Readings: Ruth: 3:1-5, 4:13-17; Hebrews 9: 24-28; Psalm 127; Mark 12: 38-44
In last Sunday’s glossy STM magazine Tom Percy wrote the Opinion Page. He is a political and social commentator and is on 6PR every Thursday morning. He said at the beginning, “It is said that the measure of a community’s civilisation and sophistication can be measured by how well it treats its most wretched. Among the most unfortunate members of contemporary society are the mentally ill.” I may have used different language but I certainly agree with his sentiments. He could have said asylum seekers, those who live on the streets or any marginalised person.

Jesus in the Gospel talks about two groups of people. 1. The Scribes and 2. A widow. Brendan Byrne writes “It is appropriate to discuss the final two episodes of Jesus’ in the Temple together.” There is a real contrast in the two episodes. The scribes were the religious authorities. They were a class above everyone else. They were supposed to worship and glorify God but instead they wore fine clothes, wanted the best of everything and took advantage of people. A widow could not own a house, so when their husbands died the scribes took charge of the selling of the house. They also pocketed the money from the sale. Like many other groups the widows were second class.

This is not the first time that Jesus has been in conflict with the religious authorities and it was not the last. He did not do it because he wanted an argument. His major concern was that what they did, did not always agree with what they said. They liked to wear fine religious clothes in worship and out in the streets because they were thought they were so important. They loved the best places at festivals and functions. They developed all kinds of schemes to protect their place in society. It reminds me a little of what goes on behind a race called the Melbourne Cup. I wonder where a widow with two coins would fit in.

Women are second class in Middle Eastern countries. It is not new that fathers are disappointed when a daughter is born. I wonder that what class a widow would be. They would probably be at the bottom of the pile. It is the custom for many widows in Central and Eastern European countries to wear black. We sometimes see that in Australia. The scribes would know the widows because they did not wear the finest clothes, or have much money. They probably wore dusty clothes and were hungry. But what this widow did was very brave. In an environment where people were judged by what they gave to the Temple offering the scribes wanted to be at the front of the queue. A woman giving two coins was really insignificant; Jesus said she gave all she had. She had nothing left.

Jill Friebel preached a sermon on 12 November 2006 at the South Yarra Baptist Community Church. I read it this week and I was challenged. The Old Testament lesson today is from Ruth and it’s about Ruth and Naomi. So Jill writes “Widows were particularly vulnerable and poor. They were vulnerable in patriarchal cultures where males held the power and control and owned everything including their women.” She is aware that things have changed in many countries like Australia. But there are still many women who are dominated and controlled. She talks about being raised in a conservative theological family where her role was one of submission to male authority. She stood up for what she believed and sometimes this involved a fight at home or in the church.

Sometimes we think it does not happen anymore. It happens in a minority of families and in some churches. I am grateful that within my lifetime things have changed, particularly in the Uniting Church. But I am still aware that there are still fathers and partners who abuse their daughters and God has a special love for these girls.
For me it’s not just about the widow’s mite but about the way Jesus treated women and the marginalised in society. He gives them dignity and love. So much of Mark is about this. It’s about people and sometimes the forgotten people. It’s about hope. It’s about a special friend who went beyond this temple to die for me and He rose for me. I believe it’s worth giving our life to Him!!!!!!!