Thought for the day – Tuesday 9 June
Dear All
There are many people who are suffering genuine financial hardship during this epidemical crisis. Individuals, communities and businesses, large and small, are facing unprecedented challenges which will sadly mean for some, bankruptcy and closure. As with the huge numbers of deaths worldwide so too the numbers who have lost their jobs are more than statistics, they are individuals, people with feelings. It is less personal, much easier and palatable though, to think of a statistic than an individual. We do at times think and speak of statistics.
Each person has their own situation to deal with and make necessary, and sometimes very difficult, adjustments to their own and their families lives. Meetings, family get-togethers, holidays, funerals and travel, for example, have all been adversely affected unless you happen to be Dominic Cummings. Our way of life is different and maybe so, for some time to come.
Today’s passage is about a poor widow, a devout widow by my reckoning, who attended the temple, probably daily. If we think about it, Jesus probably knew her, he ‘must’ have, how else would he know that she was a widow and that she was poor, besides, Jesus was a regular with his disciples in the temple and she might well have known him too.
Jesus might even have known her name as he was himself well known by many. (Is this not Joseph the carpenter’s son, whose brothers and sisters we know.) No reason to think that everyone was a total stranger to the other. We often ‘know’ people by nodding acquaintance do we not?
Many of the things that Jesus said were hard-hitting, straight and to the point. At times they make us a bit uncomfortable. The teachings we ‘like’ we can quote quite easily and do so without too much thought. The hard ones though, we don’t. I’II leave you to think about those teachings that are not of the ‘gentle Jesus meek and mild’ type.
Poverty and wealth have always been contentious and major factors in any society and obvious inequality has given rise to revolutions and wars throughout the world’s history. Class divisions, status and privilege are all in the mix.
Victorian poverty is not quite the same as poverty nowadays. In Britain 2020 poverty is nothing like it was during that era. The terms ‘absolute poverty’ and ‘relative poverty’ have since come into our sociological usage and can help us whenever we are making distinctions and discussing the issue that still affects many in our society today.
In 1899 Joseph Rowntree carried out his now-famous sociological study, ‘Poverty: A Study of Town Life’. Among the findings of this research was that 24% of the population were living in what was known as ‘primary poverty’ ie not enough to live on, not enough to meet basic human needs. This was at a time of great industrial and military power here in Britain, so why was there so much inequality and impoverishment? Everyone will have their own views.
It is quite inescapable that Jesus in his teachings about riches and the rich is blisteringly critical. Many have tried to ‘tone down’ his harsh words by explaining them away, making them more ‘acceptable’ as we all like to do whenever we hear something we don’t like. We like euphemisms, but Jesus wasn’t speaking euphemistically.
According to one source I read, money is the second most referenced topic in the bible with more than 800 references. We can take for example the ‘parable of the rich fool’, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than a rich man enters the gates of heaven, the love of money is the root of all evil and you cannot serve God and money. Nowhere does Jesus extol the acquisition and accumulation of wealth, money and greed are inextricably linked it seems. Do note that the quotation is the ‘love of money…..’ I’ve never heard to this day anyone saying that they hate having the stuff. Have you?
Jesus’ teachings here are self-explanatory or are they? The widow gave her all, others gave of their surplus. In our churches, no one is forced to give what they don’t wish to give. Whatever we give, of our time, abilities or money, we do so willingly and freely.
What is Jesus saying here about giving? Was he simply observing what folk gave or something more. Is ‘what’ we give and ‘how’ we give something to consider?
Today I ask you to think/meditate on these things.
God bless you!
Jim
MARK 12: 41-44
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
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