In Holy Week, Jesus spent a great deal of time at the temple. He attracted large crowds as he taught about the kingdom of God and spoke out against the hypocrisy and abuses of the religious leaders. When a poor widow comes forward and places two small copper coins in the offering Jesus is moved by her faithfulness and genorosity.
Truly this poor widow has put in more than all of them; 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. Luke 21:3-4
The widow's gift demonstrates a complete trust in God. She gives everything, knowing and believing that God will meet her needs. The others who come forward may have given larger gifts but she was more generous and more trusting. The widow is faithful and trusting giving all she has to live on, while the rich givers give only out of what they do not need.
If all the people of Israel had been as faithful as the widow then perhaps the gloom and doom scenarios Jesus outlines afterward would seem less foreboding. Jesus speaks about the coming calamity for the temple and Jerusalem. He speaks of destruction, persecution, wars, natural disasters and more. Much like the Old Testament prophets, these events serve as an indictment against the faithlessness of the people. Jesus also speaks of the coming of the Son of Man in an apocalptic conclusion to the world. Jesus tells us: "Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:36) May we be like the faithful widow who trusted in God's grace and knew that God would be good and merciful, despite a chaotic and unpredicable world.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment