If David then calls Him "Lord," how is He his Son?

 

 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?"  They said to Him, "The Son of David."  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:

'The LORD said to my Lord,

"Sit at My right hand,

Till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?

"If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"  And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.

 

- Matthew 22:41-46 

 

In our current readings, the lectionary has taken us through the Gospel of St. Matthew, and into the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).   But this week, as Ascension Day occurs tomorrow (in the Western and Armenian Apostolic Churches; for the Eastern Orthodox, it is a week later), the lectionary begins prepares us for the celebration of Christ's Ascension, with passages that affirm His identity.  On Friday the lectionary will resume texts starting with the final verses of the Sermon on the Mount.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus was explaining to His disciples the parable of the Sower (given in Monday's reading):  "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." 

 

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?"  They said to Him, "The Son of David."  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying: 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?  If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"  And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.  The setting for today's reading is Holy Week, the final week of Christ's earthly life.  He is in Jerusalem in the temple, where He has been questioned, and been in dispute with the religious leaders.  Here, Jesus in turn asks the Pharisees a question.  What do you think about the Christ? is a question about the Messiah (Christ is the Greek word meaning "Anointed" and so refers to the Messiah).  After they answer, the Son of David, Jesus then poses a question to these experts, who do nothing but pore over the Scriptures, a question about the Scriptures and their understanding, pointing to a psalm of David that refers to the Lord, the Christ.  Jesus refers to Psalm 110, quoting its first verse.  My study Bible comments that He does so to lead the Pharisees to the only logical conclusion:  that He is God incarnate.  They suppose the Messiah to be a mere man, and in this is the understanding that the Messiah would be a Son of David.  But David, as the king of Israel, could never call anyone else "Lord" except if he were addressing God.  But here in this psalm, David refers to the Messiah as "Lord."  So, therefore, the Messiah must be God, the only "lord" loftier than the king.  The only possible conclusion, my study Bible notes, is that the Messiah is a descendant of David only according to the flesh, but that He is also truly divine, sharing His Lordship with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  It's clear that the implications have not been lost on the Pharisees, as they refuse to answer, out of fear of confessing Jesus is the Son of God.  Following this encounter, Jesus will begin His grand critique of the scribes and Pharisees, His final public sermon (Matthew 23).

 

There are times in life when we really do seek to avoid saying a truth that has become obvious to us, but which is threatening to our identity, to our understanding of ourselves.  Here it is the case with the Pharisees, whose authority is something they stake their lives on.  Their positions within the society are firm, and they seek to uphold the values and meanings of the tradition upon which they stand.  Since their position is that which considers themselves to be the experts in the Scriptures and their interpretation, this is indeed an almost perilous question that Christ poses to them.  How could they, who do nothing but study Scripture and derive numerous commandments from the Scriptures which they scrupulously obey, have missed this implication of this extraordinary psalm of David?  Could the Messiah truly be the Son of God in the sense that Jesus is implying?  And could Jesus Himself, then, be the Messiah (as His disciples and followers seem to believe, having welcomed Him into Jerusalem in His Triumphal Entry a few days prior to this)?   Do they dare to admit that His logic and intuition are the only possible answer to the writing of this psalm by King David?  We do know that there are Pharisees among Christ's followers, such as Nicodemus (see, for example, John 3:1-21).  St. John's Gospel tells us, "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43). In Jesus' condemnation of the Pharisees in the chapter that follows (Matthew 23), He focuses chiefly on their hypocrisy in His grand critique of their practices.  They care for image more than substance; to be seen as holy and pious becomes more important than dealing with the internal life of the soul.  In their refusal to answer is a sign of this hypocrisy, a fear that to state what is, in fact, recognized as true is to tear down their own houses, to force a kind of repentance that needs to reconcile with the One standing in front of them whom they reject and consider an enemy, One whom they wish to destroy.  We might call this behavior outrageous, given the colossal, cosmic importance of what they are rejecting.  But we can observe this behavior all around us as a part of life.  That is, truths we are afraid of admitting openly for fear we'll have to change too much in our lives, disrupting the present order, should we acknowledge such to ourselves.  Denial goes on all the time, whether we speak of small circles such as an individual in denial about themselves, a family that does not acknowledge some harmful habit or practice or failure of a particular member, to larger groups such as social communities of all sorts, even to nations or groups of nations and international institutions.  A self-chosen blindness is frequently the theme of concern in the Gospels, a failure or even deliberate blindness to what and whom Christ is.  In the case of these Pharisees, it comes down to hypocrisy in Jesus' words and His criticism of them and their blindness, and His light is something they do not want.  This hiding from the light is an overarching theme, one that touches all of us and our world (John 1:5), and it is an ongoing reality for all of us to grapple with in one form or another, whether we fight against it or must face our own tendencies to hide from that light which may come to illuminate our dark corners and ask us to change.  But Jesus, the Son, "my Lord" to David, is the central figure here, the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), to whom all need to turn and with whom we will all reconcile (Philippians 2:9-11, Isaiah 45:23), in whom all things converge (Ephesians 1:10; Colossians 1:17).  

 

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury

 

 Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'  Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly. 

 

Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware 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."

 

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

 

- Mark 12:35–44 

 

Yesterday we read that one of the scribes came, and having heard Jesus and the religious authorities reasoning together in the temple, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him. 

 

  Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'  Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.  Jesus asks this question to lead the people to the only logical conclusion:  that He is God incarnate.  He quotes from Psalm 110.  My study Bible explains that they supposed the Messiah to be a mere man, and therefore the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David.  But David, as king of Israel, could not and would not address anyone as "Lord" except God.  But here in this psalm, David refers to the Messiah as "Lord."  So, therefore, the Messiah must be God.  My study Bible remarks that the only possible conclusion is that the Messiah is a descendant of David only according to the flesh, but is at the same time also truly divine, and sharing His Lordship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  

 

 Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware 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."  Here Jesus urges the people to beware the scribes because of their hypocrisy, and says that such hypocrisy will receive greater condemnation.  In St. Matthew's Gospel, a very extensive critique (and condemnation) of the scribes and Pharisees is reported in chapter 23.  

 

 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."  My study Bible comments that, according to patristic commentary, the Lord accounts the value of a gift not by how much is given, but by how much is kept back.  So, this poor widow is counted to have given a very great gift, as she kept nothing for herself.  Those who give out of their abundance but keep plenty for themselves, my study Bible says, are counted by God to have given very little.  In the conversion of Cornelius, we learn that God takes note of our giving (Acts 10:4).  According to some estimates, a modern (US) equivalent to the widow's two mites might be about approximately $2.00; in a cash economy and for a dependent person without income this amount becomes quite believable.  

 

 What does it mean to give?  In yesterday's reading (see above), we were given the two great commandments.  The first commandment teaches, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."  The second adds, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Jesus grouped these two together as the greatest commandments, which sum up all the law and the prophets.  Loving one's neighbor as oneself is often seen as manifested in the practice of charity, and acts of charity can take on many forms and many expressions.  When we think of giving, we most often think of money, as in the case with the poor widow giving all she had to the treasury of the temple.  But perhaps we should expand our concepts of giving to include the many other things that we can give in life.  We can give of our time.  We can give of our care, and kindness to others.  We can do many works which are charitable even if not nominally called that:  a good word to someone, letting someone know you think of them, paying attention where attention is needed.  Sometimes just spending time sitting with someone is a charitable act.  In this sense, if we should truly fulfill the first and greatest commandment Jesus gives to us, then possibly we might just find out what it is to give our all.  For if we really deeply love God in all the dimensions of focus in the commandment, then we might find that we give our whole lives to this spirit of giving, depending upon the need and where we are called should we live truly prayerful lives mindful of God.  We can practice giving our lives to God, and seeking that direction for God's will for us at any given time, whether we are at work, at home, no matter where we are and what we are doing.  This is a kind of fullness of giving that's not obvious to the world but incorporates the spirit of giving nevertheless, of being "all in" and deepening our faith in the process even as we practice giving in this way.  Expressing love is so often the process of giving, even giving when we don't know or think we have much else to give at all.  Anyone who has cared for a loved one -- even a pet that needs care -- knows this.  We find that we can give so much more than we thought we could when we're motivated by love.  This extends to our world, the care and stewardship of the creation which God has given us and put us in charge of properly cultivating and guiding it.  Genesis 2:15 reads, "Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it."  The whole of the Bible is filled with verses about proper stewardship of our world and what we do with this gift of resources we're given.  This poor widow in today's reading gives us a sense that even when we don't think we have much to offer, there is always something we have to give if we are "all in."  If we love God, we find resources we didn't know we have.  More importantly, if we have a full abundance of things we can give, we can "hand them over" in prayer to God to find the right role for our stewardship and giving.  St. James writes, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17).  Thus, all that we have, every blessing comes to us from God in the first place; we may practice the fullness of giving in returning all to God for God's blessing and guidance in how to use it and live God's will for creation.  In the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, there are repeated prayers that combine a commemoration of the Virgin Mary as an icon of the fruitfulness possible through faith, together with the prayer, "with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God."   We entrust ourselves to the Lord, and find fulfillment in so doing, giving ourselves to Christ's direction and guidance as Mediator for all things.  Let us find our gifts and live His teaching together with the poor widow He commends so highly in today's reading.

 

 

 

 

Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all

 

 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 sets 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 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."' Therefore David calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  Here Jesus is quoting from Psalm 110, and quizzing the scribes with His own question now, on the meaning of the Scriptures.  My study Bible explains that the first reference to the LORD applies to God the Father, while the term my Lord refers to Christ.  This question is answered in that Christ is the Son of David in His humanity and David's Lord in His divinity.  David, as king of Israel, could not and would not address anyone as "Lord" except God.  Yet, in the psalm, David refers to the Messiah as "Lord."  The only conclusion is that the Messiah is both human and divine.

 

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 sets 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."   After quizzing the scribes, who could not answer, Jesus goes on to criticize their hypocritical practices.  Their outward piety conceals a private predatory behavior upon the poor and those least able to protect or care for themselves.  In effect, they use the trappings of their places of honor in the religious hierarchy as shields for their greed and abuse.

 

 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."  My study Bible comments that, according to patristic commentary, the Lord accounts the value of a gift not by how much is given, but by how much is kept back.  So, therefore, the poor widow is counted to have given a great gift, because she kept nothing for herself.  Those who give out of their abundance but keep plenty back for themselves, by contrast to her donation, have given much less. 

 

If we examine the story of the poor widow, what we find is a woman who is in this sense investing all her livelihood, all that she has, in God.  By putting her money into the treasury, she is entrusting all that she has to God.  She is, in this sense, indicating her full dependence on God, and dedication to God.  When we invest ourselves, in this sense, to our faith, we do the same.  In the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, celebrated nearly every Sunday in Orthodox churches, and the foundation for other denominations around the world, we frequently hear repeated, "Let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God."  This phrase is also found in the worship of the St. Basil Liturgy which is performed on particular occasions.  This phrase is, in the same sense that the widow invests all that she has in the treasury to God, our way of giving our all liturgically, in repeated prayer.  We seek to direct our lives to the care and service of God, and leave nothing back "for ourselves."  What that means is that as we pray and as we worship, we are seeking not to dedicate ourselves in the sense of performative action such as hides the hypocrisy of the scribes which Jesus criticizes, but to dedicate ourselves to the way, the truth, and the life that Jesus teaches us (John 14:6).  We seek as best we can to follow His way and His commands, but we also entrust that the Holy Spirit will help us to see where we need to change, things we need to give up, and new things we need to take up and make a commitment to.  This is what it is to dedicate our lives to God, to entrust ourselves to God, as this widow does with her donation.  What we find is that all the practices of worship and tradition are aimed to this end, to help us to fulfill this dedication of our whole lives to Christ our God.  When we fast, we are learning to say No the things Christ would ask us to resist that tempt us, when we pray we bow down to the One who loves us and who in turn we entrust with our whole lives, when we venerate icons and share our love of the saints, we do so with this whole community in mind that is encapsulated in this prayer, "Let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God."   For our whole lives to be entrusted to God is to go far beyond the practices of the scribes which Jesus so roundly criticizes. In so doing, we find ourselves together with that widow, where we are both part of this community dependent upon and dedicated to God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  And we find the poor widow as our neighbor, whom we are to love as ourselves.  (See, for example,  Mark 12:30-31.)  Christ the Lord who came into the world to reveal Himself to us, to give us His care, and teach us to find the way to His Kingdom -- and this is the way He shows us in today's reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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?"   Jesus quotes from Psalm 110, after being praised by one of the scribes for His interpretation of Scripture (in yesterday's reading, above), and poses a question of His own.  My study Bible explains that the first reference to the LORD applies to God the Father, while the term my Lord refers to Christ.  Jesus' question to the scribes is answered in that Christ is the Son of David in His humanity and David's Lord in His divinity.   The expectations of a Messiah as worldly king only are dispelled in this understanding -- for David, as king of Israel, would not address anyone as "Lord" except God.  David addresses the Messiah as Lord here in the beginning of the psalm, and therefore the Messiah must be God.  The understanding conveyed is that the Messiah is a descendant of David only according to His flesh, but is also divine, sharing Lordship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

 

 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."   In Matthew 23, we read an extensive critique of the scribes and Pharisees given in this final week of Christ's life.  Here it is much more abbreviated, and yet to the point.  He still criticizes them for their hypocrisy, their conduct of exorbitant displays of pious appearance to others -- and yet hiding their cruelty and greed.  Here He explicitly speaks of their 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."  After Jesus speaks theft from widows by the scribes (who devour widows' houses), He puts out to all the poor widow and her donation into the temple treasury.  My study Bible says that according to patristic commentary, the Lord accounts the value of a gift not by how much is given, but by how much is kept back.  Therefore, this woman is counted to have given a great gift although she is a "poor widow," as she has kept nothing for herself.  My study Bible adds that those who give out of their abundance but keep plenty back for themselves are counted to have given very little.  

At a time when I was traveling overseas, I happened to be sitting one day in the center of a sunny city, in a nice cafe.  A refugee woman with two small children came to me, and she was asking people for money.  Ordinarily there might be a common experience of some people begging in that city, often people who used drugs.  But this woman was different, and I felt she must have come across the seas from bad circumstances and facing danger in her position.  I gave her a much larger amount that I would ordinarily hand to someone on the street but it still was not a large sum of money.  There was another person in my party who in principle thought I shouldn't do that, but I tersely said that she had two children.  Quietly and with great dignity she mouthed the words to me, "God bless you," with deep gratitude.  She comes to mind as I think about Jesus' final story, pointing out to those who listened the gracious and generous gift of the poor widow.  Although the amount I gave was small, and I didn't know how much it could help her, this woman -- who might have been a young widow with small children -- was grateful in an enormous way, possibly more for the fact that I wanted to protect and defend her than simply the donation.  Perhaps she understood that I saw her dignity and grace and recognized who she was in some sense.  At any rate, a small token or gift from me was met with tremendous graciousness on her part, and so we might think of a poor widow as one who truly knows the value of a gift, especially when the world is unkind to the powerless and the poor.  In the years since I wondered often how I could have done more for her, tried to find her a job, or some other such fantasy, but I remember her gratitude and her grace, and in that, her gift to me of genuine thanks for much more than a small sum of money.  In contrast to the widow in the story, my donation was quite paltry, a pittance.  But let us not forget how Christ looked at the poor widow at the treasury and noticed her, and had not simply compassion, but the recognition of her great gift.  It's too easy to overlook what is small in the world, and without the significance of what we call great, those unfortunate who have been treated badly by circumstances, and who need help.  But God -- our Lord Christ -- tells us differently, and that it is our job not simply to give, but to know and to recognize, to see as He sees.  Let us not forget the true gifts of life, for of such is the compassion and wisdom of Christ.  The woman to whom I gave a small momentary sum had the grace of Christ to recognize I wanted to help even if it was quite a little, but her words to me suggested her faith and its depth of beauty and goodness were much greater than whatever sum I could give her.  We live in a very imperfect world, and we cannot fix all things.  Let us remember to show the mercy we can, for our sisters and brothers are found everywhere, and in them is found much greater treasure than what we give.  What can be given out of one person's poverty may be a greater reward than we can know.

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 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 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."'  Therefore David calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  Jesus quotes here from Psalm 110:1.  This is a question concerning the identity of the Christ, the Messiah.  As frequently is His wont, Jesus turns the tables on His questioners by asking a question of His own.  My study Bible explains that the first reference to the LORD applies to God the Father, while the term my Lord refers to Christ.  This question is answered in that Christ is the Son of David in His humanity and David's Lord in His divinity.  My study Bible explains that Christ asks this question in order to lead the scribes, other religious leaders, and the people who listen to the only logical conclusion:  that He is God incarnate.  They expected the Messiah to be a mere man.  But David, as king of Israel could not and would not address anyone as "Lord" except God; therefore the Messiah must be God.  The only possible conclusion is that the Messiah is a descendant of David only according to the flesh, but also truly divine, sharing Lordship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Note that His listeners do not respond.

Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, "Beware 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."  In Matthew's Gospel, we're given an extensive final public sermon by Christ.  It is a grand critique of the ways of the scribes and Pharisees (see Matthew 23:1-39).  This appears to be a truncated version of that sermon.  There are several themes in that sermon, including that the religious leaders have God-given authority and teach God's Law, but are personally ungodly and cold-hearted -- they fail to lead the people to God.  Instead, they place themselves in God's position.  He charges the scribes and Pharisees with inverting God's values, being mean-spirited, judgmental, greedy, ambitious, absorbed in externals, and blind to their self-righteousness.  These criticisms apply to all those in the Church who behave the same way.  Here His words are directed at the scribes, but in the hearing of all of the people.  He speaks of their hypocrisy, selfishness, and focus on appearance and position, telling them that 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."  According to patristic commentary, the Lord accounts the value of a gift not by how much is given, but by how much is kept back.  So this story of the poor widow means that she's counted to have given a great gift, as she kept nothing for herself.  It is an expression of extravagant love and devotion, such as we see elsewhere; for example in the pouring out of the expensive perfume to anoint Christ (see, for example, John 12:1-7, Luke 7:36-50).  Ultimately it is the whole heart and soul and mind and strength that is involved in what we give to Christ (Mark 12:50), and these gifts represent that wholehearted giving with nothing held back.

It's important to note, as my study Bible says, that all the scathing indictments that Jesus gives to the religious leaders of His own time apply equally to us today.  This would particularly be true for those of us who call ourselves His followers.  None of the warnings Jesus gives apply only to His contemporaries.  As such, let us take a look at the stories in today's reading.  Jesus interprets the Scriptures with a brilliance that belongs only to Him as Logos.  Of course He has insights into the Scriptures.  The amazing thing to "watch" as the stories of debate in the temple unfold is that He leaves the authorities tongue-tied.  They dare not answer Him, nor ask Him again.  They know He has answered in ways to which they cannot respond and for which they have no argument.  But then He goes on the offensive against the scribes regarding their failings as religious leaders and pastors to the people.  He does this in the hearing of all, and therefore we understand the great seriousness of what He says.  He says that they 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.   What does all of this have in common?  It is an indictment of their love of appearances, which covers up their greed and willingness to make victims of those who are least able to defend and protect themselves.  Let us note that they make long prayers only "for a pretense."  We contrast Jesus' description of the scribes with the humble portrayal of the poor widow putting her two mites into the treasury.  Small copper coins, we might think of them as pennies, and yet, they are what she has.  A "mite" (called a "lepton" in Greek) was worth about six minutes of an average daily wage.   This widow lives in a level of poverty that those of us in the West and from more developed countries can no longer even imagine.  And yet her gift is the most generous and gracious of all, because of the immensity she gives from what she has.  It is a gift of love for God, indicating the enormity of her faith.  It's very important that we take into our understanding the idea that at the time of Christ, humility was not considered a virtue in the wider context of the cultures to which Christianity would soon be introduced.  In the Roman world, to be "great" was to be conquering and powerful.  As Jesus says, it meant to "lord it over" others (see Matthew 20:25).  When Christianity first began to spread, it was derided as a religion for slaves and women.   In the Jewish tradition, of course humility before God was always of importance, and we can read this throughout the entire Old Testament, and its indictment of  leaders who failed in such endeavor.  But Christ brought humility to the forefront of what it means to lead (see, for instance, Mark 9:35), and this prime example of the widow with her two mites solidifies front and center the sensibilities of what He praises in human beings.  It is the capacity to love God that ultimately results in her magnificent gift.  She is antithetical to the scribes, and Jesus effectively praises her as an example of what it is to be great, and to be a benefactor.  As we are told, God looks at the heart, not the appearance.   When Samuel must find the one to anoint as king to replace Saul, he is at first very impressed by the stature and and appearance of one of David's brothers.  But God says to Samuel:  "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."   Jesus, the Messiah, the Lord, and descendant of David whom Samuel would anoint, echoes with His teachings the words of God to Samuel.  Humility becomes our way to know the heart, to see the heart, even to come to know truthfully our own hearts -- to really see.  Jesus views the widow and the scribes through the same lens of God's perspective on the heart.  Humility is the only way we can truly see ourselves.

 

Which is the great commandment in the law?

 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?"  They said to Him, "The Son of David."  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:

'The LORD said to my Lord,
"Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?

"If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"  And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.

- Matthew 22:34-46

Yesterday, we read that after being questioned by the Pharisees regarding payment of taxes to Rome, the same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were with us seven brothers.  The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.  Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be?  For they all had her."  Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.  But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  God is the not the God of the dead, but of the living."  And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."  My study bible explains that the Pharisees had found 613 commandments in the Scriptures and debated about which one was central.  Jesus gives us the first and the second.  These form a summary of all the Law and the Prophets, the central tenets.  While this lawyer (an expert in the Law) had come to test Jesus, St. Mark's Gospel tells us He was converted by Jesus' answer (see Mark 12:28-34).    My study bible also points out to us that the second command is written:  "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  It says that this can more clearly be stated, "as being yourself."  It's similar to the "golden rule" that Jesus teaches -- "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (Matthew 7:12).  The commandment is not to love your neighbor "as you love yourself" -- the standard is not how much we love ourselves.  The point is that we are to love "neighbor" as being of the same nature as ourselves, created in God's image and likeness as we are.  My study bible says, "As the Fathers teach, we find our true self in loving our neighbor."  Jesus commands, we note, are active.  His greatest teaching on this Law is found in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37), in which Jesus preaches being a neighbor, an active choice.

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?"  They said to Him, "The Son of David."  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:   'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?  If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"  And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.   The question leads to one answer:  that Christ is God incarnate.  The supposition or expectation was that the Messiah would be only human.   Being a Son of David fits with this understanding.  But David, as king of Israel, would not address a person who was only his "son" as "Lord."  King David would only address God as "Lord."  In this excerpt from Psalm 110, David refers to the Messiah as "Lord."  The conclusion is that the Messiah is a descendant of David according to the flesh, but also truly divine, sharing Lordship with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  The Pharisees do not answer because they see the implications, yet are afraid to state the conclusion.

Jesus isn't afraid to ask some questions of His own.  They are hard and penetrating questions, leading to the heart of the controversy within the temple.  The leadership began by demanding to know how Jesus had the authority to do the things He was doing:  to cleanse the temple as He did on His first day after His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  Where does His authority come from?  When Jesus asks His own questions, the answers are too difficult for these leaders to state out loud.  Jesus asked, "The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  They could not answer for fear of the implications of their response.  Here the question has the same effect:  they cannot answer for fear of the implications of their response.  Telling the truth and asking truthful questions is not an offense against neighbor, today's reading seems to teach us.  Jesus challenges the authority of these men not by challenging the authority of their positions, but by calling them out in terms of their failure to exercise their authority properly.  The first and greatest commandment, to love God with all one's heart, and all one's soul, and all one's mind is not what they are doing.  Their positions come first; that is, their sense of their own authority.  But Jesus asserts correctly -- even according to these experts -- that the first and greatest commandment places God above every other consideration, so that it is God who is the "marker" for setting everything else, including our love of neighbor, in its proper place.  Putting God first automatically teaches us that we are to love neighbor as ourselves; that is, as another child or creation of God.  Within that context, everything else flows, including correction.  To love is not just to "coddle" but rather wanting what is truly best for someone, the highest good.  That's the direction that truly loving God first above all things takes us into with regard to love of neighbor.  Putting God first in truth would also help these men to acknowledge the power and spirit working in Jesus, as it was in John the Baptist.  The truth isn't something we should ever shun away from.  Whatever we need to do to make room for spiritual truth in our lives is important, appropriate, worthwhile.  It sets us on the good path of love of God and love of neighbor.  Jesus importantly teaches us that to live this second commandment is to be a neighbor.  Who needs your help?  What would you want others to do for you?  How do we truly honor a commitment of total love for God?

Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all

 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 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 or 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?"  My study bible gives the interpretation that the first reference to the Lord applies to God the Father, and the second, to my Lord refers to Christ.    It's a question about the identity of Messiah.  The men to whom Jesus is speaking believe the Messiah to be only human.  Jesus' question - a kind of riddle - is answered in that Christ is the Son of David in His humanity.  But He is David's Lord in His divinity.  The quotation is from Psalm 110, in which David seems to clearly set out that the Messiah is also of divine origin and nature, "a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."  David would not call anyone "Lord" except God.  Jesus is, via this question, revealing Himself as divine before the leadership; this is something they must accept before Him if they accept His answers to their questions.  He never shrinks from the truth; except in refusal to "cast pearls before swine."

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."  What a challenge this is, in the hearing of all the people.  The scribes should be experts in the Scripture Jesus has just quoted (above), which opens up the question about the nature of the Messiah as both human and divine.  But can they accept His answer about Messiah, about Himself?  These verses reflect part of a much larger passage reported by Matthew, a part of a grand critique of the leadership.  The implication seems to be that these who should understand Him are too focused on their own great roles, their attention in the public eye, making a grand image, but acting in pretense and in terrible greed.  And I believe we must tie the two together:  the insistence on image as substance, and the failure to love truth.  This is what leads to 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."    My study bible cites commentary of the Fathers on this passage, who say that the Lord accounts the value of a gift not by how much is given, but by how much is kept back.  Thus, this poor widow is counted to have given a great gift, out of her poverty, and her entire livelihood.

Jesus' truth is always something that asks us to see behind what is seen, not to believe in images alone.  We must discern the truth of Christ, or the Messiah, from the Scriptures.  David reveals in the Psalm the reality of Messiah as divine.  The scribes fail to understand although they are experts in Scripture.  It doesn't support -- in the present scene -- their own sense of themselves as judges and authorities if they must understand that Jesus is not only human, but also divine.  And Jesus makes it clear that for all their "show" of faithfulness, they are hypocrites.  It's a scathing kind of report about them, saying their long prayers are for pretense.  Who is holy here?  Who loves God?  Who loves truth?  It's important that He gives us also the example of the poor widow -- a faith that is not for show, that will be overlooked as rather insignificant.  And yet, it is her gift that is clearly the greatest.  She not only gives all she has to give in monetary terms.  She gives her livelihood.  She gives what is her own sustenance, even her person, because this is clearly a gift of love.  She is truly devoted and relies most fully upon God.  And this is the truth He wants us to see.  It's the kind of truth that takes "eyes to see with."  It's the good judgment He wants us to practice.  And it seems to me that to accept God's truth in all things must require a great love for God to start with; at least a true love and devotion.  And that takes humility.  Even if our faith is small, there is a key to unlocking the doors of the perception Christ wants us to have, and that is the seed of a genuine love for God in our hearts.  Nobody else has to know about this; it's a key in the heart, a place Christ can read and understand.  Over and over again we're given examples of this in the Gospel; whether we are talking about the story of the tax collector and the Pharisee, or perhaps the man occupied by a Legion of demons, or the centurion.  Images can manipulate, and that's really what Jesus is talking about here in His criticism of the scribes -- and the Pharisees, if we look at His final sermon as reported in Matthew's Gospel. Jesus seems to say that not only can appearances be deceiving, but they can be used to manipulate and to control, to cover greed, and those kinds of predatory behaviors that harm the faithful, the children.  The widow is an example of the fullness of love -- but also much more.  Compared to the wealthy parishioners she gives little, but it is her heart that God reads, and that Christ sees.  So how do we dedicate ourselves to the kinds of truth that He wants us to see?  How are we free of the hypocrisy He wants us to avoid?  There's a thread that runs through the reading about a true devotion to God that helps us to rest in truth and see behind appearances and convenient manipulations, to avoid this behavior ourselves.  It's this love that helps us to have eyes to see, and enough humility to accept the truth before us, to lower our sights enough from that which dazzles so that we may value the heart of the poor widow who is without the means to make a grand impression.