What God Really Sees
Read Mark 12:38-44
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” –Mark 12:43-44
Most sermons on the story of the widow’s mite focus upon the relative size of her gift. The rich people who came before contributed larger quantities to the treasury, but they were giving out of their surplus. Their gifts cost them relatively little. The widow, in contrast, put in all that she had. From this, we draw the lesson that God judges our generosity not by the size of the gifts, but by the size of the faith and love behind them.
However, it is important to put this story in its wider context. Immediately before this story occurs (in both Mark and in Luke), Jesus denounced the Pharisees for “devouring” widows’ homes while making a show of lengthy prayers (Mk 12:40; Lk 20:47). Jesus did not elaborate on how the Pharisees were devouring widows’ estates, so we must make some inferences.
Widows were among the most vulnerable people in ancient society. Women were not allowed to work or own property, so if her husband died, a widow lost her safety net. In most cases, a widow would be cared for by her children or by another family member, but in some cases, a woman would be left without an advocate to protect her. Enter the religious leader. In those circumstances, a religious authority could act as her “advocate” and manage her property in order to provide her with care and protection. Apparently, though, some of the Pharisees were abusing this privilege, siphoning funds from the estates in order to enrich their own ministry—to clothe themselves in “long flowing robes” (v. 38) and to fund banquets of honor (v. 39). All while making a pretense of their own piety!
Seen in this light, the contrast is not just between the size of the widows’ faith versus the size of the rich people’s gifts. The contrast, rather, is between the public righteousness of the Pharisees versus the private faithfulness of the widow. The Pharisees loved the place of honor—they practiced their good deeds in public (and hid their misdeeds under a cloak of righteousness), so as to receive the praise of their peers. The widow’s righteousness, in contrast, was seen and honored by none—except by God. This story perfectly illustrates Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount: Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Matthew 6:1)
There is a piece of all of us that wants our good deeds to be known by others—it is natural to want to be seen and praised for doing good things. But we must be careful not to let others’ praise become our goal and reward. Being seen and known by God is of far greater worth!
We must also consider the question of where our attention naturally goes. It is easy to let our attention be captivated by people of authority, wealth, and influence—to envy their parties, to covet their attention, to seek their generosity. The more we focus on the “influencer,” though, the more easily we miss the daily acts of kindness and generosity that make the world go around.
When my wife and I first moved to Haiti, we had to raise our own financial support. It can be a daunting thing, when you’re young and with few connections, to feel the pressure of raising thirty thousand dollars. There were some very large and generous donations that got us over the hump, and I’ll always be thankful for those gifts. But I can also remember a handful of small donations. A woman on a fixed income whose lawn I mowed in high school. A friend of mine from high school was facing financial hardship himself. A small membership church that barely had enough to pay the utilities. In some cases, the donations were just $10/month. But those gifts humbled me more than all the rest, because I knew the sacrifice behind them. They were given with great love, and I am confident that the Father rewarded each accordingly.
Today, O God, may I be on the lookout. On the lookout for some way to practice my faith in secret. On the lookout for those whose needs or gifts might go unnoticed by others. Teach me to see the world as Your Son did, and to marvel at the goodness that will never make the headlines. Amen.