Sermon for the 24 th Sunday after Pentecost Remembrance Day Mark 12:38-44 by Intern- Pastor Olivier Ravelojaona Dear people of God, For this Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, which is also Remembrance Day, our message is based on the Holy Gospel according to Mark, the twelfth chapter, verse 38-44. In Jesus name: 38 As he 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. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Holy Father, sanctify us with the truth, you word is truth. Amen.
In his role of teacher, Jesus always shows us the right way to behave and to live as his followers and his disciples. A couple of weeks ago, he taught us to deny ourselves and to bear our crosses. We still think about his advice telling us to abide in his word in order to be freed by the truth of his word. We should not forget his message for us to serve one another. We still remember his promise that if we believe we will see the glory of God. Today, through this passage from Mark chapter 12, Jesus first warns us not to follow the hypocrisy and shallowness of the scribes but to learn from the genuine faith of a poor widow. Then he teaches us to give ourselves to God as this widow does. How does Jesus describe the scribes in this passage? These teachers of religious law crave to be great; they value themselves in their religious clothing; they expect people to show respect to them as they walk proudly about the street to show off. Wherever they are, at the temple or at feasts, they always want to be prominent and honored. But actually they make use of their fake piety for profit and gain. Jesus says that, instead of supporting and comforting the widows, the scribes devour their houses (v.40). In a word, their lifestyle is made of pride, selfexalting, and hypocrisy. In contrast to these sham leaders, there is this widow who first of all was poor and humble. In her deep devotion she shows a complete trust and a genuine faith in God. This widow offers to God the totality of her resources in order to take care of and to help the others. What she has done testifies to her total trust in God s providence. For her, it is a journey of faith; so there is no need to make any provision for tomorrow. And Jesus calls us to look at this woman. Who is she? She is a humble poor widow. How is she? She is full of faith. What has she done? She has come as she is and has given all she had to God.
During the festivals, as people from all over the country come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, the pilgrims drop their contribution into offertory boxes. It is a kind of public fund for charity. And there is one thing that may strike in this story: Jesus is watching the people while they are putting their offerings into the offertory box. Can you imagine our pastor opening each of your envelopes during the offering and looking to see how much each of you has put in it? That seems to be a little weird, isn t it? I am sure Pastor Ali will never do that and shouldn t... But Jesus does. He is carefully observing and is taking notes of specific ways people give their offerings to God as they cast money into the collection box. And, here, he notices that many rich people put in large sums (v.41b). Of course it is wonderful to see many blessed people be so charitable! Not only they are offering, but they are offering so much! Those who have been richly given should abundantly give to the poor. But Jesus is concerned not only about how much people give. He mostly gives significance to how they give. Do they cast in liberally and with joy? Or do they offer sparingly and reluctantly? Jesus is observing the heart; he identifies what pushes people to reach out and give. Do they do it as to the Lord, or do they do it only to be seen by the others? There is something which particularly has attracted Jesus attention here. Amid this crowd of wealthy and very proud people, a woman comes. Her husband had already died years ago; she has no source of income. She is very poor, but she brings with her all that she has, all her fortune; she has no more than two poor mites. But she puts them in as her offering to God. We can imagine the difference between the endless clatter of handful silver and golden coins poured by the rich into the offertory vessel and the two shy clinks of the mites offered by the widow: just like two drops into the ocean. We may think that instead of giving to others this widow should keep her coins for herself. Charity begins at home, with oneself. Our human logic and
deduction will surely say that this woman s offering is financially nothing compared to what others are giving. But according to Jesus, she is the one who has given the most. Jesus says to his disciples: Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury (v.43). All the others are contributing, they are giving a piece, a fraction, a morsel of what they have, maybe the tithe, not the totality. As for this widow, free from any constraint, she is willingly and eagerly giving everything she has, on which her life depends. She is putting in out of a heart full of love for God. She gives because she wants to, because she delights in giving. What she is doing is a testimony of total selfgiving. And giving oneself implies love and service, compassion and sacrifice. She gives a wholly true sacrifice to the Lord. At times, as we go along the way of our journey, we also give ourselves thoroughly to others: to ensure the education and the future of our children, to support or to rescue our friends and our beloved ones, to take care of our parents and, and so on. It may happen that we are giving more than what we have, and there we run up huge debts! These are all sacrificially giving. Today, on this Remembrance Day, we commemorate the members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty. We remember all those civilians and military people who, for the sake of freedom, lost their lives in armed conflicts. But we also recall the hope of peace after the end of bloody hostilities and merciless battles. We have in our thoughts those who laid down their lives for us to have freedom and peace. And we pray so that their gift and sacrifice would not be vain. Obviously, none of us is as poor as this widow who just drops her two last quarters (of a cent) in the offertory vessel. But there are so many ways to feel poor, powerless, and helpless. We may be deprived of assets to make our journey of life,
we may be deprived of health or physical grace, we may be deprived of support or friendship and feel so lonely and abandoned, we may be deprived of strength and courage and feel still bound. Then we may think that because of all these kinds of poverty we are depreciated. But Jesus calls us to come on to him as we are, in our weakness, with our poverty, imperfect as we are. He calls us and tells us my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor.12:9a). Through the picture of this poor woman and her way of giving, Jesus makes an allusion to his total self-giving in his suffering and death. For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). Through the gift of Jesus Christ, God's abundant grace has blessed us beyond what we deserve, for as Jesus says, he came that we may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). Let us pray. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your word today. You have warned us that we too, we often have tendencies to be glorified just like the Scribes. You open our eyes and make us aware that most of time we give but not give of ourselves. We give only what means nothing to us. Help us, O Lord, help us to give as did the widow of Zarephath for Elijah; help us to give as did this poor widow you saw in the Temple. By the strength of your Holy Spirit, O Lord, teach and guide each of us to give of ourselves to you just as you gave yourself to us and for us. Grant us the courage to give what we have to serve you. You shed your blood and gave your life for us. You are God, O Jesus Christ, and you died for us; no sacrifice can be too great for us to make for you. Everything we have is yours anyway. Thank you, Lord, in your name we pray. Amen.