We begin a new week with the reminder that Jesus, the Messiah, is nobody’s son but God’s. This will hopefully help us to remember the security of our trust in the life, works and authority of Jesus.
Verses 45 and 46, for me, have a particular resonance as I become used to being a curate. Just because we wear the clothes of Christian leadership and authority, we have no right to anything special. Don’t become a follower of Jesus, or a Christian leader, if you want respect, status and to be valued in the eyes of society. You might get all of those things for a time. Your Church might even like you (!) but actually we serve a great God who is jealous for His bride to be grown, nurtured and protected. That’s quite a task, quite a responsibility. All of us will answer for the fruit our lives have, or have not, produced. It’ll not matter a jot if we were popular while we were living, if the fruits of our lives and hearts were unjust, or self-serving. That’s bound to be a pretty uncomfortable, to say the least, conversation.
It’s no wonder, then, that Jesus comments on the “widow’s mite” next. Here is someone who, in seeking to honour God and seek His kingdom, gives all she has, without holding back, and without wishing to be seen to be doing right. Are we willing to do that today?