I stand here chuckling at the irony of the first part of this gospel and the higher liturgical churches with robes and candles and books and big beautiful buildings…This gospel today and the gospel for next week hits WAY too close to home!
Mark 12:38-44
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, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
Mark 12:38-44: He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 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. 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.”
Rev. Robb McCoy and Rev. Eric Fistler have a conversation unpacking this gospel passage. We need to keep a few things in mind as we move through this historical pericope. The passage this morning is from a larger scope, one in which Mark reflects on Jesus criticizing a system in which the vulnerable are oppressed and taken advantage of. And, remembering our reading from Mark several months back, Mark has a higher Christological perspective, meaning he leans forward into the divinity of Jesus more so than the humanity of Jesus. As we bear this in mind, let’s look more closely at the cultural foundation and historical relevance to this passage.
At this time in Mark’s writing, and in the larger Old Testament narrative, women are not allowed autonomy. Women have no equality. When the husband passed away, all property, all belongings, all land, all livestock went to the sons and the brothers of the deceased. Women were utterly dependent. We know this because we remember the story of Ruth and Naomi – when their husbands die, they are left abandoned and exposed and must fend for themselves.
It is into this system that Jesus watches those coming into the temple and putting their offerings into the collection box. Jesus notes those who are able to offer a lot of money and the widow who puts two coins in.
In our congregation here at All Saints we have our USDA Food Ministry, our John 6:13 program, that offers support for those who are in need. Those who are vulnerable. At the periphery of this ministry we have those who give financially. We have those who give food. More closely into the ministry itself, we have those who give their time to pack the bags and boxes each month. We have those who give their ability to meet the people as they come through the church parking lot and distribute the bags and boxes of food on the third Thursday of every month. Those who feel nudged by the Spirit to belong to this ministry give what they can with what they have in order to meet the needs of the vulnerable.
This is a system that engages what Jesus is NOT talking about.
The passage of the gospel text is not a commentary that pits those who give a great amount versus the widow who gives a small amount. Church leadership have historically created a false narrative claiming that the passage engages money. Mark is not actually talking about money at all.
What is actually happening here is a much larger issue. And, we must take a few steps back to gain greater perspective. Jesus watches and addresses the oppressive and corrupt system that rejects the vulnerable widow. In the larger Markan gospel narrative that is not actually included in this lectionary cycle of reading but a story that we know quite well: Jesus cleansing the temple and flipping the money changers’ tables. In next Sunday’s gospel, Jesus will talk of the destruction of the temple.
Again, this is not a battle between “we and they,” the rich versus the poor. It is an exposure of the corruption within the system that endorses and legalizes oppression of the marginalized. The culture within this time that Jesus engages is built on the backs of the weakened. Again, remembering Ruth and Naomi, the system that keeps the vulnerable exposed and weak.
As we desire to understand this passage, we must bring this gospel text forward looking at our own systems. We need to observe just as dispassionately as Jesus observes those dropping their money into the collection box. Our observation will bring us to the unwavering fact that our own country is built on the backs of the Blacks as slaves. Our own country is built on the backs of the Indigenous, of the First Peoples. We, as white people, much sit with this uncomfortable truth. If we are to have any shred of hope to continue forward, we must acknowledge where we’ve come and what’s been done. And as we do this, we can see with fresh eyes what is around us. Jesus scorns this system in Mark’s text. If you disagree with this, then why would Jesus state in next week’s text that the temple, that the system, will be destroyed?
What happens as we actually see the truth for what is actually is, our perspective changes. We look through the eyes of Jesus. And, we ask the hard questions. What are the systems established in our time that oppress the vulnerable? As we see through the eyes of Jesus, what “temples” are in place that expose, that shame, that violate, that marginalize God’s beautiful and precious human beings?
May we be still for a moment. May we look around us. May we see through the eyes of Jesus. May we hear the true words of Jesus and engage with our full Episcopal understanding of Scripture, reason, and tradition. May we be humble to say that something is wrong, that we in fact are wrong. May we seek reconciliation and move forward actually doing the work the Jesus expects us to do. The temple will fall. The system will fall. And, when the dust settles and we come to the table, may we be not just willing but may we, who have all we need, be embracing the vulnerable and marginalized and exposed because they give all they can. And may the new system, the new temple, that we build be a community of grace and love and healing.
Amen.
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