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

Yesterday we read that some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Jesus 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."'  Therefore David calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"   After verbally fencing with the leaders in the temple while they questioned Him, Jesus now goes on the offensive, so to speak, with His own perspective and gospel message.  In this vein, He quizzes them with a kind of riddle they dare not answer, as the logical conclusion is that He is God incarnate.  Here, the first reference to the LORD applies to God the Father.  The term my Lord is a reference to Christ.  My study bible adds that this question is answered in that Christ is the Son of David in His humanity, and yet David's Lord in His divinity.  The belief of the leadership is that the Messiah is a man; yet David, as king of Israel, could not and would not address anyone as "Lord" except God.

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."  The emphasis here in Luke is on the ambition and greed the scribes embody, and their absorption in the externals, the image they make before others, which results in hypocrisy.  Jesus suggests here that their hypocrisy is linked to greater condemnation.  Think of it:  as characterized by Jesus, these men place all emphasis on the external, their image before others, while He makes sure His criticism is said in the hearing of all the people.

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."  In contrast to Jesus' criticism of the scribes, He praises this poor widow.  My study bible says that in the patristic perspective, the Lord accounts the value of a gift not by how much is given, but rather by how much is kept back.  That means that this poor widow is counted to have given a tremendous gift.  She has kept nothing for herself.  Those who give out of their abundance but have plenty back for themselves have not given so much as she.

Among the many names of Jesus is "Heart-knower" or "Knower-of-hearts."   When the disciples must choose another to replace Judas, there are two men nominated.  In Acts 1:24, they are about to cast lots.  The text tells us they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen . . .."  The English phrase is translated from a single word in the Greek (καρδιογνώστης/kardiognostes); it's really two words put together, literally meaning "heart-knower."  In Psalm 139, the Lord is addressed as the One who knows more about us than we can know about ourselves.  Verse 23 declares, "Search me, O God, and know my heart."  In today's reading, Jesus not only shows Himself as the "Heart-knower" but His entire emphasis is on what is in the heart.  As Lord of King David, Christ is truly the heart-knower; He is the only One to whom David has to answer and give an account of himself.  When Jesus criticizes the scribes, the emphasis He places is on what is in their hearts; or more specifically, what is missing here.   His criticism stems from their emphasis on image and externals:  long robes, greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, and the pretense of long prayers.   Finally, Jesus turns and singles out a poor widow, even while the rich are putting lavish gifts into the treasury.  He praises her gift as more than all.  In each of these examples in today's reading, Jesus is urging us to learn what truth is beyond the superficial, beyond the image created as appearance.  The truth, He says, is in deeper meanings, insights into the heart and the choices that people make.  Take a good hard look at the heart of King David, who knows who his Lord is.  David's spiritual understanding was not limited to expectation of One to come who was connected only through human lineage.  Everything we know about David, and particularly the Psalms attributed to him, teaches us that he lived his life with a clear awareness at all times of the God he loved, and God's presence in his life, God's face before him.  Therefore we can always read in the psalms the great emphasis on the heart and the state and condition of the heart.  The emphasis is on the full picture of who we are, in the depth of the heart.  Today's reading begins with a question designed to open up the identity of Christ Himself to those who have been interrogating Him.  It expands into criticism of the life lived for image on the part of the scribes; that is, a life lived on the surface, for what others see.  Finally He peers into the depth of the heart of the poor widow; comparing her to others who give lavish gifts, He praises hers as "most of all."  The message is that Jesus wants us to dive deep, not to live on the surface -- that what we see of life most often isn't the full picture at all.   He invites us into better judgment:  to get to know ourselves, to live in this depth of reality which only comes from humility, so that we may better discern life around us.  Jesus sees the truth of the widow, and invites us into that truth, teaching us to find who we are in the sight of God.  It is only there that we come to know ourselves, and by extension to begin to better perceive others.  Where does your relation to the world begin?  Can you dig under the surface as did King David before God, when he wrote, "Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom" (Psalm 51).  Everything comes from this place where we know God's love, and may be granted the wisdom of truth in the inward parts, so that we may truly see as Christ asks us to see.