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November 9th. Pentecost 22

Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17. Naomi instructs Ruth about how to meet Boaz and ask him to fulfil his filial responsibility to her.
Ps 127. If the building is not of the Lord...   The heritage of children.
Hebrews 9:24-28 Christ a new high priest.
Mark 12:38-44.  The posturing of the religious and the widow's offering.

The gospel continues with Jesus engaged in dispute with the religious authorities.  He directs his criticism at the posturing and piety of some of the leadership. He condemns their preoccupation with appearances and their injustice toward the poor.  It is very often these poor, rather than they, who are the models of true piety. They give everything. The wealthy give out of their abundance.

We have some pointed observations here to grapple with.
Our own "appearance" dominated culture. The culture of "spin" where reality and truth are casualties.
We could ponder two interpretative pathways when it comes to the story of the woman giving her offering. The first would be the question of who do we look to as models of piety? Jesus takes an incident that others might overlook and offers it to us as an ideal.  The poor making their offerings to the Temple treasury. Giving that makes one vulnerable is costly giving.  Giving out of a large surplus might appear generous but does not put a person's life on the edge as it would for the widow. 

She gives all that stands between her and absolute poverty. Leaving all to follow Jesus has been a theme in the gospel - a life given rather than a life protected and cosseted. This will be important in the close of the age, as Jesus will go on to say in the next chapter of Mark (the gospel for next Sunday). Then it will be faith, a holding on until the end to God that will be the measure, not one's appearance or status or standing. We can reflect on a model of leadership that offers itself to people, that is compassionate, that "does justice and loves mercy..." - rather than that which feeds off people - either materially, emotionally or spiritually.  The latter is exploitative, even abusive.

You might want to reflect on a second interpretative pathway.  In this the woman becomes less a model of sacrificial giving and more an example of a victim of an oppressive system.
If the widow is now absolutely "penniless" who cares for her? Being a model of piety doesn't put food in her stomach that day or in the days to come. Already Jesus has condemned those who should be ensuring she is cared for exploiting her for their own gain. Where can she find justice?  You might also ask questions about a system that both allows its leaders to exploit its most vulnerable participants and then extract the last of their means - all in the name of piety! Would we have expected Jesus to speak critically of a system that exploits and impoverishes rather than gives justice and compassion?

Where can Naomi and Ruth find justice? To a degree they have found it in a system of gleaning that makes provision for the needs of the poor. Now Naomi and Ruth devise a strategy to ensure that Boaz faces his responsibilities to his family - that he acts compassionately and justly.  He does so, and as a result the child Obed, one who is named in the lineage of David, is born.

Some of the psalm for the day picks up the theme of appearances. No matter how impressive a structure - if it is built without the presence of God - if love, compassion and justice are absent - then it is an empty shell.

 

Meditations:
Mark 12:41-44
It's not the amount, Lord
that matters
The number of zeroes
on the cheque
won't impress you
for you own the cattle
on a thousand hills
You're the one
who planted treasure
beneath the earth
and waited excitedly
for its discovery
It's the heart you look at
appreciating that
the tiniest offering
coated with love
will totally eclipse
large monetary gifts
smothered with pride
You can't be bought, God
no-one can earn your approval
The widow gave her last mite
Your Son, his last breath
What do I give?

(c) Anna Johnstone