The Widow’s Offering

Traditions

Spiritual traditions are something we learn and becomes ingrained into how we read the Bible

also called pre-suppositions

Read Luke 21 1-4

what does our traditions say about this passage?

what kind of sermons have we heard about this woman

this is a passage that preachers use for giving till it hurts

unless you give it all God is not pleased

we need to give a high persentage

unless you are giving it all you are not pleasing Jesus

this widow loves God so much that she gives her all

one man said this woman did not know that Jesus was watching her until she got to heaven

each one of us has a teaching from this passage and they are probably all different

lets look at this passage with a

New Set of Eyes

first lets look at what this passage is saying

V 1 looked up

it has been a long week for Jesus

its a couple of days before the crucifixion

Jesus has been surrounded by people teaching them

condemning the leadership

its late in the day and Jesus looked up

Mark 12:41 LSB

And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the crowd was putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.

Jesus was sitting

his head was down Why we dont know probably wore out but I am conjecturing at this point

V 2-4

Jesus was watching the people put money into the offering trumpets

like the old toll booth baskets

the rich put in money out of their abundance

the poor widow put in all she had

Jesus comments to his disciples that percentage wise this woman gave more

This woman gave all she had to live on

she now has no money for food

unless she can beg borrow or steal she will starve to death

V 3-4 was Jesus condemning this woman for giving all she had to live on

or was Jesus discusted with what He saw in this woman?

the rest of what is traditionally inserted in this text is conjecture

what is not said in this passage

the woman’s motivation for giving her last

love for God?

duty to the temple?

giving to earn salvation?

planting a seed hoping God will bless?

the Roman Catholic church the people pay for indulgences

to get their relatives out of purgatory

word of faith people prey on the poor to make the rich

the Maine lottery preys on the poor

so we don’t know what her motivation was

we don’t know hat she was saved and going to Heaven

Jesus did not say - see she what she did? now go and do likewise

Did Jesus condemn the rich?

did Jesus praise the widow?

traditions have inserted all kinds of teachings

that the text does not imply or tell us

To study God’s word we have to have

Context

what is the setting of these 4 verses ?

at the end of chapter 19 Jesus cleanses the temple

calls the temple a den of robbers

Jesus is confronted by the establishment

V 45

Jesus is done talking to the crowd

no more warnings of hell

no more warnings of turning to Jesus by faith

in fact Jesus jus gave a blistering condemnation to the establishment

Jesus is ending His preaching to the people with this

Matt 23 13-

back to Luke 20 46

Now Jesus is warning about the scribes

who have one goat riches and prestige

remember Robin Leach and his tv show lifestyles of the rich and famous

well he, at the time of Jesus, would be filming the scribes

How do they get their riches?

V 47

stealing from the widows

Jesus calls the temple a den of thieves

calls the leadership of the temple thieves

now lets skip to

verse 5

Jesus rips down the whole establishment

million plus Jews killed

the temple destroyed along with this worship system

punishing these men with their worship system

the theme through 3 chapters is condemnation of the temple

this is the context of these 4 verses

this poor widow who gives her last penny to this worship system

lets look at another tradition

Matthew 18:20 LSB

“For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

we have been taught that this referes to worship and Jesus is with us at this worship service

but what if there is only one person does that mean Jesus is not there ?

so, what is this context

Matthew 18:15–20 LSB

“Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault, between you and him alone; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. “And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector. “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

the context is Church discipline if 2 or 3 are gathered to discipline a church member then Jesus is right there with you

we want to pull this verse right off the page and apply it for something else

traditions most are good they have a good Biblical basis

but some are taken out o context to prove a point

or to bolster their sermon topic

so, let’s go back to this widow woman

is Jesus commending her for loving God so much that she is willing to sacrificially give her last meal to Him

or is Jesus discusted with the temple religious system that would devour widows homes and bully them into giving to them her last penny hoping for a miracle to come her way