Sunday, November 10, 2024 "The Widow's All"

I keep forgetting to stop recording on Zoom after the sermon. Whoops.
This story from Mark 12:38-44 has been used as a stewardship sermon for many decades. "See how faithful this woman is and how much she gives!" preachers have said. "Go and do likewise," is often implied if not outright said. I may have even seen the title "Give til it Hurts". Ooof.
In the past, I've offered a different interpretation that centers on the widow's offering as a political protest. She was a victim of the scribes Jesus mentions in the first part of the reading. They don't care about her and her wellbeing - they are predators that devour. So, she gives the very last of what she has and I wonder if as those two tiny coins slip into the offering box, she hopes they will choke on them.
Jesus sees her giving and I think Jesus sees her faithfulness. Verses 43-44 suggest he knows just what this faithful offering cost her and his words to his disciples, while commending her generosity, are also a lament that it has come to this. I also wonder if he thought of her just a few days later and found in her steadfastness the strength to follow her sacrificial example as he gave his life on the cross at Calvary.