Putting God First
Have you ever seen a Roman coin? There are a great many available for collectors, most of which can be purchased cheaply because they are relatively valueless. Most common Roman coins were made of ordinary metals and were minted in huge numbers, so there are lots of them around. Now, as in the ancient world, most of these coins have little value. They're like pennies. Yet, it wasn't the value of the coin that one woman, a widow, dropped in the collection basket that drew Jesus' attention. Instead it was the heart she brought to the giving.
Jesus pointed the widow out to his disciples saying, "Amen. This poor widow put in more than all the other contributors because they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."
We might ask why Jesus would bother to point her out to his disciples at all. Well, the reason might have been that he wanted to challenge them to follow her example. It's like Jesus was saying to them, "Do you see that poor widow? That's what I want from you. I want that kind of commitment. I want you to trust God and invest yourselves at that level. I want you to believe so completely that you're willing to risk anything and everything for God."
That's why Jesus drew attention to the poor widow's mite because the pittance she gave by way of two small coins came from someone whose whole life was an offering to God. She held nothing back and gave all she had to God in His service. By pointing that out, Jesus was asking the same of those who follow him.
The word "widow" appears about a hundred times in the Bible, but it's not an esteemed title. Within the Bible, the word "widow" refers to someone who is afflicted and desolate. Widows knew loss and emptiness and their lives were often burdensome. That's why God continually commanded his people to show special concern for widows and orphans. Their experiences were the same, only age differentiate them.
During biblical times a woman usually married outside of her tribe and if her husband died she was often left destitute, with few if anyone to help her. As a widow it was almost impossible to get work, except perhaps on a farm, doing manual labor. You may remember the Old Testament book of Ruth. That's the story of a widow, a non-Israelite, who devoted herself to taking care of her mother-in-law, also a widow. To help provide for themselves, Ruth went into the fields after the harvest where, on her hands and knees, she picked leftover grain off the ground. That's the kind of life widows often lived in the ancient world. It was harsh. It was cruel.
That's why the poor widow of Zerephaph is such a great Old Testament heroine, a true woman of faith. She alot like the poor widow in today's gospel reading. Although she wasn't an Israelite, she demonstrates a great amount of faith. She was probably a young woman. Why? Well, she had a son young enough to still be living with his mother. They were living through a famine. Now, none of us have ever experienced a famine, but just imagine how horrible it was. There was absolutely nothing to eat. The crops were gone. There was no rain, so there was very little water. There were no markets where you could go and buy food. There was no livestock because they died from lack of water and feed. When Elijah showed up, he was far away from Israel. He suddenly appeared at this widow's home and asked her for something to eat. She admits that there's only enough flour and oil to make a small cake, just enough so her son and she may have a little to eat. Once they've eaten, and its certain they wouldn't be full, there would be no more food, so they would starve to death. So why should she give what little she has to Elijah? She might give her own food, but why would she take the food out of her son's mouth as well? It doesn't make any rational sense. That's the point. For some reason she trusts Elijah's word when he promises that the God of Israel will take care of them and that the Lord will not allow them to starve. She could have easily said, "Why would I believe that? Just look, he's not doing anything to help his own people in Israel?" Yet, she didn't say that. Instead she gave away all that she, and her son, had to live on. Just like the poor widow in the gospel.
These two poor widows challenge us all. In a way they put us all to shame. They risked everything and they trusted the Lord without condition. That's the stuff of which real religion, real faith is made. Let's face it. We sometimes practice a form of spiritual fakery. Sometimes we don't live up to the practice of our faith, and when we don't, it's like pretending to be disciples, without actually being so.
These two heroines, these two widows, challenge everyone who follows Jesus. They challenge our sometimes less-than-total commitment. Their total self-giving reminds us how imcomplete our own faith can be at times and how portioned out our faith sometimes is. Yet we can change. We can grow. We can become more like these widows.