"The LORD said to my Lord" & the poor widow

And He said to them, "How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms:

'The LORD said to my Lord,

"Sit at My right hand,

Till I make Your enemies your footstool."'

"Therefore David calls Him 'Lord'; how he He then his Son?"

Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."

And he looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had."

- Luke 20:41-21:4

In yesterday's reading, we read of the continuing efforts to trap Jesus. He is teaching in the temple at Jerusalem, and various elements of the leadership question Him. Yesterday, we read of a question by the Saduccees, a high priestly and landowning class. They did not believe in resurrection, and so posed a question designed to trap Jesus - a woman was married in sequence to seven brothers, but none had children. In the resurrection, whose wife will she be? Jesus taught that they had it quite wrong: in the resurrection all things will change - those of "that age" will be equal to the angels, neither marrying nor given in marriage, nor will they die. Jesus then cited Moses in the passage of the burning bush, who called the Lord "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him."

And He said to them, "How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand . . ." My study bible has a note here: "The first reference to the LORD applies to God the Father, the second to Christ -- whom David, the writer of this Psalm, calls my Lord." This is another question Jesus poses in order to quiz His quizzers - the leadership of the temple, which includes the scribes who are experts in Scripture. He is, in this sense, turning the tables on them, challenging their education and understanding, while at the same time He seeks to open their eyes to His presence. We recall that the initial quizzing of Jesus began with the leadership challenging Him as to His authority to cleanse the temple, something only a Messiah could rightfully do.

'". . .Till I make Your enemies your footstool."' Therefore David calls Him 'Lord'; how he He then his Son?" My study bible notes, "The riddle has its solution in that the Messiah is David's Son in His humanity, yet David calls Him Lord in His eternal deity." So we are creeping into the territory of mystery (appropriate to a riddle posed to the temple leadership, particularly the scribes), and the understanding of Jesus' nature as both a Son of David and Son of God. In yesterday's reading, Jesus opened their eyes to the transformed nature of human beings who become sons of God in the resurrection. Here, He draws their minds further toward mysteries of spiritual reality they do not understand. And, in so doing, He has shown that His understanding of Scripture surpasses theirs -- so much for questions about His authority, and His credentials for teaching.

Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation." This is certainly a bold act! In the hearing of all the people, Jesus speaks to His disciples scathingly about the scribes whom He's just engaged in a Scriptural riddle. Jesus pronounces judgment! My study bible notes here, "These verses criticize the scribes, a professional class of teachers and experts in Mosaic Law, for glorying in their influential roles while practicing injustice." Jesus is teaching us the ties between the desire for worldly glory, and the failure to understand not only the Law and the Scriptures in which they are experts, but also the practice of God's Law, and God's love.

And he looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. My study bible says here, "A mite: a Jewish copper coin of the lowest value, like a penny. Yet this sacrificial offering by the poor widow is praised by Christ. The value of a gift derives from the spirit in which it is given. A gift that seeks recognition loses spiritual value; a gift made from the heart gains immense value."

So He said, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had." At first glance, we might suspect that Jesus is speaking about the amount or percentage of our income we give. But I'm so glad that my study bible points out (in the note just above) that the gift is a gift of great love, given with all her heart. The wealthy, who give for show, are in comparison with the scribes "who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers." Seeking the praise of men rather than the praise of God shows a shortfall in love of God. So truly, Jesus is teaching here about those who are close to God, who truly love God with all their heart, and soul and mind and strength -- and the poor widow comes out above them on in that perspective. We recall the cleansing of the temple: it was the buyers and sellers of animals who profited from the sale of the "better animals" by the wealthiest at the Passover, which the poor could not afford.

In today's lectionary readings, we also have included verses from St. Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians. In chapter 4, verses 7 & 8, Paul writes, "For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit." Let us consider then the concept of holiness, and what this means in terms of the contrast between the poor widow, above, and the scribes and the wealthy who are concerned with show - with the opinions of others that reflect back upon them. This command for holiness cited by St. Paul comes from Leviticus 11:44, which is also placed in commands about "cleanliness:" "For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I, the Lord your God, am holy." This is something the scribes, experts in the Law, should know but fail to put into practice. We are not called to worldly perfection, therefore, but to sanctification and holiness. Holiness connotes the act of setting apart something for God. In our role as those who love God, it is we who therefore seek to put "right-relatedness" to God by understanding that all is God's creation, all is in God's image, and therefore we give ourselves, our lives and all we know to God. Therefore to truly love with all our heart, soul, mind and strength is to set ourselves apart for God, to return that which is God's to God. The Holy Spirit, working in us to create sanctification, draws us more and more deeply into holiness; indeed, it is the Trinity that works in us to draw our lives more and more into this union of love, or a state of holiness. This Christmas, there is deep concern socially with gift-giving and comparison. Let us remember, then, what it is to be His disciples, to be called to holiness. It is all about love and relationship; the measure of love - and holiness - is in the heart. How do you measure that? We turn all things back to our Creator, and redeem the world together with our Redeemer. Remember love and holiness, and the sanctification to which we are called, with the help of God at work within us, and among us. The Lord whose enemies will be made His footstool is the knower of the heart, and it is the poor widow He sees as the greatest giver of all.