Trust In . . .

Luke 21:1-4

¹Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, ² and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. ³ And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. ⁴ For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

In three short sentences the Scriptures challenge us down to our very center. With whom does your trust lie? While the passage has been used by many to talk about stewardship of resources, that isn’t where my thoughts went as I pondered these words. Instead, I am forced to ask yet again about who or what I trust in to care for my needs. Sadly, I am forced to once again remember that I tend to rely upon myself far too often.

Years ago, we used to sing a song at camp about horses and chariots. It is based on the words of King David who was refering to the escape of the Children of Israel from Egyptian slavery. Even as I was singing it, it seemed like a stupid thing to sing about.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. (Psalm 20:7)

But those words visually grab our imagination and demand to know where we place our trust. Is it in the machinations of our own hands or in the God of the Universe? It is interesting that this isn’t a parable that Jesus uses to draw our attention to our own hearts and sensibilities but instead a real life example. This was a real woman who daily struggled with having enough. The box into which she dropped her last two coins was a part of the Jewish tradition described in the Mishnah, which was a series of interpretations of the meaning of the Law; according to rabbinic tradition, they were given when Moses received the Law from God on Mt Sinai and were to be passed down in oral form.

This temple treasury is what the Mishnah calls “the chamber of secrets” and where the devout used to put their gifts in secret and the poor of good family receive support therefrom in secret. This was the mechanism for the collection and distribution of alms.

L. T. Johnson, The Gospel of Luke, 315

The widow was the very audience the offerings put into this box was meant to support and yet her heart is moved by the poverty of others with apparently no concern for her own dire situation. Jesus is moved by this offering and points her out to the Disciples. His words focus on place from which the gift flowed. Most of us tend to give to God on the basis of what we will have left over. If it seems like enough, we are willing to be generous. If things seem tight, so do our offerings. But if we are to take Jesus words seriously here God measures the gifts of his people not on the basis of their size but on the basis of how much remains. It is in that remainder that we might be placing our trust. We’re looking to our horses and chariots to get us through the day rather than the One who provided those horses in the first place.

Once again the Scripture has the power to drive me to confession and repentance. As I’m forced to examine my own trust levels I am made aware of how often I want what I want and I count on myself to provide it. But even in my confession, the Spirit also reminds me that this self-centered independence is exactly why Jesus went to the cross and I am again grateful beyond words.