41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’
Mark 12:41-44
Yesterday was Palm Sunday. Jesus entered Jerusalem to the “Hosannas” of the crowds and people throwing branches on the ground before him. The masses were expecting a Messiah to rescue them from those Romans, not a Savior who would rescue them for eternity. Jesus will use this week to give his final teachings as he visits the Temple.
One of the lessons that he focused his followers on while visiting the Temple was directing their eyes to a box where people could give their donations. It’s kind of like taking the offering at church. In Kenya they would have a “harambe.” “Harambe” was the national motto started by Jomo Kenyatta. It is Swahili for “let’s pull together.” So if the car is stuck in the mud, all would get out and put their shoulders to the car and call out in rhythm, “harambe” and push the car. If a child was going to university, all would gather at the farm and march forward giving money, chickens, eggs, whatever that would help push that child of the community forward. The fun part then came when the leader would tell the people to look in their inside pockets and find that little extra. Another round of giving happened. Then the leader would call for the “noise” offering, the loose change in our pockets to be donated.
Jesus looked at the people giving to the Temple and saw a lady giving a “noise” offering, two small coins, all she had. Jesus is pointing out that contributions that force us to dig deep into our pockets are just as significant as a publicly acknowledged big gift upfront. As we come to Holy Week, our text challenges us to think about what we will contribute to our spiritual journey this week. For many of us we have done the Sunday meeting where we meet friends, have fun services, and put in our weekly offering. But will we dig into our pockets and take from our reserves? Maybe we can’t make it to special services on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday but we can take extra time to pray or turn off the radio and decide to sing a praise. Let us challenge ourselves to think creatively about how we can contribute creatively, beyond our normal habits to the growth of our soul and the growth of the church that supports us. Blessings.
On the Way to Wonder 