November 11, 2012 at Calvary
Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA
“Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, ‘Truly, I say to
you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the
offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of
her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’”
Widows certainly are not the
most prominent class of people in society. Yet, each society has them. They exist
because of the death that plagues and afflicts all who are born of woman. Throughout
the centuries, widows have been noted for the hardships that they face,
especially in societies where economic livelihood is dependent upon individual
physical work. That is the setting for the two widows mentioned in the
Scripture Readings for this day: the Widow of Zarephath in the Old Testament
Reading and the Widow of Jerusalem in the Gospel Reading.
What do these two widows have in
common? Not only had both lost their husbands to death, they also were
economically strapped. This is made clear in the texts: the Widow of Zarephath
has just enough flour and oil to make one more loaf of bread for herself and
her family; the Widow of Jerusalem has a treasury consisting of two ha’pennies
to rub together. That is what the Scripture writers want you to know. But they
also mention what these two widows do in the face of their economic distress.
And that is where these women give testimony to people miles and years removed
from their settings.
The incident with the Widow of
Zarephath is important within the life of Elijah the Prophet. As he executed
the duties of his office, Elijah was the instrument through which the Lord spoke judgment against His people
Israel. The idolatry of Israel, from the house of King Ahab down to the lowest
class, brought divine judgment against it. The Lord
promised that no rain or dew would fall on the land: a message that Elijah was
compelled to bring. Yet, the Lord
determined that His prophet would be cared for. So He speaks to Elijah: “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to
Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”
This is how this Gentile woman enters into the knowledge of the Lord’s people for generations.
Coming to Zarephath, Elijah asks
for water and bread from this woman. Her response indicates that she is
suffering from the afflictions that the Lord’s
drought had brought: “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing
baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am
gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my
son, that we may eat it and die.” The widow’s statement spells out the
starkness of her situation: she has nothing to give Elijah, no matter how much
he may ask; no, she has enough for one more meal, then death by starvation
awaits.
But it is precisely into this
situation of impending and certain death that the Lord’s promise is spoken. The prophet opens his mouth and
reveals what the Lord’s promise is
for both himself and this woman: “Do not
fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake and bring it
to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says
the Lord the God of Israel, ‘The
jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until
the day that the Lord sends rain
upon the earth.’” The divine calling of this widow is made clear: she is to
be the provider of support for the prophet, and as she fulfills that, the Lord will provide what she needs so that
she may live.
So the widow does as the prophet
declares: “And she went and did as Elijah
said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was
not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of
the Lord that He spoke by Elijah.”
The widow’s faith drives her actions. She believes the promise that had been
extended to her by the Lord. She
believes the promise that is spoken mediately through the mouth of the stranger
who comes from Israel. As she believes, so she acts; as she believes, so it is
done for her. The impending death of starvation is removed by the actions of
the Lord.
The same pattern is seen in the
Widow of Jerusalem. The incident with her is not done in a foreign land, but
right in the heart of the Lord’s
city, even in the courts of the Lord’s
house. The widow who comes to the Temple brings her offering alongside all the
others who come to fulfill the Lord’s
Law: “[Jesus] sat down opposite the
treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich
people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper
coins, which make a penny.”
As Jesus watches this widow, He
comments on her offering: “Truly, I say
to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to
the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out
of her poverty has put in everything she had, all that she had to live on.”
Jesus’ words indicate the starkness of her situation: the Widow of Jerusalem
has no more in her purse than the two mites. That is the extent of her wealth.
It is all the purchasing power that she has.
So why does this widow toss both
coins into the offering box? What causes her to put in everything that she has
to live on? It is her faith that drives her actions, faith in a promise that
has been made to her. This widow believes the Lord’s
covenant promises that have been extended to her. She believes what the
prophets declared about the Lord’s
work for her salvation. She believes what Moses taught concerning the Lord’s commands. She believes what the
psalmist wrote regarding the Lord’s
watchful eye: “The Lord watches over the sojourners; He
upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked He brings to
ruin.”
The faith that the Widow of
Jerusalem has brings blessedness to her: “Blessed
is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice
for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.” She has made the Lord her help. She has done so, even
when the words of divine promise were given through the mouths of the scribes—those
“who devour widows’ houses and for a
pretense make long prayers.” Her heart is not set on men, in whom there is
no salvation, but on the Lord who
reigns forever. And that causes this widow to give even the last full measure
of her earthly wealth, as the Lord
commands. This is why Jesus praises her and calls her two mites a greater
offering than all the bags of coins that the others had brought to the Temple
treasury.
These two widows stand as
examples of the faith that the Lord
is pleased to see among His people. It is what He desires to find in you, His
people. He wants to see your trust in Him and His actions done for you. For He
does not perform some generic actions for you. No, He brings answer to what
afflicts you. Your sin, your death, your poverty: these trouble you. But the Lord reveals Himself as the remedy and
answer to them. It is the revelation that He has given through the prophets,
evangelists, and apostles, just as He revealed Himself to the Widow of Zarephath
and the Widow of Jerusalem. What has the Lord
promised? He has promised salvation for those who trust in Him. He has promised
life everlasting for those who rely on Him. He has promised forgiveness for
those who turn to Him.
This is what the Lord speaks to you. He declares what He
has done for you, what He has done about your sin, your death, your poverty.
The action has been performed by Christ: “He
has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the
sacrifice of Himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and
after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sin
of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who
are eagerly waiting for Him.” The giving of Christ’s life, His offering of
the entire abundance of His life in sacrifice in the holy places of heaven, has
brought redemption for you, answering your afflictions. This is the divine act
that opens forgiveness, life, and salvation to you. These are the exceedingly
great and precious promises given to all who place their trust in the Lord.
So what is your response? What
drives your response? Is it the same as seen in the two widows? Do you take the
Lord’s words spoken to you through
the prophets, evangelists, and apostles and cling to the promises made? Or have
you disregarded them? There is a dependence to be found among the Lord’s people, a dependence that is
shown in the actions of coming to where the Lord
provides His benefits and the faithful act of receiving what He gives. This is
what characterizes the life of the Lord’s
people.
Since you are present here to
hear the proclamation of Jesus’ work for your salvation, to be washed in the
baptismal waters, to hear His words of absolution, to receive His life-giving
body and blood in the Sacrament, you are acting like the two widows. Your faith
in the divine promises have driven you here, even when they have been spoken
through the mouths and administered by the hands of people who came from different
places to here, as sent by the Lord.
These are the acts of faith, acts rooted in your trusting what the Lord promises.
The examples of the two widows
are not only to show that they had faith in the life the world to come that the
Lord bestows. No, they show how
reliance on the Lord’s promise of
watching over them leads to giving for the support of others in this life. That
same belief that you have in the Lord’s
provision of eternal and temporal needs also leads you to open your hands and
supply the physical needs of others. So many loaves have been taken from your
kitchens and many mites taken from your purses that you have given to others.
Not that you seek to gain something from the Lord
by doing so, but because you believe in His words about opening the hands to
others. You believe the divine calling that the Lord
has given to you.
These are how you follow the blessed
examples of the two widows. Like them, you may not be from the most prominent
classes in society. You also face the afflictions that come in this earthly
life, even the death of spouses and loved ones. But you also believe in what
the Lord provides for you, putting
your trust in Him who acts to delivers you from need to fortune, from curse to
blessedness, from death to life. May that faith never be wanting, as you
eagerly wait for Him to bring your salvation.
+ In the Name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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