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 i the temple in Jerusalem 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 quotes from the beginning of Psalm 110.  My study Bible explains that the first reference to the LORD applies to God the Father, while the term my Lord is a reference to Christ.  The question posed by Jesus is answered in that Christ is the Son of David in His humanity and David's Lord in His divinity.  This "riddle" of the Scripture is only answered by understanding that the Messiah is not a mere man, but is also divine.  David, as king of Israel, could not and would not address anyone as "my 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."   In Matthew 23, Jesus goes into an extensive listing of His criticisms of the scribes and Pharisees.   His greatest condemnation is due to their hypocrisy, the extensive practice of outward piety and signs of their office (long robes, greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts), while at the same time their practice is to prey on the poor for their own gain and greed (they devour widows' houses), and their practice of making long prayers are but a pretense.  Christ's warnings are pertinent for us today.  My study Bible comments that because the example of a leader can be so influential, leaders who do not love God can hinder others from finding God as well.  Moreover, it maintains that these criticisms are especially important to Orthodox Christians, as the Church has maintained ancient Christians practices, using sacred vessels, and holy rites, following tradition.  It says these practices can be expressions of deep faith, lead a person to deeper commitment to God, and safeguard our life in Christ -- or they can be observed without ever taking them to heart and lead 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 comments that, according to patristic understanding, the Lord accounts the value of a gift not by how much is given, but by how much is kept back.  So, therefore, this poor widow is counted to have given a great gift, as she's kept nothing for herself.  Those who give out of their abundance but keep plenty back for themselves are counted by God to have given very little.

How do we give gifts?  This is a good question for today, as today is the feast day of St. Nicholas.  St. Nicholas lived in the 4th century in the Byzantine Empire.  The stories we've been given about St. Nicholas tell of a great many virtues.  As one might suspect, he's very well known for his charity and gift-giving.  Among other things, we're told about St. Nicholas that his parents were wealthy, and upon inheriting their wealth, he followed the examples of Christ's teaching in the Gospels:  he gave it all away to the needy.  According to a biography found at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, St. Nicholas "regarded himself merely as the steward of goods which belonged to the poor and took particular care to keep his good deeds secret, so as not to lose the heavenly reward.  On three occasions he secretly left gold enough for the marriage portions of three maidens whom their debt-ridden father intended to give up to prostitution. When the man eventually discovered his good deed, Nicholas made him promise, as he valued his salvation, to tell no one of it."  He became known, perhaps in return for his generosity of spirit, for gifts given by God, of miracles and charismata (he is also known as St. Nicholas the Wonderworker).  He is known for saving those in danger of drowning at sea through his prayers to calm winds, and for other miracles regarding dangers to ships and people making sea voyages (both before and after his death).  Perhaps for this reason, Nicholas is a very common name among the people who populate islands of Greece.  He is the patron saint of sailors, and also of children.  He became a bishop at a young age, and is also famous for defending the faith against the Arian heresy at the Council of Nicea.  He is indeed the same saint who became known as Santa Claus in the West (coming from the Dutch Sinterklaas, meaning St. Nicholas).  Today's story of anonymous and generous giving is a magnificent parallel with the saint's feast day.  The story of this very humble widow no doubt quietly putting her two mites into the treasury of the temple, in parallel with the secret and hidden generosity of St. Nicholas to others, tells us something very important about our own generosity and good deeds.  Christ is aware even of the things that are hidden to others or unknown generally speaking.  The good things we do, the kindnesses, our acts of compassion, are all known to the Lord, and He takes notice.  God also clearly knows the extent of our generosity, how deeply we give from the heart, and how generous we truly are being.  St. Nicholas, in the East and in the West, becomes the embodiment of the gracious spirit of our faith.  Perhaps the best message we're given today might be one of gratitude, because no matter how small we may believe our resources to be, a gift can always be generous, and we always have indeed a generous gift we can make: of our time, our love, even the truth of our deep convictions, and whatever resources we have.  The sacrifices we make for God always count, for we worship the God who sees (Genesis 16:13).  So let us, today, venerate St. Nicholas, and the poor widow whom Jesus lauds, for each of us is more than capable of bestowing the generous gifts Christ helps us to give.  We are all rich in this respect.  For, as Jesus says, even out of her poverty, this poor widow has put in more than all.

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 our current readings, it is Holy Week, the final week of Jesus' life.  He has made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, and has been questioned by the leadership in the readings of this past week.  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 poses an important Scriptural question, one that involves both the idea of Messiah or Christ, and also a question of authority (such as has been posed to Him in Monday's reading).  The passage He cites is from Psalm 110:1.  My study Bible tells us that, to understand this question, we must know that the first reference to the LORD applies to God the Father, while the term my Lord refers to Christ.  It says that the key to fully answering this question is that Christ is the Son of David in His humanity and David's Lord in His divinity.  

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's Gospel, these statements are part of a longer narrative by Christ regarding the scribes and Pharisees, how they use their authority (Matthew 23:1-36), and particularly focuses on their hypocrisy in so doing.  Here we get the focus on hypocrisy of these teachers of the law to the people.  They treasure the signs of their authority and position:  the long robes, formal greetings in the marketplaces before the public, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, designating honor.  But as guardians of the Scripture and its meaning they fail to live what they preach, for they devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  The greater condemnation which Christ pronounces upon them comes as a result of their hypocrisy.  This passage is important for all of us who call ourselves Christians, because it is an emphasis on the power of faith motivating how we live and what is in our hearts.  In another context, Jesus has taught the disciples about being a light to the world.  He said to them, "For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light."  We can bring that statement to mind here as well.  (See in context Luke 8:16-18.)

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."  The example of this poor widow chosen by Jesus magnifies His teaching on hypocrisy, as He shines a light on her as an opposite example to the powerful who hold significant positions that allow them to use wealth and cover the condition of their hearts.  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.  In this light, the poor widow is counted to have given a great gift, having kept nothing for herself.  Those who give out of their abundance but keep plenty back for themselves are counted by God to have given very little.  

Jesus' example of the poor widow magnifies the problem of hypocrisy for us, shines a light on it in terms of how we view public appearance.  We can contrast the hypocrisy of the scribes noted just before by Jesus, and look at the poor widow as she puts her two mites into the treasury.  The word translated as "mite" is λεπτον/lepton in the Greek of the text.  It was the smallest currency at that time.  According to one analysis, at roughly the time of the writing of the Gospels, it was worth 1/64 of a denarius. A denarius was a day's wage for a common worker.  In terms of today's money in a modern economy, these two "mites" constitute a tiny amount of money, a fraction of a single cent or smallest unit of currency.  But as my study Bible points out, the amount of money is not what is important here.  What is important is the contrast between the hypocrisy of the scribes which Jesus points out, and the thorough heartfelt gift of this poor widow, who gives literally all she has.  What this teaches us about is how God looks at gifts and giving.  When Samuel the prophet was sent to anoint a king, a son of Jesse, the youngest son David was not the one he expected God would choose.  But Samuel was told that "the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).  What Jesus shows us about this widow is what the view is from the heart, that she gave all she had.  While we may not all be expected to hear this story and donate all our livelihood to the Church, we are expected nonetheless to give our all to God.  That is, if we really follow the teachings of Christ, we know that He has taught that the two greatest commandments, that sum up all the Law and the Prophets are as follows:  "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself'" (Luke 10:27, in which Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18).  This widow shows that her love of the Lord is complete in the sense that the commandment gives, with all her heart, soul, strength, and mind.  Moreover, to love like that is to give as she gives, and there are many ways to give our all.  Can we help a neighbor?  Do we turn to someone in distress and ask if we can help?  Most of all, it seems to me, we can set aside our time to help others in all kinds of ways, whatever ways we have resources and skills to do.  We can donate our care, our skill, our concern.  A simple phone call might make all the difference to one person, a prayer may be what we can give for another.  And of course there are many ways to donate our wealth.  Sometimes an apology is a great gift, as is repentance and forgiveness.  We should note that the text points out many wealthy people giving money to the treasury, and Jesus contrasts those people with this poor widow.  As we often cite in our commentary, we should remember Christ's parable of the sheep and the goats, and the byword of compassion that constitutes the kind of giving favored in judgment (see Matthew 25:31-46).  That parable of judgment is all about giving, but it is a particular kind of giving, one that comes from the compassion to fill a need, to restore, to truly help.  So let us look around in our world and consider what we can give and how we can give.  God gives us minds creative enough to consider how to give in ways that make a difference, to do so even with subtlety if necessary that will not embarrass or shame those in need, and the sensitivity to truly observe as Christ does, even simply to listen and look and pay attention to a hurt or address a form of suffering.  In whatever way we can give, let it be first understood as a gift to God, wholly and freely given, for this is also what Christ teaches in the parable of judgment in Matthew 25, cited above.   For what we give to God first with our whole heart can then be shared with others, asking God's blessing to know where and how we're needed, and where and how God calls us to those in whom we may behold the face of Christ -- for this is what it truly means to give (Matthew 18:10, 25:40).

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 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?"   Reversing the questioning against Himself, Jesus decides He will question His adversaries.  He cites a passage from Psalm 110:1.  The first reference here to the LORD applies to God the Father, as my study bible explains it, and the second term my Lord is a reference to Christ.  This question is answered in that Christ is the Son of David in His humanity, but David's Lord in His divinity.  To answer properly, one must not conceive of the Messiah, or Son of David, as simply a mortal human being.  But King David would not address another person as "Lord" -- this title would apply only to God.  Therefore, the Messiah must also be 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 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, Jesus delivers His final public sermon on this subject.  It's a grand critique of the ways of the scribes and Pharisees (see Matthew 23:1-39).  But here, in a sort of condensed version, we're given Jesus' critiques of the religious leaders and their hypocrisy.  The message is all about position and appearance, the "praise of men, rather than the praise of God" (John 12:43).  The outward appearance of honor hides greed, even a willingness to victimize those who are without protection.  The word devour indicates a predatory nature, one that more rightly would belong to a "ravenous wolf" (see Luke 10:3, Matthew 7:15).  Their long prayers are for mere pretense.  And once again, Jesus indicates a judgment that is not of this world (John 18:36), when He speaks of the greater condemnation in store for these religious leaders.

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 says that according to patristic commentary, this passage is traditionally interpreted and understood as teaching that the Lord accounts the value of a gift not by how much is given, but by how much is kept back.  So, the poor widow is counted to have given a great gift, having kept nothing for herself.  Those who give out of their abundance but keep plenty back for themselves are counted by God to have given very little.

Although there is a chapter break between Jesus' criticism of the scribes and the story of the poor widow that Jesus notices putting her two mites, or two coins of small worth into the temple treasury, we really cannot miss the contrast between the poor widow and the scribes whom Jesus describes as those who "devour widows' houses."  A widow is often highlighted throughout Old and New Testaments , and in a noteworthy way in the psalms, who -- together with orphans -- are a group who are of special concern to the Lord.  This is because they were generally considered to be helpless or poor (the two conditions frequently going hand in hand).  For the majority of the world and the majority of its history, a widow is a person dependent either on the generosity of family, especially children, or others.  In an earlier time, before the development of systems of pensions or other kinds of social supplementation of income, and before modern justice systems, one's own potential for self-defense against fraud or other predatory crimes really depended upon clan and kinship, systems of relations who could help get justice or rectify a grievance.  Widows and orphans, therefore, are images of the "least of these," those who are dependent and yet may not have those upon whom they can depend for much at all.  A widow, then, in the image here, would be one who had little social recourse and possibly even fewer rights or means to start with.  With Christ, it is important to remember "the least of these," those for whom resources are scarce, strength or power or any other form of currency is slight or even nonexistent, and justice is hard to come by.  Yet in comparison with the powerful scribes, who are described by Jesus as those who go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, but who also devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers, the widow who has only two mites to give to the treasury is far more generous and by far the more gracious donor to the temple.  I think it is a question of comparison of gifts to God and those who are ostentatiously celebrated for their support of the temple:  penny for penny, hers is the more generous gift.  It is this kind of "equal measuring stick" in the eyes of Christ that becomes the real way to measure justice.  His is an equalizing force that measures all people by true measure, and Jesus is the One for whom there is no falsehood in judgment.  For His is the only eye that sees truly with a lens that carves out all the extraneous falsehood and miscellaneous details that might distract from the real story of what is going on.  Purely and simply, while others grandiosely measure themselves in the eyes of the public by a great show of authority, position, and honor, God sees those who truly give more generously and with, in fact, much greater gifts even in a monetary measure, because they give so much of what they actually have.  All the extraneous details meant to impress fellow human beings don't count for much, if anything, with God, and especially in the eyes of Christ which are given us here in the Gospel.  When all is said and done, we should be grateful that His is the judgment that counts, and His way of seeing the true measure of us all.  We have a hard time seeing what He sees, for even today we fail really to own up to ourselves to what extent there are those around us who might be dependent in ways we don't see, who have very few resources in fact or struggle against hardship we don't know about.  We hear harsh judgments all the time about some person or another, we judge by appearance seemingly more than ever, and we have plenty of those who seek applause in the images they can create for others while they may "devour" what belongs to those who cannot fight back behind the scenes.  We are invited by Christ first of all to understand that He sees what we can't see and don't see, that it is His judgment that will count at the end of the day, and His condemnation that will truly see through all things and measure what is real.  He asks us to practice the compassion that sees the widow's true state, and to aspire to know what God knows about her generous gift.  We are asked not to be fooled by appearances or swayed by whatever it is that impresses the crowds.  Somehow, in our passage for today, we seem to be told to understand that real authority cannot be seen simply by institutions of power, but requires another kind of sight that is willing to see what God is asking us to see instead.  Jesus is telling us that if we really want to see what is in front of us, we need to look with eyes not easily fooled by predators in sheep's clothing, to cling to Him in our dependency and need for good judgment, to remember that the heart is the place of true gifts.  As we enter into the Christmas season, let us keep in mind the power of the small over against the great and mighty, a tiny gift of two mites that is greater than all the generous gifts of others.

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.

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

 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 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."

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, as Jesus was in the temple (it is Holy Week) and being tested by the leadership, one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandment is:  'Hear, O Israel, the LORD 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.  Up until now, Jesus has been quizzed -- tested, really -- by the various groups representing the parties of the leadership in the temple.  But here, Jesus begins to quiz them Himself.  And we mustn't forget that, as the text tells us, He's also saying this in front of the people, it's a teaching for everybody.  Jesus points to the Messiah as more than a "son of David."  David as king could not address anyone by the word "Lord" except God.  But Jesus quotes from Psalm 110, in which David refers to the Messiah as "Lord."  Therefore, the Messiah must be God.  In Christ, we have both a fully human descendant of David, and the divine Son of God who shares Lordship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  It's interesting that this teaching comes right after His conversation with the wise scribe, who was told, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."

Then He said to them in His teaching, "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."  Here Jesus continues, on the "offensive," so to speak.  Perhaps He speaks for the benefit of the scribe who has answered Him well in yesterday's reading.  This emphasis on pride of place, honor from "men" rather than God, making a show to others, and craving material goods from those who are vulnerable, all takes away from the real work of prayer and worship, and a heart that makes all its room for love of God and love of neighbor.  Once again, we turn to reflect on the teachings from yesterday's reading, that the greatest commandments are inseparable, teaching first love of God, and in that commitment, love of neighbor.  We notice once again "material mindedness" -- the focus on impulses of the "flesh" absent putting first the love of God.  That is, in this instance, our desire for wealth, for recognition, for external show -- loving the "praise of men more than the praise of God."  The problem is the deceitfulness -- what comes first in the heart, what one loves first that guides how we relate to everything else.  All of His criticism and His act of cleansing the temple focuses on this central problem in the place that is to be the house of prayer for all nations.

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 says that, according to the Fathers, 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 great gift, leaving nothing for herself.   By contrast, those who give out of their abundance but keep plenty for themselves give much less.  The story of Cornelius the centurion teaches us that God takes note of our giving (see Acts 10:1-8).

Jesus continues His criticism of the material-mindedness He finds in the temple which is supposed to be a house of prayer for all nations (see Monday's reading, the cleansing of the temple, in which Jesus said, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'").  Over and over again, we find an emphasis on the selfish nature of the leadership, a kind of corruption that has obscured the purpose of worship and prayer for the people.  But, of course, this isn't just about the temple in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.  It's a clear warning about ourselves, in every generation, especially for those of us who would be His disciples.  What compromises our love of God?  What gets in the way of the relationship we have to the kingdom of God?  Christ comes to the world to leave us with the great grace of knowing that each of us is also a temple of God.  St. Paul asks the Corinthians, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"  (1 Corinthians 1:3:16), and this is a question for each of us, for all of us.  Do we know that we are a temple of God?  What kind of room do we make for the Spirit of God?  What do we allow into our lives, into our hearts, that interferes with our depth of relationship to that Spirit?  The temple in Jerusalem is our example for our own lives, where the "living God" dwells, a place that is meant to be the "home" of God -- the place where God's people can worship and pray in relationship.  This is the really important thing, the great essence, of all that Jesus is doing in Jerusalem.  He is the Son come to tell the stewards to give God the appropriate place, in all ways.  It is the same as He taught in yesterday's reading, we are to love God without reservation, with all our heart and soul and mind and strength -- this is inseparable from love of neighbor.  The poor widow is an example of that kind of love.  Those who live for show and the opinions of others cannot be that kind of example, there is too much to get in the way of the Spirit in the heart. Let us consider His words and His teachings.  They apply to us, they teach us about our own tendencies and weaknesses, they teach us where we go wrong, and how to correct ourselves.  We turn back to that love of God, we turn to Christ Himself -- He is the "cleanser," the One who leads our steps in the right way, the One who just seeks our love and loyalty.  He is the One who teaches that we are forgiven as we forgive (see Mark 11:25).   Today's example of the poor widow tells us all we need to know about how God sees things, about how we need to try to see things ourselves.  It's all about love, it starts with our love of God who is love.  Christ is the One who shows us the way, and the Spirit who dwells within us must be given true "pride of place."  There are all kinds of ways in which we fail to do that, all kinds of things we can do to put God first.   How do we spend our time?  Do we associate with that which builds up our faith, restores our understanding of the love of God?  How is our prayer life?  Let us think about what we put first, whose opinion comes first.  Sometimes it may mean rocking our particular boat, but we know His example first.