(Not) Just for Show
Mark 12:38-44[1]
We like to think of ourselves as individuals
who are capable of standing on our own two feet without any help from anyone
else. But the truth of our lives, all our lives, is that we’re very much
dependent on our place in a community. Without our families, without our jobs,
without having a “place” in society, we are very much “adrift,” and even
perhaps “invisible.” The history of migrants in this country demonstrates that.
Whether they were Latino, or Chinese, or Irish, or Italian, there’ve always
been individuals we deemed “less than” and a threat to “our way of life.” As a
society, we did that to American citizens who were displaced by the Great
Depression and the “Dust Bowl.” And we still do it to people who don’t “fit
in,” for whatever reason.
We like to think we have good reasons for this
kind of shallow judgment. We reinforce our prejudices against those who look or
dress or talk differently from us with all kinds of “justifications.” They
commit crimes. Or they carry diseases. Or they brought their plight on
themselves. But what it boils down to is that we believe they’re a threat to
our way of life, our safety, and our success. We believe that people who
“aren’t like us” are to blame for their own misfortunes, while we consistently
let ourselves and those in our circles off the hook for whatever difficulties
may come our way. Our compassion is limited to those who are a part of our “circle.”
The real threat here, however, is not the
“others,” however we define them. The real threat is the fact that, deep down,
we all know that our way of life depends on being able to “keep up
appearances.” We all harbor the secret fear that if people really knew who we
are, down deep, it could cost us our place in the community. And along with our
place in the community, we could lose everything. I think the fear of losing
our place in this world, and with it our way of life, is what has always driven
us to label certain “others” as a threat. But the real threat is from the
fragility of our place in society.
Our Gospel lesson for today throws this issue
into the spotlight in a way that might seem rather uncomfortable. Jesus was at
the Temple in Jerusalem, watching the people making their contributions. The
Temple in that day was a huge organization, the largest in Jewish society,
supporting religious leaders that numbered in the tens of thousands. In that
setting, Jesus saw “A poor widow” who “came and put in two small copper coins”
(Mk 12:42). What she gave was next to nothing. It wasn’t enough to buy food for
a single meal. It certainly wasn’t going to make or break the Temple treasury!
By comparison, Mark tells us that “Many rich
people put in large sums” (Mk 12:41). We don’t know exactly what kind of
container held the offerings, but apparently it was something that would have
been very public. And since money in that day consisted of coins, it would have
been obvious to all present that they had given a lot. But Jesus wasn’t
impressed with their large gifts. He said it this way: they “have contributed
out of their abundance” (Mk 12:44). They gave what was convenient to give. They
gave what may have been “pocket change” to them. They gave what they wouldn’t
miss. They made a show of being “religious,” but that’s all it was: it was just
for show.
I think that what may be easy to miss was that
this woman had obviously lost her place in society. She was a widow who was
poor, which likely meant that she was alone in the world. She couldn’t afford
nice clothes or a decent place to live. She couldn’t even afford to buy one
meal! While she may have had some support from the Jewish system of charity, it
was likely only “token” assistance. She was a non-person to all the prominent
leaders who were at the Temple to “worship God,” essentially invisible. The contradiction
between the show they were putting on and the true condition of their hearts
couldn’t have been more obvious. But clearly, it was that very show that
maintained their place in society, so the show went on.
In Mark’s Gospel, this episode is preceded by Jesus’
criticism of the Jewish religious leaders. He said they went to great lengths to
look impressive with their beautiful robes and to be noticed for their
“presence” in worship. But he knew that it was all for show (Mk.12:40). They
wanted to make it look like they were spiritual. But the fact that their real
agenda was about themselves was revealed by the indictment Jesus made. They
were literally “devouring” the homes of widows like the woman who gave her last
two coins. They were defrauding some of the most vulnerable people in their
society. They were wrapped up in their own self-interest. Their lack of care
for a poor widow who had lost her place in the community exposed their “show”
of piety as a sham.
In contrast to the religious leaders and the
prominent people in the community who were putting on a show simply to maintain
their “place,” Jesus affirmed the faith of this woman, whom they chose not even
to see. He said that while they “contributed out of their abundance,” she “put
in everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mk. 12:44). What may not be
obvious on the surface of things is that the Greek phrase translated “all she
had to live on” could also be rendered “her whole life.” As hard as it may be
to comprehend, it sounds like she gave the last two coins she had to her name!
I think it’s hard for most of us to grasp why
she would do that. Perhaps it was because she had reached the end of her rope.
She had had exhausted her resources, and she was offering herself entirely to
God, trusting him to care for her needs. She had clearly lost her “place” in
society. She was alone, she had no means of supporting herself, and it seems
clear that the only one who even noticed her presence at the Temple on that day
was Jesus. Everyone else was too busy keeping up appearances, keeping the “show”
going that kept their “place” in society safe and secure.
But was there more to it than just an act of
desperation? I’d like to think this was the final act of devotion in a lifetime
of true devotion to God. Perhaps that’s why Jesus said her gift was more
substantial than all the “large sums” the others gave. While they gave just for
“show,” she gave from the heart. They were concerned with keeping their “place”
in the community secure. But she was concerned with something much more
important. She embodied the kind of attitude that Jesus was talking about last
week: a commitment to loving God with all we are, all we have, and all we hope
to be.
Those of us who are the “haves” in our society
tend to believe that we “deserve” our place in the community, along with the
safety and security that goes with it. And we still tend to assume that the
“have nots” are in that place because they must have done something to deserve
it. But the hard fact of life is that it’s not about “deserving.” Life happens
to us all, “haves” and “have nots” alike, and life doesn’t care what we think
we deserve. Our ultimate assurance is found in God, and in God alone. But if that
really sinks in, and if we truly understand that God loves us more than we
“deserve,” that God has given us far more than we “deserve,” then we have to
respond to those who are without a place in our community with compassion. If
we don’t, no amount of giving really amounts to anything. And everything else
we do around here is nothing but a lot “noise” (1 Cor 13:1-3). It’s all just
for show. What counts is caring for the people who have lost their place in
this world and showing that our care is real by helping them. That’s what makes
everything else we do in the name of Jesus real.
[1] ©
2024 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm PhD on 11/10/2024 for Hickman
Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
