Luke 20: 45-21:4

This passage does three things:

1. Commending the widow

The coin mentioned is “leptos” which means shaving. It was nearly valueless. This was a free will offering. They didn’t equal any temple tax or prescribed offerings. If Jesus’ only point was to indite the oppressive system he would have run up and stopped her from giving. Jesus commends her faith. He says to mimic her sacrificial love that is full of trust. Her heart was full of loving God. She should have been receiving from the church, but she gave. All heart with little to show is better than all show and no heart. 

2. Denouncing the scribes

They were expecting a Messiah sent from God, but not God himself. They didn’t give Jesus esteem or respect because he didn’t dominate people, but drew them in through grace. They were giving value to all the wrong things. Jesus isn’t denouncing education or deep understanding of God’s Word or their faithfulness in serving God. He was denouncing that they were self righteous and self serving. They were concerned with prominence. The prayers being long wasn’t the problem, but their reason for doing it was the problem. Do I allow other’s opinions to influence how I serve God? Whose opinions influence you and why?

The need for the esteem the scribes sought caused them, like an addict, to destroy others to get it. In Rome if a widow didn’t remarry in one year she would be fined annually. In Judaism they recognized the need to take care of the widow. The OT dictates how to gather resources to take care of orphans and widows and warned of punishment if they were neglected. Who are the most vulnerable in our society today? The scribes were the ones who knew exactly what the law said about caring for the widow. They camouflaged their stinginess in a veneer of godliness. Be careful of who your heros are. Look at their life and how they treat the vulnerable not just what they say. 

3. Condemning the system of legalism

Sacrifices dealt with the problem of sin. Offerings served the purpose of worship and gratitude; a reaction to God’s unmerited love and favor. The system had developed into a burdensome way of earning God’s favor. It puts a limit on God’s love and attention and makes us competitive for it. It became transactional. The priests and scribes benefitted from this so the temptation was to lean on this system to get more money out of people. Extortion was a problem then and is a problem now. 

In the court of women there were 13 collection points in a one acre space. They were trumpeted openings to catch the money. They were brass and it was noisy to throw coins in. Since there was a relationship between God’s favor and their giving then the giving became more and more showy. God isn’t impressed with my show. He already loves me as much as He can love me. I can’t change that. 

Jesus was condemning the broken human showiness not God’s plan. 

There is a difference between giving and sacrifice. Giving that demonstrates trust is what Jesus is getting at.