Reflection: Giving a Show and Giving that Shows (November 11, 2012)

The 24th Sunday after Pentecost
1 Kings 17:8-16; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44

When Jesus wanted to warn His disciples about the dangers of tyrannical religious leaders, He pointed out the teachers of the Law. Highly respected by the people of their day, they had great power and influence in their communities. Called to be servants who aided God’s people in learning and understanding God’s Word, they were self-serving task masters who abused their positions of trust for personal gain instead. They had the outward trappings of being respectable religious leaders while exploiting the weakest and most vulnerable people in their society. They were, in Jesus’ assessment, giving a show.

There’s no shortage of religious people giving a show of righteousness in our society. Some are so good at giving one that we don’t realize that they are not what they present themselves to be. They enjoy today’s equivalents of walking around in flowing robes, being greeted in the marketplaces, and having seats of honor and they practice modern versions of devouring widows’ houses while using religious piety for giving a show of righteousness. In contrast to those who are giving a show of false religion, Jesus pointed out an example of giving that shows true religion. In the midst of wealthy people putting large amounts of money in the temple treasury as a show of their righteousness, a widow came along and gave all that she had to live on in a show of trust. The two small coins didn't amount to anything in earthly terms, but her gift showed that her heart was filled with faith in God’s grace and mercy. Apparently unnoticed by everyone but Jesus, this widow wasn't giving a show but was demonstrating a giving that shows.

Which do you find yourself doing: giving a show or giving that shows? It’s easy to get caught up in doing things in order to show other people how good, righteous, or generous we are. We seek the approval of others and are always tempted to show them what they want to see (or what we want them to see). It’s much harder to give our time, our money, and our very selves in faithful response to God’s mercy and grace. Only by looking to the Cross and seeing our God giving Himself to show us His unconditional love can we move beyond giving a show to giving that shows that His mercy and grace have brought us His righteousness, changed our hearts, and filled us with His compassion.

Audio file of the sermon "Giving a Show and Giving that Shows."