Jesus Gives Us His All

Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, November 10, 2024
Mark 12:38-44

    Last Sunday, I was inspired by the stories of several people I know who were able to attend or participate in the New York City marathon:  there were over 55,000 runners, 10,000 volunteers and over 2 million spectators.  I enjoy running 2-3 miles; I’d be happy to run a 5 or maybe 10K these days…I can’t imagine the kind of endurance required for a marathon, 26.2 miles!  It’s inspiring to know there are tens of thousands of people challenging and pushing themselves to that kind of athletic limit.  I wonder, can you think of a time when you’ve given something your all?  Is there a time when you’ve really pushed yourself, maybe not physically, but emotionally or psychologically?  It is a great feeling when you give your all and are rewarded for your hard work.
    This morning in our scripture readings, we heard about two widows who have given their all to God.  In our first reading from 1 Kings, Elijah meets a Gentile widow in Zarephath, a city in Phoenicia (not in Israel).  With God’s help, he gives her and her son enough to keep going when they are at their limits of survival.  Despite being a foreigner, she trusts Elijah and the Lord God enough to share with him the last of her meal and oil in a little cake.  She thinks after this that she and her household will starve, but the jar of meal and the jar of oil do not run out.  It’s not a banquet feast of rich foods, but God gives her and her family enough to be sustained during widespread famine.
    Then in our gospel, Jesus is watching people putting money into the treasury in the temple.  Do you think people knew that Jesus was watching them?  How would you feel if you knew Jesus was watching what you put into the offering plate?!  We don’t know, but we do know that Jesus sees the poor widow who would easily be dismissed and overlooked.  Jesus not only notices and appreciates her gift of her two last coins, even though it’s not much in the eyes of the world; Jesus calls over the disciples and points out her contribution.  “She out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on,” Jesus tells them.  She has given her all.  We don’t know what happens next to this widow!  Our hope is that because Jesus has pointed her out, she is cared for and provided for by the followers of Jesus similar to God’s care for and provision for the widow of Zarephath through Elijah.  Both widows are lifted up as examples of keeping the faith and trusting God especially in difficult times.
    Have you ever felt like you’ve given something your all, and like these widows wondered if it would be enough?  Has your faith in God pushed you to try to endure something that would otherwise seem insurmountable?  I remember when I had to do my first MRI ever; I didn’t think I was claustrophobic, but of course that day the sound system they play music on to keep you calm was broken, so I could only hear the loud clanking of the machinery around me.  Plus, I was nervous about that “c” word, “cancer.”  Many of you probably know what I’m talking about – you go in that tube and you are supposed to lay still for like half an hour.  It feels like an eternity.  I did it, but I can tell you I was probably near panic-attack from nerves and anxiety.  It was only the gift of prayer and knowing God was with me no matter what that kept me from pulling the plug on that test so I could get out of there!  And thankfully, I got good news the following day – everything was normal.  That experience made me more mindful of all the people who go through that room similarly anxious and afraid and receive a different diagnosis.  Our faith sustains us when we are pushed to the limits.
    Sometimes these widows’ stories are lifted up as examples of generous giving, but we may miss the fact that they had little else to lose in giving what they had left.  In these societies without a man’s protection and provision, there were few good options for single women, and both of these stories emphasize the widows’ dire poverty.  What is more, King Ahab is a corrupt king whose worship of other gods has brought on the famine in that region.  The widow and her son are vulnerable innocent bystanders.  Jesus warns us to beware of those in power who care more about appearances and take advantage of what little widows have by devouring their houses.  These widows are caught in political and economic systems over which they have little to no control.  The widows are able to give what they have because they have very little other choice.  More important than their generosity is their ability to trust God despite their difficult circumstances; it’s not the widows who need to be more generous, but we, who have much.
    Certainly, there have been times in our lives where we may have felt we gave it our all but it wasn’t enough.  We try to be the best parents and spouses we can be but divorce happens, family estrangement happens.  We worked hard, scrimped, and saved, yet we worry about paying our bills or being able to maintain the high cost of living in our area.  We tried to be good people and live as Christians “should” but we struggle to forgive ourselves for the times we’ve messed up.
    This is where I will keep turning us back the good news we find in our second reading from Hebrews for the next few weeks at least:  we give God our all because Christ first gave us his all.  Jesus doesn’t need to suffer again or offer himself again and again in the traditional sacrificial system of the High Priest; rather Christ has appeared once for all, Hebrews tells us. Jesus died and was raised for us once and for all.  He gave his very self fully for us for all time.  Our all may not seem enough sometimes, but thanks be to God, Christ’s gift of his full self once and for all is always, always enough.  Christ is enough for us when feel we are not enough or that we have nothing left to give.
    We lift up today the faithfulness of widows who trusted God when they were at the end of their ropes and probably finding it difficult to trust anyone or anything.  We listen like the disciples to Jesus who calls us over to look at the people who are forgotten, overlooked, or whose gifts seem too meager to matter.  Like Elijah, we ask God to help us discover when we might be the ones God wants to use to sustain the weary with food, shelter, clothing, or a prayer of faith.  We listen to Jesus’ warning to beware of corrupt systems and people who abuse their power to take advantage of the vulnerable, the least, and the lost.  Most of all, we pray for the same trust of the people throughout the ages who have experienced the goodness and the provision of the Lord no matter the challenge.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.