The relationship between organized religion and organized government is a hot-button issue around the globe. In our country, we have what Thomas Jefferson called the "high wall of separation between the Church and the State," although many are working to destroy that wall. In the United Kingdom, there is union of Church and State. In Iran, likewise, where all persons of all faiths or no faith are subject to Shariah Law which, taken literally, is just as barbaric and cruel as the Law of Moses. In Ireland, which has Church-State unity, they have finally made it legal for a person to disagree with a teaching of the Roman Communion. In Israel today, you are either an Orthodox Jew or you are a nobody in terms of civil rights. Unity of religion and governance has long been policy in Jewish territory.
It was in the first century, CE. That is why the Scribes discussed today [Mk. 12: 38-44] were so indispensable: they were both legal experts and Bible experts. Indispensable but not incorruptible. Running a con still practised by Christian televangelists today, the Scribes and their colleagues were actively encouraging "seed gifts" of money people needed to live on and could not afford to give. The pitch was that reaching out in extreme giving would results in manifold blessings. That was certainly correct: the evangelist is blessed, as he lines his pockets. So with those Scribes of old feathering their nests.
The Temple treasury wall contained several horn-like protuberances into which various kinds of donations were dropped. Silver coins, given ostentatiously by the rich, had a distinct sound when placed in a tube; copper, a very different sound. It is in this way that Jesus knows that the widow inserted two leptae, the smallest Roman copper coins.
There are Christian clergy who will try to praise the widow's reckless action (giving away her last two copper coins) for their own purposes. The point of the passage is that the Scribes "devour widow's houses," in other words, steal the assets of the poor and gullible by stealth. In fact, donating money needed to live on was a severe sin under the Jewish Law! The Scribe-predators were convincing the vulnerable to break that very commandment. The widow was ripped-off and Jesus is justly angry.
We here learn that we must earn and retain the money required to meet our legitimate personal needs and those of the people who depend on us. Beyond that, then, is the area of our wealth that falls under Gospel judgement. It is the rest of the budget where God calls us to prioritize our holy commitment to build the Kingdom. I might ask you, if an auditor examined your books, would he conclude that God's work is the most important commitment to you? Would the first cheques you write each payday be to church and charitable work? Or maybe God gets the leftovers after you have provided for your needs and then spent on everything you want. If God is not first in our hit parade, something else is, perhaps wealth accumulation, pleasure, hobbies -- any number of things can outrank God in our priorities. Christ calls us to reject these "lesser gods," reorder our values, make God number one in our lives through sacrificial giving, and trust God to take care of us.
When Shelby and I first made the commitment to sacrificial giving, we discovered our donations were only about two percent. We went to work on moving towards the benchmark of the biblical tithe, ten percent, and we surpassed that a long time ago. It is a wonderful feeling to know that we are doing what we can do. One sleeps well when the greatest priority is partnering with God. And one receives countless blessings.
No comments:
Post a Comment