March 13, 2024 

Today's Reading: Mark 12:28-44

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 44:1-18, 32-34; Mark 12:28-44

And he 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. And he 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.” (Mark 12:41-44)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is the social media trend of “boy math” versus “girl math” but here we are introduced to “Jesus math.” Jesus doesn’t math correctly, and this is a repeated problem with Him. He leaves ninety-nine sheep to find one, He insists that the greatest is actually least in His kingdom, that the least is greatest, and here He is saying that a woman who didn’t give enough to cover a single bulletin put more in than all the rich people whose offerings were surely exponentially more than hers. A truly ludicrous assertion. 

The rich give out of their abundance, meaning their leftovers, and probably not enough to feel a bit of a financial pinch. In contrast, the widow gives out of her poverty, which means her gift is a sign of her hope and expectation, she literally puts her money where her mouth is regarding her trust in God’s provision. Presumably the widow is not a fool and knows that the money she gave was all she had to live on, but she trusted that her Lord would provide all that she needed to support this body and life. 

The lesson here is not a formula for how to give to your church, Jesus is not commanding everyone to give all they have to the church, risking starvation and homelessness. Rather He’s again showing that in worldly abundance there is poverty, in poverty there is abundance, and with our eyes it’s often hard to see which is which. Often we’re at the end of our ropes emotionally, financially, spiritually, and feel as if we have nothing to give, and wonder how we’ll find the strength to do the things we know we should. With the widow we can be comforted that when we give what we have out of our poverty of money, time, or emotional well-being, it is blessed, not measured for quantity, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in Spirit. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Seek first God’s reign, His boundless grace,  His holy name in all you do:

Christ first and last in ev’ry place;  All else will then be given you. (LSB 736: 6)

-Deac. Eleanor Corrow, Higher Things Board Member and coordinator in LCMS Missionary Services. 

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

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