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Introduction: Jesus Fired
Up
In this
passage, you can tell Jesus is a little fired
up. Jesus and the disciples are in Jerusalem in the temple. And Jesus has
just waded through attack after attack from the religious leaders; first it
was the Pharisees and the Herodians who tried to set the trap with their
question about paying taxes to Caesar. Then he spars with the Sadducees over
the question about the Resurrection. Finally, he fends off the scribes and
their test about which commandment was the greatest.
And the large crowd that had gathered around him was listening with
delight as he answered those challenges with authority and profound wisdom.
Now it is Jesus’ turn to go on the offensive. Jesus has finally had it. He’s
fed up with the religious leaders. And so he points them out and uses them
as an object lesson.
He looks to his left, sees one of the scribes and in a voice loud enough to
be overheard he says to the crowd, “Beware of the scribes who like to walk
around in long robes… and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces…
and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at
banquets.”
They devour widows’ houses… and for the sake of appearance say long
prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.
Jesus is challenging the shallow, self-centered lives of those who were
seeking their own glory; those concerned with appearances; those who were
seeking respect and recognition; those who were living off the poor and the
helpless rather than caring for them. Jesus condemns their selfishness,
their pride and their hypocrisy. They are a bad example for the people; a
bad example for his disciples. Jesus had come to give his life away. If they
are to learn anything, that is what he wants to teach them:
how to give their lives away as well.
The
Example of the Widow
He sits down opposite the temple treasury and watches the crowd put in their
money. And there he sees a poor widow, offering her only two coins. She is a
subtle yet perfect example of everything that the scribes weren’t. She shows
true devotion and generosity. She is willing to sacrifice. She gives all she
had to live on. And she seeks nothing in return; no recognition for her
gift. Her pockets are now empty…
but her life isn’t!
You can just picture her shuffling her way, quietly, almost unnoticed, up to
the offering plate, dropping in her two small coins, and then slipping away
again. No pretense. No pomp and circumstance. No one to notice… except
Jesus.
Jesus notices. We forget that from time to time. Jesus notices.
He calls his disciples and says to them, “This poor widow has put in more
than everyone else. For they give out of their abundance, but she out of her
poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on”; in the
original Greek, literally “her whole life”.
The Emptiness of Life
Back in April of 2000, there was an article in Christianity Today titled,
“Wanting More in an Age of Plenty.” And in that article you find a
description of the paradox of our American culture. We are better off
materially, but are suffering socially and morally:
“We spend more, but have less; we
buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses
and smaller families; more conveniences, but less
time; We read too little, watch TV too much and
pray too seldom. We have multiplied our
possessions, but reduced our values. These are the
times of tall men, and short character; steep
profits, and shallow relationships. These are the
days of two incomes, but more divorce; of a
fancier house, but broken homes. We’ve learned
how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve
added years to life, not life to years; we’ve
cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.”
That line says it all, doesn’t it?
“We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life.”
Did you know that one of the biggest threats to the physical and emotional
well-being of teenagers is a lack of a sense of purpose in life? Many of our
nation’s teens are suffering from their unsuccessful attempts to fill the
emptiness that they feel inside.
The theme of emptiness is what ties our two scripture passages together;
a different kind of emptiness than most of us feel. Where are we to
look when life feels empty? Where does Jesus ask us to turn today?
Jesus points us to this widow, who, on the eve of
His passion, serves as an example: a preview or
anticipation of the self-emptying, self-giving life. In her, we have a
living example that can help lead us out of our emptiness and into a life
that is meaningful, purposeful and ultimately fulfilling. Her gift
foreshadows the one Jesus is about to make on the cross. She shows us the
type of self-giving that Christ himself is all about. In Jesus and in the
widow, we have a model for a life of giving not of getting;
of emptying not of collecting; a life of
trust in God, not trust in wealth.
The Living Example of Jesus
A life worth living; knowing how to fill the
emptiness that we sometimes feel inside starts with our mind. Paul begs us
to have the same attitude, the same mindset that was in Christ. “Let the
same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” What was Christ’s
mindset? Humility! And Paul demonstrates Christ’s humility with a
three-scene description of the life, death and resurrection of Christ.
Scene One: The Eternal Word
In scene one, Paul shows us Jesus before he took human form. He says that
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ, who though he was in the
form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be
exploited.” This is a powerful claim.
When Paul says that Jesus was in the “form” of God, he is saying that Jesus
was “in essence” God. He is “in essence” God, but he doesn’t consider
equality with God as something to be exploited. Notice the humility.
Scene Two: Christ the Servant
In scene two, we have a change of scenery: Jesus
empties himself of the glory of God and comes to us in the flesh. He took
the “form” or “essence” of a slave. Christ took the form or nature of a
slave. Do you hear the ring of Jesus words in
Matthew 20:28, “The Son of Man came not to be served
but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many”.
The contrast of these first two scenes could not be more dramatic:
from the loftiest to the lowest, from equal with God to human
slavery. He starts out as high and lofty as any could imagine, and then
drops down to the very depths, as low as any could imagine. Christ didn’t
exploit his equality with God. He emptied himself. He took the form of a slave. And then Paul says, He was
born in human form or likeness. He humbled himself. He became obedient unto
death. Even death on a cross.
Scene Three: Christ
Exalted
This would have been an appropriate place for Paul to end this hymn, but
Paul isn’t satisfied to describe only what Christ has done freely and gladly
in emptying himself for our sakes. Instead, he continues with a magnificent
description of what God does in response. This
self-emptying, self-lowering image is radically reversed as God restores in
Christ the glory that was his from the beginning. God exalts him,
gives him the name above all names, so that every
knee should bow at the name of Jesus.
The
Consumerism Trap
Perhaps no other text is as clear a pointer to the way God fills our
emptiness. Our world teaches us to be consumers;
to measure everything by “what we will get out of it.” We buy our cars, our
homes, and choose our jobs by what is the “best deal” for us or by what we
will “get” from it.
We’re approaching a time of year that can be one of the saddest times in the
lives of our families, Christmas.
A time when consumerism hits its height.
A time when the world turns up the volume of its
message that “fulfillment in life comes from having more.” We are taught to
fill our emptiness by getting more things and newer stuff.
But the problem is, no matter what we do or what we get, that feeling of
emptiness still remains. And very quickly we realize that even getting
everything we’ve ever wanted doesn’t satisfy us; at least not for very long.
This
text exposes the truth: that the
self-centered life leads to emptiness, but that the self-emptying life leads
to fulfillment - it leads to new life. The way
of humility and servanthood is the way to real, abundant, fulfilling life.
Everyday we have a choice to make on how we want to live our lives. We can
go through life asking ourselves “What’s in it for me?” Or we can go through
life asking ourselves “How can I be of service to God and the world?” “How
can I help?”
The more we’re able to ask “How can I serve?” or “How can I help?” the more
fulfilling life can get. Why? Because this is how God created us to
live. This is how Christ, the servant king, showed us how to live.
What do you have to give? Are you holding back in serving others,
in giving your life to others? Or are you
giving all that you have - are you giving it your
all? Are you giving everything you have to your family,
in serving and loving your family? Are you giving everything you have
to your friends, in serving and loving your
friends? Are you giving everything you have to your neighbors,
in serving and loving your neighbors? Are you giving everything you
have to God,
in serving and loving God?
Today, several of our young people are joining the church through
confirmation. And there can be a temptation when you join a church to ask
the following questions: “What does this church
have to offer me? How is it serving me? What
programs can I get involved with that are going to meet my needs?”
These sound like good questions.
But when you think about them in light of our
text, you quickly realize that they are the wrong
questions. Instead, we should be asking “What gifts do I have to offer and
how can I help?” “How can I give my life away through the church?”
In the church, there are two types of programs: those that serve us and
those that ask us to serve. The way of Christ is the second way.
The way of Christ, the way of humility and giving is the way to fill our own
emptiness. The path to fulfillment and meaning in life is the path of
self-emptying; of self-giving;
of using the gifts with which we have been blessed for the benefit of others;
To not waste the gifts we have,
or to let them lie dormant, but to exercise our
gifts of time, talent, energy, and finances and giving them away to the
people around us: giving them away for the
building up of the kingdom of God. This is what leads to true fulfillment in life.
What do you have to live on? And what are you doing with it? Are you
experiencing a life of emptiness or a life of emptying?
A life of meaninglessness or a life of
fulfillment? Consider the example of this widow and more importantly
the example of Christ and follow
His lead! Amen. |
