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

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 is 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 the current chapters of Luke, Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He is teaching daily in the temple.  He has entered the city in His  Triumphal Entry, and wept over the city, lamenting its lack of peace.  He has cleansed the temple, and already run into confrontations with the leadership, as they asked Him, "Who is he who gave You this authority?".  He told a parable against them, warning them of the times of the Gentiles and of Judgement.   The leadership has tested Him regarding payment of taxes to the Romans.  In yesterday's reading, some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  And the first took a wife, and died without children.  And the second took her as wife, and he died childless.  Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also, and they left no children, and died.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage.  But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.  But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'  For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him."  Then some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher, You have spoken well."  But after that they dared not question Him anymore.


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."'  My study bible says that "the first reference to LORD applies to God the Father, the second to Christ--whom David, the writer of this Psalm, calls my Lord."  Jesus is quoting from Psalm 110:1.

Therefore David Calls Him 'LORD'; how is He then his Son?"   My study bible tells us:  "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."

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."  Jesus has first established the theology of the Son by interpreting the Psalm, above.  It is in a sense another answer to the question, "Who is he who gave You this authority?"  It is also a teaching on not relying on holy ancestors for assurance of one's own sanctity.  Jesus may be called Son of David, but He is more than Son of David.  The scribes are the experts in Scripture.  My study bible says that "these verses criticize the scribes, a professional class of teachers and experts in Mosaic Law, for glorifying in their influential roles while practicing injustice."  We remark on the fact that (in yesterday's reading), the scribes have just told Jesus, "Teacher, You have spoken well."  But, Luke's gospel tells us, after that they dared not question Him anymore.  Jesus takes the opportunity, in front of all the people, to criticize the way the scribes play their roles among the leadership.  They who are experts in the Law, use their authority against the purposes and intent of the Law.  He has already shown they do not truly understand the Scripture without the fullness of Christ's revelation of Himself as Son.

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."  A mite is a Jewish copper coin of the lowest value, like a penny, says my study bible.  It continues, "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."  I feel that the words in my study bible teach us something extremely profound.  We can look at Jesus' teaching as one about social justice and recognition of the efforts of this poor woman, but my study bible takes it much, much deeper.  What is it to be a hypocrite, to live for show, as Jesus criticizes the scribes above?  What does it mean that this woman loves God with all her heart?  

Psalm 51 tells us: "For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise." Jesus has already taught that the greatest commandment is from Deuteronomy: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." And the second is like it, to love one's neighbor as oneself. Here, the poor widow with only two copper coins to give has actually given everything. She has made the sacrifice God asks of us: all that we are is His in love, and all that goes with that love. In the fulfillment of this gift one also experiences that love as love of neighbor: and in this case Jesus shows us what that looks like, by pointing out the real sacrifice and love of the poor widow in the community, and the true value of her gift in God's sight. We contrast this with His criticism 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." If you think about it, Jesus is contrasting the hypocrisy of the scribes with the purity of heart of this poor widow, and so, she has the far more valuable gift in God's sight.  So what do you sacrifice to God?  Do we live by appearances, for the opinions and judgments of others, to impress others?  Or do we live by the truth, God's truth, the truth of what is in our hearts and who we truly are.  When we make our sacrifice the love of all our heart and soul and mind then we are where God wishes to see us.  Psalm 51 also says, "Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom."  It's not about what the rest of the world thinks or sees or asks or expects, but about what the sacrifice of our whole lives to God asks of us, in the inward place, of "truth in the inward parts" and of true "wisdom."  What is your sacrifice that God truly desires?  What is most precious in Christ's sight?  In the inner dialogue of the heart, what does God really want of you?  Even the poorest among us has the greatest gift to give to God -- one's whole heart and soul and mind.