’s kingdom can be done through us. May we be hunger for God’s word and stay in God’s presence all the time.
Thanks be to God! Amen. (Ref. Bible, commentaries, theological books, UCA materials)