25^th Sunday after Pentecost

1 Kings 17:8-16; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44 

Mark 12:38-44

³⁸ As [Jesus] taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces ³⁹ and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! ⁴⁰ They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

  ⁴¹ He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. ⁴² A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. ⁴³ Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. ⁴⁴ For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

. . .

Grace Stewardship III: What Kind of Thing Are We Putting in The Treasury?

Grace to you, beloved of God, and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

They were called called “soferim,” which in Hebrew means “people who knew how to write.” The scribes in ancient Jewish society were tasked with interpreting and teaching the Torah to the people. They traced themselves to Ezra upon returning from exile in Babilon, the temple’s reconstruction, and the reorganization of Jewish life and religion. As the ability to write was reserved for those more intelligent, being a scribe became a synonym for a wise man (1 Chr. 27:32).

Their role evolved or devolved over the centuries, depending on who you ask. Some became mere copiers of scripture, while others transformed those copies into works of art and adornment and became artists. Scribes, nonetheless, were usually not well compensated for their work. They depended on commissions, tithes, and the generosity of those practicing almsgiving. They could end up trading their services for food and shelter. There were exceptions. Like everything in life, it depended on who they were associated with. For instance, a scribe could be fortunate and become the client of a good patron, and then everything would be different. 

By the time of the gospels, a third whole for the scribes was well cemented in Jewish life. They will become professional clerks and notary officials if you prefer. Religious and court proceedings would need a record, and a scribe, by definition, knew how to write. They were still not very well compensated. Therefore, their social status was low. However, their services would remain essential, especially to the lives of small communities. They would be responsible for writing the bills for legal settlements, including marriages, divorces, and transfers of property in the case of the death of a next of kin. They would also receive the legal fees, whatever they were. Jewish anecdotes of the time would tell of people praying for their resident scribe never to prosper for whatever reason and, therefore, stop providing these services. 

This brings us to the gospel scene for today. 

It is not difficult to imagine rising scribes aspiring to make their way to Jerusalem. That was the big leagues. That was where they could cash in. Here, they were likely the runners of the temple bureaucracy for the High Priest, the Jewish religious council, and, again, the courts. Some would be higher up than others and, therefore, carry some real weight. Others could be posers – there are always those. And there were those who Jesus accused of devouring the property of widows. We don’t know much about the exact rules and regulations of how to treat the situation of a widow. From what we know, the scribes could be taking advantage of them in two ways: requiring their support as was traditionally expected or overcharging them for the legal settlement fees. Even if they were charging what was legal, it would be abusive under the ethics of the Torah to seek compensation from them if that would rob them of their dignity. 

Whatever the method these scribes were using to consume the resources of widows and use it to buy influence and long robes, it was criminal under God, who in the Old Testament was already adamant about the mandate to treat widows, orphans, and strangers (or aliens) with justice and mercy (Exod 22:21-24;  Deut. 10:18, 24:19, 24:21, 27:19; Ezek. 22:7; Zech. 7:10; Mal 3:5). Basically, God demanded the dignity of the powerless to be preserved and God was sitting there, opposite the treasury, watching what kind of deposit they were making. 

It is safe to say the scribes would be putting the wrong thing in the treasury. There were dozens of them, each with a designated contribution to God in the form of sustenance to the huge building and operation of the Temple built by Herod the Great.  According to Jesus, they would be just showing off. Maybe they could be trying to seek redemption. It was pointless, though, for the whole point was for the widow to have more than two copper coins, which would not get her the next meal. What they were depositing in the treasury was injustice, oppression, avarice, neglect of the poor, and distrust of what God had promised. I am sure God did not want any of it (Micah 6:6-8)—no wonder the temple curtains were torn in two.

Not everything is lost, though. Not everything is lost because here comes our widow. Defiant, with her head up, for she knows the sound the coins will make. Everyone will know how much she is giving.  Here she comes, not knowing that Jesus sees her, prophetic, speaking on behalf of God with actions, refusing her place, trusting her whole life blindly to the Lord her God, giving all she is in pure and sound worship.  That is the kind of thing God wants us to put in the treasury.

That is the kind of thing God wants us to deposit on the altar. That is the kind of thing because generously depositing hope, mercy, and love is to deposit faith in God’s promises. It is to love and to trust in God. It is to participate in what God is doing to the other. It is to remain stewards of God’s lavish grace. When we were most sinners, no scribe, prince, or ruler of this earth went to the cross but Christ, alone, to pour this loving grace upon us. Worship and give to him. Amen.