Based on Luke 21:1-4 (and following verses)
The Widow’s offering
I somehow picked the wrong readings for the week from the lectionary, I’ll blame it on bifocals. But I went with them and I got a new, at least for me, insight on a well known account of Jesus. In this account, all kinds of people were at the temple to give their offerings, yet Jesus points out this woman who had just a small gift. He then compares her giving to that of the others who, “… gave out of their abundance, but she gave out of her poverty”. And, we get the lesson that we should respond to God out of gratitude, or some form of that. At least that is the lesson I have been exposed to in past readings.
I got thinking about this story through the lens of God-interest/other-interest as opposed to self-interest. The story isn’t really about making an offering, maybe not even about responding to God, rather it’s about who I am. By standards of wealth, the widow had nothing, and the amount that she gave was insignificant in terms of helping raise funds. She gave because it was a reflection of who she was, a participant in God’s community; I have, so I give to others, to God. It didn’t seem to be a question. She was, all in, her life in harmony with God. She didn’t keep a ledger of how much she should do or keep for herself. She gave all.
The others gave as well, and given that Jesus follows this illustration with comments about the temple, the physical representation of the church at that time, the institution, all of the ceremonies and rules, I would assume that they were tithing. The “rules” would have indicated that in order to be a good follower of God, you were required to give, so much, or perform this act… I would guess that they believed they were doing what was expected some, I’m sure, with grateful hearts.
I don’t think that Jesus was trying to denigrate their offerings. Rather, could he have been directing us to think about practicing a religion in which we institutionalize God, putting God in a manageable box so we can tick off our requirements of God-interest while reserving other areas for self-interest, versus living within the realm of God where God-interest and other-interest (the two tables of the Law) permeate our entire lives? Maybe this account is not about giving or attitudes about giving, but rather about how we live in relationship with God.
The others “practiced” their religion following what they accepted as the required acts, possibly with sincerity. The widow, on the other hand, was “all in” living in harmony with God within the existence that is God. What a world it could be if we all were all in within the realm of God.
