Whole Livelihood
When Jesus looked up, he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood." Luke 21:1-4
Piety
We thank Thee, Lord, for sunshine, dew, and rain,
Broadcast from heaven by Thine almighty hand –
Source of all life, unnumbered as the sand –
Bird, beast, and fish, herb, fruit, and golden grain.
Thou, Lord, dost rule the raging of the sea,
When loud the storm and furious is the gale:
Strong is Thine arm; our little “barques”[i] are frail:
Send us Thy help; remember Galilee.
O Bread of Life, Thou in Thy Word hast said:
Who feeds in faith on Me shall never die.
In mercy hear Thy hungry children’s cry:
Father, give us this day our daily bread.
Study
Repetitive repetition and lessons about what to do with our wealth continue to be repeated. This is hardly a new song. However, as we emerge from “Thanksgiving” weekend, what new song can we sing?
We heard Mark’s version of the story about the widow’s two coins two weeks ago. Now, the Good News serves up Luke’s version for further consideration. Her simple offering of two mites provides a “mitey” contrast to the pretentiousness of the scribes who gave out of their surplus.
The problem of uneven wealth and dishonest wealth is not a new one for the Good News nor for the daily news. Poverty – according to some – is intractable. It does not mean that poverty is impossible to cure. But rather poverty is not easily controlled or manageable. Poverty is stubborn. The causes are hard to treat, relieve, or cure. Even Jesus said, “The poor will be with you always.” (Matthew 26:11) The New Testament takes up the question of poverty elsewhere as well.
In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat. We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. Such people, we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food. But you, brothers, do not be remiss in doing good. 2 Thessalonians 3:10-13
Is the New Testament might be throwing up the collective arms of the evangelists and St. Paul and admitting defeat in the face of poverty? Hardly! Remember, earlier, Luke related the opening lines of the Sermon on the Plain: “And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.” (Luke 6:20)
Some preachers and politicians, in turn, misuse these passages to blame people who are poor for their poverty. They use them to justify cutting food stamps and welfare programs. Liz Theoharis is the author of Always With Us? What Jesus Really Said About the Poor. In an article she wrote for “Sojourners” magazine, Ms. Theoharis points out how some misuse these passages as critiques of the poor, when in actuality, the New Testament writers were pointing an accusatory finger at “the rich who have stolen wages, poisoned the water, and enriched and engorged themselves by denying people healthcare.[ii]
The vast majority of the earliest Christians were poor, but by the time of the writing of 2 Thessalonians, some people with wealth were joining the movement. When Paul castigates some for not working but benefiting from the work of others, it is not an instruction against caring for the poor or organizing society around the needs of the poor. It is a judgment against rich people exploiting the poor. This resonates with another New Testament text from James 5: “The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.”
Action
As Ms. Theoharis in Sojourners points out: “Poverty is not inevitable. It is a systemic sin, and all Christians have a responsibility to partner with the poor to end poverty once and for all.”
She goes on to quote the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech Beyond Vietnam, delivered to the congregation at Riverside Baptist Church. Like Dorothy Day, he was in search of a revolution of the heart:
A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.[iii]
This lesson precedes one of the busiest days for philanthropy – Giving Tuesday. How will use #GivingTuesday to make a difference in the lives of the poor? In thanks for our daily bread, how can we be inspired to assure others have their daily bread, clothing, shelter, and furniture as well? Can we make P-O-V-E-R-T-Y OVER as the charity A Wider Circle asks (www.awidercircle.org)?
No comments:
Post a Comment