Introduction
There are going to be big feelings about this text this week from a lot of pastors and scholars. And I think that’s good and right. This text has been used to exploit and get more tithes and offerings to the church even if you are on your last dollar (“Remember that you need to give to God to get it back!”). And so, there’s a lot of theology correcting that can and should happen this week.
And… I think there’s an opportunity to be pastoral here. There is a way to acknowledge some of that without completely throwing out that people feel like they are giving all that they have. And that’s the way that I’m taking it this week. After an election week. As people prepare for the holiday season and putting everything on their credit cards. As people think about upcoming meals and worry about having enough. There’s a way that we could be pastoral here (and help to show those who have more that there’s a need out there).
There will be many other commentaries taking the harder stance and I would encourage you to look at them if you want to go the harder route. Working preacher is a good example of that this week (see footnote for link).[1]
I am kind of jumping right to the Preaching Possibilities for this week since other commentaries are doing more of the exegetical work.
My Pastoral Approach to this text
“Give me everything you’ve got.” My cross-country coach would yell as I approached the long uphill stretch into the third and final mile. He’s been on my mind quite a bit this year after he tragically passed away in a biking accident last winter. And so, his voice just pops in my head every once in a while.
“Give me everything you’ve got!” He would yell as my legs started feeling heavier and heavier. My strides would begin getting shorter and it seemed impossible to lift my knees any higher.
“Give me everything you’ve got!” It’s a phrase that makes sense at the end of a 3.1-mile race. It produces energy. It inspires endurance. Sometimes it would show me that I actually had more left in the gas tank than I realized.
“Give me everything you’ve got!” His words were a line of endurance. They’re a motivator. They come out of a place of life and energy. A place of abundance.
When the race was over, I knew that I would be able to fall down next to a big jug of water and stretch and breath. I would be able to go for a short cool down run so that I wouldn’t tighten up too badly. I would be able to go home and shower and stretch and rest for as long as I needed to.
Giving everything, I had, maybe I would break my personal best or maybe it would just be for the fun of it. But I cherished those words from my coach in that final mile. They were the final push that could carry me the rest of the way.
“Give me everything you’ve got!” Hearing those words in a place of abundance is life-giving. It inspired energy and drive within me. It helped me to finish the race as best as I could.
Hearing words like this in a cross-country race, at the end of a long work-out at the gym. Hearing those words at the end of a theater production when you have one more Sunday matinee to perform. Hearing those words at the end of a long project and being able to see the end in sight. Hearing these words at those times is Good News. In a place of abundance, these words are a gift and the best hope we can receive.
But hearing these words when you are in a place of scarcity… these words can be deadly.
And Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
At the temple in Jerusalem, one could leave their offerings to God.
The scribes were wealthier members of the religious elite. They would have had larger homes and would have lived very comfortable lives. To give to the Temple would not have been a great burden. They knew that more income and resource would come later. They would still have money left for food and for their family. To give, would be joyful. They could give out of their abundance.
But the widow was not wealthy. Those two copper coins were all she had according to Mark. She was giving out of her scarcity. She was giving in faith but also maybe in fear. It was expected of her to give. It was expected that all people regardless of wealth or status would give to the Temple (this is somewhat debated but you can see how expectation vs suggestion could manipulative no matter what). And so, she gave even when it meant that she wouldn’t know how to pay for anything afterwards.
When you are living day to day, living in scarcity, those words of “Give me everything you’ve got,” are not Good News. They are words of anxiety. Of fear. Of uncertainty.
When you are living paycheck to paycheck, hearing these words from the gas and electric company brings anxiety. When you have been facing project after project with no end, hearing these words from a boss or supervisor can bring stress and outrage. When you feel like you have given all of your love, but your family demands even more of you, these words can feel like a burden.
When you have nothing left to give, when you are giving out of scarcity, when the well is dry, the demands of the world to give everything we have, can be deadly.
But Jesus does not demand that of this widow.
When the widow approaches the treasury, Jesus sees her for who she is and what she’s been though. Jesus does not demand more of her. Jesus does not call her into greater service. Rather Jesus sees her faithfulness and lifts her up as someone who is loved by God. When others ignore her presence, or see her gift as insignificant, Jesus sees her and sees how much she is giving up, all she had to live on.
Some of us today are operating out of that place of scarcity. We may be exhausted, stressed, anxious, or feeling strapped. Unsure of how to get through the next few days or the next week.
Some of us today are operating out of abundance. And maybe able to help and give others energy for the next leg of the race. We may have the gifts of time, talent, or treasure, joy and compassion that give us hope for the days ahead. And we are called to give out of that abundance.
God speaks to all of us, meeting us wherever we are.
If you are feeling tired, exhausted, stressed, depleted, it can feel like all the work you are doing, all you are giving is going unnoticed. But God sees you in that place and God is not demanding more of you. God is not asking you to give more than you can. God is not asking you to sacrifice more than you have. God sees the work you are doing, the love you are giving, the gifts you are using, and does not see them as insignificant but cherishes them. Knowing that they are all that you have to live on. God sees you and loves you for all of this and then give you permission to rest. As Jesus says (cherry picking), “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
And if today you are feeling blessed, and feeling life’s abundance, God is calling us to more. God is calling us into the next mile of the race to give everything we have for the kin-dom of God. If you have energy, time, talent, or treasure, God calls us to give out of that abundance and to do it with joy. This does not just mean monetary offerings. But it is our time, our compassion, our vision, and our awareness.
And when we are in those places of abundance, it is important for us not to be complacent and shut our eyes to the world around us but instead to remember that scarcity and hardship still exists for many people immediately around us. Jesus calls us to see those around us who are living in scarcity and calls us to give of ourselves to them. To be present with them in time of illness. To listen to them in times of doubt, stress, or frustration. To provide resources to those who are struggling to find enough. To bring life to those who are struggling to see life.
God sees us where we are, whether it is in abundant times or times of scarcity, or times in between. God sees us and loves us in all of these times.
Whether in abundance or scarcity, the Good News this day is that we are not alone. God sees us where we are, and God promises to be with us in this community that we share. We come together for each other, in prayer, with music, in visits, in meals, in our food pantries, in our outreach ministries, in fellowship, in faith, showing that we are always there for one another, as a congregation, as a community, as neighbors.
[1] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-32-2/commentary-on-mark-1238-44-7
Micah Krey 
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