B
BeforeThereWas
Guest
Thanks, lovely, for your great input.
This may seem like a rehash, in some respects, of ground I've already covered, but I think it's worthy of detailing in order to drive the point home for those who don't quite get it.
Many pastors within organized religion, and even mission boards, some more legalistic than others, are guilty of both subtle and not so subtle forms of intimidation of their congregations and supporters. Knowingly or unknowingly, they use the Word of God deceitfully. By misinterpreting the Scriptures, they urge their people to do something contrary to sound doctrine. A perfect example is how they apply the Biblical account of the “widow’s mite.â€Â. Misinterpretations of Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 20:45-47 and 21:1-4 create guilt for not handing over the primary portion of their giving into the institution, and sometimes persuade individuals and entire congregations to give beyond their means to a system of religion that routinely abuses their giving. This approach, giving motivated by guilt and/or fear, is a direct contradiction of Paul's doctrine of giving in the NT in 2 Corinthians 8:5-15.
Using the Mark and Luke passages of the widow and her gift as illustration, some preach, "You haven't given anything until you give sacrificially." Others state, "Give till it hurts," which suggests that God is not pleased with believers unless they're suffering. What a misrepresentation of the grace of God! Because of these and similar tactics, the church of Jesus Christ has become known as money grubbing, and unbelievers have found another excuse to ignore God. "All they want is my money." Sadly, all too often their complaint is accurate.
The context of this biblical account of the widow who gave her last two mites is not meant to teach sacrificial giving. In fact, the Lord’s real point is virtually the antithesis of how the passage is usually treated. The Lord here teaches about the crime, one of which any false religious system is guilty, of having no particular interest in the welfare of the individual, but a great deal of interest in exploiting the giver for the system's own survival and gain. A brief exposition of Mark 12:38-44; 13:1-2 will demonstrate this point.
The context is critical to a correct interpretation of this passage. Jesus was in the Temple teaching. He had been talking about the character and the conduct of the scribes. The scribes mentioned in the gospels were, at that time, professional scholars in the interpretation of the Old Testament. (They had no role during Old Testament times having come into being during and after the Babylonian captivity.) They were usurpers who took upon themselves the responsibility of interpreting the Old Testament for the people. Since the priests from the tribe of Levi were God's ordained teachers of Israel (Deuteronomy 24:8; 33:10), the scribes of Jesus' day were self-appointed leaders of a superficial and apostate religion; superficial in that it emphasized only the external show of religion, and apostate because it had long since left the true purposes of the Word of God.
Jesus' opinion of the scribes can be seen in His own discourse concerning them:
“And He said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market place, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these shall receive greater condemnation.†(Mark 12:38-40)
Two very important points need to be made from the above text. The Greek words blepete apo ton grammateon are literally translated “you see from the scribes,†interpreted: “you see with understanding by the way they dress, want to be noticed, how self-centered, and self-important the scribes are.†The Greek word "apo," from which the word “from†is translated, means “away from,†“turn your backs on them.†This is the alternative to practicing their religion. Our Lord was teaching that God's people should not follow the way of the scribes and their teachings. The authority of the scribes should be rejected. In addition, they were guilty of shameful conduct: “They devour widow's houses.â€Â
Now, Jesus continued His condemnation of the scribes by the graphic illustration in verses 41-44. Jesus was sitting opposite the trumpet-shaped chests into which the people threw their temple offerings, not the tithe. He observed how the people cast money into the treasury, and the “rich cast in much.†Then He continues, “And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing†(v. 42). The text reveals the difference between what the widow offered and the offering of the rich. “Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury...all her living†(Mark 12:43b-44b). The rich would not miss what they gave, but the poor widow had given away all her living. She had given all she had to an apostate system of the temple worship of the Jews, while the promised Redeemer sat but a step away.
Unfortumately, there's a chapter break at this point in the narrative, which interrupts the flow of this narrative, both here and in Luke's gospel. The context continues in Mark 13:1-2 as one of the disciples, obviously not understanding Christ's lesson, urged the Lord to observe the impressiveness of the outward appearance of the temple buildings surrounding them. At that point, Jesus prophesied the destruction of the false, religious system the poor widow had contributed her all. “Jesus said: Seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down†(Mark 13:2b). The buildings of the Temple area, with all their splendor, along with the corrupt religious system centered within them, would be destroyed, and those who had rejected their Messiah in favor of the false religious system would perish with it. Jesus' prophecy came to pass in 70 A.D. when the armies of Rome, under Titus, leveled Jerusalem and the Temple area, thus destroying the arena for the Jew's false religious practices.
The most pathetic part of this account is that the misguided widow could have had eternal life had she turned from the false, put her money in her pocket, and embraced the Savior, who was sitting nearby, observing.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.†(Matthew 23:37-38)
The tragedy of life is always that Jesus is so near with the gift of life, but people seek either to buy or to work their way into heaven.
The widow gave all she had under the misguided impression that she was serving God. This is why the Lord said (v. 40) that the scribes were guilty of devouring widows’ houses. The scribes, with no apparent pangs of conscience, actively promoted the kind of misguided, and sometimes even extreme sacrifice exhibited by this poor widow. And Jesus clearly is teaching that the coercions and intimidations practiced by the scribes were evil. A further irony--the most tragic of all--is that the scribes of Jesus' day promoted such a heretical doctrine while this unfortunate person, as well as the rest of the nation of Israel, headed for destruction.
In conclusion, we can observe the following:
* Jesus teaching his disciples. (Luke 20:45)
* The context is a discussion of the superficiality and malpractice of the scribes
* The account of the widow's mite was an observable demonstration of one method whereby the scribes devoured widow's houses
* The religion she supported was replaced by the gospel of grace. The temple and system to which she gave was destroyed in 70 A.D., and was replaced by the Church of Jesus Christ
* All her sacrifice was for nothing
* The widow could have received eternal life freely, then and there, if only she had turned to Jesus
* Preachers who would follow the example of the scribes are not true to the Word of God
* Only a false, uncaring religious system would absorb believer's primary giving for its own sustenance and gain, and ask members who cannot afford it to donate to their cause
* The widow's mite does not teach giving: A better application would be, â€ÂLook out for the "pastors" and bishops right here and nowi, in our own timeÀÂ
* If the work is of God, God will supply: if it is not God's work, let it die apart from false teaching and false practice
* Do not give if it hurts; God doesn't want or need that kind of giving
This may seem like a rehash, in some respects, of ground I've already covered, but I think it's worthy of detailing in order to drive the point home for those who don't quite get it.
Many pastors within organized religion, and even mission boards, some more legalistic than others, are guilty of both subtle and not so subtle forms of intimidation of their congregations and supporters. Knowingly or unknowingly, they use the Word of God deceitfully. By misinterpreting the Scriptures, they urge their people to do something contrary to sound doctrine. A perfect example is how they apply the Biblical account of the “widow’s mite.â€Â. Misinterpretations of Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 20:45-47 and 21:1-4 create guilt for not handing over the primary portion of their giving into the institution, and sometimes persuade individuals and entire congregations to give beyond their means to a system of religion that routinely abuses their giving. This approach, giving motivated by guilt and/or fear, is a direct contradiction of Paul's doctrine of giving in the NT in 2 Corinthians 8:5-15.
Using the Mark and Luke passages of the widow and her gift as illustration, some preach, "You haven't given anything until you give sacrificially." Others state, "Give till it hurts," which suggests that God is not pleased with believers unless they're suffering. What a misrepresentation of the grace of God! Because of these and similar tactics, the church of Jesus Christ has become known as money grubbing, and unbelievers have found another excuse to ignore God. "All they want is my money." Sadly, all too often their complaint is accurate.
The context of this biblical account of the widow who gave her last two mites is not meant to teach sacrificial giving. In fact, the Lord’s real point is virtually the antithesis of how the passage is usually treated. The Lord here teaches about the crime, one of which any false religious system is guilty, of having no particular interest in the welfare of the individual, but a great deal of interest in exploiting the giver for the system's own survival and gain. A brief exposition of Mark 12:38-44; 13:1-2 will demonstrate this point.
The context is critical to a correct interpretation of this passage. Jesus was in the Temple teaching. He had been talking about the character and the conduct of the scribes. The scribes mentioned in the gospels were, at that time, professional scholars in the interpretation of the Old Testament. (They had no role during Old Testament times having come into being during and after the Babylonian captivity.) They were usurpers who took upon themselves the responsibility of interpreting the Old Testament for the people. Since the priests from the tribe of Levi were God's ordained teachers of Israel (Deuteronomy 24:8; 33:10), the scribes of Jesus' day were self-appointed leaders of a superficial and apostate religion; superficial in that it emphasized only the external show of religion, and apostate because it had long since left the true purposes of the Word of God.
Jesus' opinion of the scribes can be seen in His own discourse concerning them:
“And He said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market place, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these shall receive greater condemnation.†(Mark 12:38-40)
Two very important points need to be made from the above text. The Greek words blepete apo ton grammateon are literally translated “you see from the scribes,†interpreted: “you see with understanding by the way they dress, want to be noticed, how self-centered, and self-important the scribes are.†The Greek word "apo," from which the word “from†is translated, means “away from,†“turn your backs on them.†This is the alternative to practicing their religion. Our Lord was teaching that God's people should not follow the way of the scribes and their teachings. The authority of the scribes should be rejected. In addition, they were guilty of shameful conduct: “They devour widow's houses.â€Â
Now, Jesus continued His condemnation of the scribes by the graphic illustration in verses 41-44. Jesus was sitting opposite the trumpet-shaped chests into which the people threw their temple offerings, not the tithe. He observed how the people cast money into the treasury, and the “rich cast in much.†Then He continues, “And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing†(v. 42). The text reveals the difference between what the widow offered and the offering of the rich. “Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury...all her living†(Mark 12:43b-44b). The rich would not miss what they gave, but the poor widow had given away all her living. She had given all she had to an apostate system of the temple worship of the Jews, while the promised Redeemer sat but a step away.
Unfortumately, there's a chapter break at this point in the narrative, which interrupts the flow of this narrative, both here and in Luke's gospel. The context continues in Mark 13:1-2 as one of the disciples, obviously not understanding Christ's lesson, urged the Lord to observe the impressiveness of the outward appearance of the temple buildings surrounding them. At that point, Jesus prophesied the destruction of the false, religious system the poor widow had contributed her all. “Jesus said: Seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down†(Mark 13:2b). The buildings of the Temple area, with all their splendor, along with the corrupt religious system centered within them, would be destroyed, and those who had rejected their Messiah in favor of the false religious system would perish with it. Jesus' prophecy came to pass in 70 A.D. when the armies of Rome, under Titus, leveled Jerusalem and the Temple area, thus destroying the arena for the Jew's false religious practices.
The most pathetic part of this account is that the misguided widow could have had eternal life had she turned from the false, put her money in her pocket, and embraced the Savior, who was sitting nearby, observing.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.†(Matthew 23:37-38)
The tragedy of life is always that Jesus is so near with the gift of life, but people seek either to buy or to work their way into heaven.
The widow gave all she had under the misguided impression that she was serving God. This is why the Lord said (v. 40) that the scribes were guilty of devouring widows’ houses. The scribes, with no apparent pangs of conscience, actively promoted the kind of misguided, and sometimes even extreme sacrifice exhibited by this poor widow. And Jesus clearly is teaching that the coercions and intimidations practiced by the scribes were evil. A further irony--the most tragic of all--is that the scribes of Jesus' day promoted such a heretical doctrine while this unfortunate person, as well as the rest of the nation of Israel, headed for destruction.
In conclusion, we can observe the following:
* Jesus teaching his disciples. (Luke 20:45)
* The context is a discussion of the superficiality and malpractice of the scribes
* The account of the widow's mite was an observable demonstration of one method whereby the scribes devoured widow's houses
* The religion she supported was replaced by the gospel of grace. The temple and system to which she gave was destroyed in 70 A.D., and was replaced by the Church of Jesus Christ
* All her sacrifice was for nothing
* The widow could have received eternal life freely, then and there, if only she had turned to Jesus
* Preachers who would follow the example of the scribes are not true to the Word of God
* Only a false, uncaring religious system would absorb believer's primary giving for its own sustenance and gain, and ask members who cannot afford it to donate to their cause
* The widow's mite does not teach giving: A better application would be, â€ÂLook out for the "pastors" and bishops right here and nowi, in our own timeÀÂ
* If the work is of God, God will supply: if it is not God's work, let it die apart from false teaching and false practice
* Do not give if it hurts; God doesn't want or need that kind of giving
: And they LOVE CHRIST??? You got to be B-L-I-N-D!)
