Committed Like the Pig

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 12th 2006
Stewardship Season
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Committed Like the Pig”
Mark 12:38-44

A couple of weeks ago, on the television show Grey’s Anatomy, I was reminded of an old adage about commitment. It goes something like this: “When it comes to a breakfast of ham and eggs, the chicken is involved but the pig is committed.” When it comes to the issue of stewardship, this old saying is quite relevant. Now, I am aware of the problems with this analogy. After all, neither animal has freely chosen to participate in the meal. However, putting that fact aside, I still believe that learning to be followers, disciples, of Jesus, is a process by which we learn to be committed like the pig.
The sort of commitment we are talking about is rather foreign in our culture. Often, we are told to beware of being too involved or attached to anything. After all, to be fully committed to something is just not healthy, or balanced. But, the truth is that faith in Jesus is a call to be more than just interested or involved. Jesus calls disciples to be fully committed in all areas of our lives, at home, church, school, and yes, even at work.
This mornings’ passage is once piece of the larger Jerusalem encounter. Since entering Jerusalem, Jesus has been struggling with the practices of the temple. In fact, our passage is actually the culmination of Jesus’ encounters in the temple. In this final scene we see Jesus unveil a system of exploitation which is supported by the religious leadership.
In this final scene, Jesus offers a complete condemnation of the scribal class. The scribes, in Jerusalem, were the well-to-do religious elite who had built a rather comfortable system through distortions of the law. In Israel, the Law of Moses was clear that widows were to be seen after so that they would not suffer. The scribes, in compliance with the Law, set up a system of trusteeship. When a woman became a widow a scribe would be assigned to oversee their estates since it was believed that women could not take care of such matters. The resulting system became known for its rampant abuses. This system created a world where widows were left in poverty while the religious elite lived rather comfortably.
It is this system and these leaders that Jesus says will receive the greatest condemnation. The scribes know the right religious rituals but seem little interested in the weightier matters of justice. The comfortable life of long robes and automatic respect and deference as well as the opportunity to solidify their power has led them to ignore the poor. The scribes had become accustomed to having others serve them, defer to them and even pander to them. These privileged people were, when it came to their faith, not fully committed. More likely, they were merely involved like the chicken at breakfast.
In spite of all appearances to the contrary, they were not people of deep faith. Their wisdom, work and adherence to the religious practices did not cover the fact that they were getting rich on the backs of the poor. Jesus indictment is clear: “They will receive the greater condemnation.” These are challenging words which hang in the air as this first scene comes to an end.
The second half of our reading begins with Jesus sitting down opposite the treasury. This action; Jesus sitting in this manner alludes to a model of prophetic judgment. In other words, he is not casually observing, he is sitting in judgment of the events taking place. Jesus watches this very public spectacle. Everyone would know what and by whom was given to the treasury. This practice also worked to reinforce the social stratification or divisions. The rich gave large sums and as they did, they would often be praised for their generosity. Almost as if people cheered as they brought their offering forward. Jesus, not only refuses to participate in that practice, but goes one step further. When one poor widow comes and places her offering of less than a penny, Jesus publicly cheers for her. He says that this poor widows’ contribution is greater than all the contributions of the rich who only gave from their abundance.
In essence, Jesus has stolen the thunder of all those sought recognition and given it to the least in society. However, he also reminds the disciples that the widow’s poverty is no accident. Jesus just finished teaching about the scribes who had gotten wealthy by devouring the houses of poor widows. And now, Jesus shames the practices of the whole system by giving recognition and acclaim to the least – the poorest – this widow. Placing these two scenes side-by-side it is undeniable that a comparison is intended. The first scene ends with a condemnation of the scribes who exploit poor widows under the guise of religion. And, the second scene ends with a commendation of the faith of a widow who is in poverty because of these ‘religious’ scribes.
While it is can be easy to miss in our reading, Jesus is angry. During his time in the temple he has seen and challenged the temple-state which has used religion to gain and uphold power. It used religion to keep the people complacent and poor while at the same time enriching religious leadership. This set up makes Jesus so angry that in the chapter immediately following this scene he calls for the destruction of the great symbol of this unjust system. He says: “Do you not see there great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
If we only focus on the piety of the widow and her mite, we will miss all of this. Jesus does commend the widow and her faithfulness but it is only a part of what is happening in these two scenes. Jesus invites the disciples to recognize the larger systems at work in their lives. It is an invitation to call into question and judgment when any system or structure takes advantage of, intentionally or not, those most vulnerable in society. It is because of the focus on the big picture that I believe this passage works well to complete our intensive stewardship focus.
During a worship service I attended recently, a call for the offering was issued with the following words: “Now we are going to give God some of our earnings.” I was jarred by these words. While I do not know the intention of the speaker it came across something like; ‘we are going to give God a little of our leftovers.’ While I am sure that I am reading more into these simple words, it sounded eerily like the same commitment level of the chicken at breakfast. If we really believe; all we are and all we have is a gift from God, then we cannot be satisfied with “giving a little of our earnings to God.” Stewardship is not about casual commitment but a call to the radical reordering of our lives.
About four years ago I was at a conference on stewardship and fundraising. While there, I met a pastor who shared a story about one couple in her church. This couple asked to meet with the pastor about their stewardship commitment. In the meeting they shared with her how much they had been impacted by the call to be good stewards and more faithful in their discipleship. They had decided to make some drastic changes in their life as a result. He had decided to leave his high profile executive position and take a job which would allow him to spend more time with his family. The family had also decided to sell their large home far away from the church and buy one closer church because they wanted to be more involved in the life of the community which had meant so much to them. As their pastor concluded this story, another pastor cynically piped in: “I bet their financial pledge dropped off drastically.” She quickly responded: “Actually, their stewardship of time, talents and money has never been more faithful.”
I share this story, not because I believe we are all called to do exactly the same thing. I share it as an example of the all encompassing nature of stewardship. Each one of us is going to have to decide through prayer and reflection – how God is calling us to be good stewards. Being good stewards is so much more than simply giving money. It requires, daily, that each of us order our lives in ways that reflect our beliefs. Being good stewards about learning to be committed to our faith like the pig is committed to breakfast. Amen.