How many of you spend more time each day reading the Bible than you spend watching the news? Oops…no hands. Why do we place more value in “bad news” than on the “Good news?”
No wonder our minds are more shaped by the newscaster on TV than on God’s Word. With a great fanfare of music and eye-catching videographics, a well-dressed man or woman stares us in the face and speaks to us in convincing language. Certainly, this news person knows more than we do or otherwise they wouldn’t be making so much money. And so we listen naively and faithfully to whatever comes through our electronic gadgets.
I believe the “scribes” were much like the popular news persons of our day. They were dressed better than others, spoke with refined language, and gave the impression they knew more about God than anyone else. And so the people drank in whatever they said. Jesus warned his disciples against such people (Matthew 12:38-44).
“Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext recite lengthy prayers.”
People were impressed with the scribes. Their wardrobe was a significant notch above that of ordinary people. In the synagogues people knew not to sit in the front seat in case a scribe show up. They were more important than the ordinary folks and so deserved the honored seats. When there was a banquet, everyone became quiet as a long-robed, splashy countenanced scribe entered the room. Because they dressed well, said long impressive prayers, and acted as though they were a superior to others, it was assumed they were on a higher rung of God’s ladder than anyone else.
Jesus gazed into the interior of these man and ignored the exterior. Where did they get all the money to buy their fancy robes and attend theology classes? From the poor widows, who gave generously of the little money they had because of their love for God.
Jesus remarked:
“They will receive very severe condemnation.”
They were on the bottom rung of God’s ladder.
“Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, ‘Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury.’”
How is it that the heroes of Jesus’ stories were the lowly people, like the widow in this story, and even the sinners? Can you think of a gospel story in which a scribe was the hero of one of Jesus’ stories? On the top rung of God’s ladder was this poor, beggar-like widow. She probably looked like a homeless person and may have sustained herself by begging. This poor widow, however, taught the disciples more truth than a room full of prominent scribes.
We also notice than in the first reading today (1 Kings 17:10-16), the hero of the story was a poor widow who had just a handful of flour and a few teaspoons of oil to feed her son and herself their last meal. She, a poor Gentile, was the one whom God blessed through the prophet Elijah.
Who are the “important” people that we listen to? What “scribes” are shaping our opinions and our values? Is it possible that a humble, homeless person who loves God is more important than the well-dressed, affluent people we listen to on TV?
And what about us? Do we value having money, being well-dressed, and being looked up to by others more than we value being pleasing to God? No matter our status in society, we pray to be humble and generous like the two widows we read about today.
Let’s pay more attention to the “Good News” of Jesus than we do to the superficial chatter we hear on our TV’s.
