Book: Money and Possessions: The Quest for
Contentment
Pages:
71-72
Scripture:
Mark 12:41-44
Instead of answering
the leading questions for today, let's take a different approach. Let's begin reading at verse 38:
"And in His
teaching he was saying, 'Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long
robes and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in
the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows' houses, and
for appearance's sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater
condemnation.'"
Before the widow's
mite story, Jesus is addressing the prideful hearts of the scribes. Note that He comments on how the scribes
devour widows' houses. To drive home
this point about the scribes' taking advantage of widows, of all the people who
were putting money into the treasury, Jesus comments to His disciples on the
poor widow (whom the Scribes made poor perhaps by their oppressive teachings?).
Notice also that He
doesn't comment to the widow, commending her in any way. He comments to His disciples. So this passage
is for Jesus' disciples; that's us. What
is He telling us?
- Religious teachers (scribes) devour the houses (which includes property, wealth, goods) of widows (those without any rights in society). Jesus condemns this practice.
- Giving is a heart issue, not a quantity issue. She had given all she owned-- He saw her heart. And this principle of understanding that all we have is God's is the foundation for the N.T. principle of stewardship giving.
Jesus is contrasting
these two groups:
- religious teachers who demand that everyone tithe to the religious organization until they have nothing.
- people who understand everything they have is God's and who give from the heart.
This poor widow was
bound up by religious teachings, which Jesus condemned, but she continued to
give from the heart. Although nowhere in
Scripture do we see her released from the binding teachings of men, I know that
Jesus taught the Church to care for her (James 1:27) because of the burdens
religious men placed on people like her to tithe to the religious organization
until their whole households were devoured.
She practiced what she
was taught by men, but Jesus saw her heart and emphasized to His disciples (not
to her or to the scribes) her understanding that all she has is God's. She practiced the giving-heart/"all I
own is God's" principle she understood in the way men taught her to
practice. Remember that the Spirit was
not yet given at this time, so my hope is that at some point when she received
the Spirit of God she was released from these oppressive teachings.
- He did not affirm or teach that giving away all our possessions and wealth is a N.T. principle. In fact, he condemned those who taught others to practice asceticism. But within that system of wrong teaching by men, He told His disciples to care for those who were oppressed by that wrong teaching.
This is the message of
the widow's mite for the Body/Church today:
care for those who love the Lord (those who understand the principle but not the
practice) and are oppressed by the wrong teaching of men-- teaching that
devours all they have but does not devour their heart for God.
Lord, show us
teachings that devour so we can reject them.
Show us people who are believing these teachings so we can minister to
them. Use us to help free others to see
the riches they have in Christ so they too can reject oppressive teachings that
devour them. We pray in Jesus' Name.
Linda
Moderator
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