Last week, we had Jesus in a political debate with the Scribes, just after a conversation with the Sadducees. Was it heart, soul and strength which mattered, or could we now include our mind, our intelligence as well? – says Jesus. We are at Mark 12:38-44. Jesus is teaching in the Temple itself, and a large crowd gathered around him. There’s no indication whether the crowd formed in lines to get in, whether it was ‘so large’, or whether people left before Jesus finished… Jesus speaks of those Scribes – who?
Well, in brief: “The Sadducees wanted to protect traditional Jewish values and customs. The Elders (or Pharisees) were community leaders and judges who applied the Law. The Chief Priests were members of the Priestly families. The Scribes were the lawyers who interpreted Jewish Law.” They would become the Rabbinic sages after the Temple had been razed to the floor by the Romans: which, if Mark’s Gospel was written as scholars believe in the early 70s, had just happened.
“Those scribes who walk around in long flowing robes“…who in our churches would do that?
“are greeted with respect in market places, and who sit in the best places in the” places of worship…would we associate with that?
It was the Roman’s, with Emperor Constantine’s astonishing revelation that God was on his side – just prior to a battle which he won and then permitted Christianity to be accepted across the Empire – whereupon the clergy of the day took on Roman garb, such as the toga. Cue the various priestly vestments.
They devour – what a word – widow’s houses. According to the Law of Moses, the spiritual leaders were supposed to be taking care of the widows and orphans in the community, and providing for their needs (Deut 26:12). They take what they might not own, they might be a bit underhand – is it saying that? What rights did a widow have when compared to a Scribe, or their equivalent today.
So, come back at what the minister says : on the blog here, by email,
face-to-face over coffee afterwards. It’s so much better than “nice hymns vicar”.
They watch what the treasury is doing as it collects the money. But then Jesus throws in an example of a poor woman with two small coins. She does more than ‘they’ do.
So, this Sunday, ponder whether the fine garb some might wear is beneficial – and to whom? Consider the worth that we, ourselves, give possibly compared to our budget, how many within our family, and/or how vulnerable this donation may make us in the coming days. And don’t trouble ourselves over what others are giving – that’s up to them, and outside of our control.
Something that I felt out of place in my Methodist church back in India was the auction after the “Thanksgiving” service, which happens in November every year. This year, the Thanksgiving service is on Sunday, November 10th.
This is besides the usual “Tithes and Offerings” that happen every Sunday. So, the congregation (approximately 1000 members) contributes a good amount for Thanksgiving. However, I do not understand why they have this auction happening after the service where people make further contributions, but this time publicly. This I found to be odd and never understood.
https://www.facebook.com/indiranagarmethodistchurchblr/photos
Is it any different to the Christmas Fayre’s we have here? (Other than not having a congregation of a 1000?😉)
I checked with some about Christmas Fayre during our Bible study, but they say there is no auction like thing happening except there is an auction on talents.
My point was that it is about making money not that there was, in my day, an auction.
Luke 21:1-4 New International Version (NIV)He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
I have been thinking the reason for the widow to give up her coins.
Why do we give Tithes and Offering to church? Is it because we trust that the money is utilized in the best possible way to serve the poor and for church maintenance ? Is it because we feel this would please God as per the verse below?
Leviticus 27:30 in the NIV Bible states, “A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord’s, and is holy”. The 10% requirement comes from the Hebrew translation of tithe, “עשר” or “ten”.
So why did that widow who was already poor gave up her money? Was it because she thought it will please God, or was it because she was generous and trusted that the church is going to use the money in the appropriate way? If she has given all what she had, then it does not make sense unless she is not educated enough to think about her future. We might find this category of people in the Third World – They might think that pleasing God in this manner would make their suffering less. It could be a form of pleading with God for something they want by torturing themselves.
We are encouraged to offer what we have to further the kingdom. Some see that as the church. Discuss😉
It is a Jewish story, seeking to make a point and not historical – she doesn’t have a name. She gave all that she had, compared to the other person in the story. The amount doesn’t matter. I wonder if that’s the moral for us. Give what we can.
By the way, the Levitical code was for 10%. Does that apply to us today? Are we Levites? If we think it should then consider what else, according to the code, we should also do?
Why we give is an interesting question. In the old days we would bring money : do we hear the rustle of the notes or the Ker-ching of the change hit the silver saver? Can others see what we do?
Do we give to charity but keep our donations anonymous?
Should churches in America be tax-exempt?🤦♂️
When I started working in Germany, I was supposed to fill in a form stating whether I was a Christian or not. Guess what, I filled in as a non-Christian like many other Christians because otherwise I was supposed to pay 10% more tax meant for maintaining the churches in Germany. Weird compulsion by the government there.
Very much so