Luke 20:41 - 21:4
The story of the widow’s offering is, I think, a well-known one. Among Biblical scholars there is some debate as to the meaning of the story. Traditionally, some believed that the story of the widow was meant to illustrate the injustice of the day’s religious system. Undergirding this perspective is that the story is sandwiched between Jesus’s criticism of the scribes and a prediction of the Temple’s destruction. So that interpretation is possible. However, a newer group of scholars, aware of the horrible history of Christian antisemitism, challenge this interpretation. Instead, they see the widow’s action as an example of generosity, without a critique of the Temple. This is similar to how many scholars nowadays view Jesus’s ‘Temple tantrum’ not as a cleansing of a corrupt system (the money changers were legitimately there to assist pilgrims in making sacrifice, and the text does not point to any cheating going on), but instead, a demonstrative action meant to point to religion as more dynamic and revolutionary than a comfortable transactional system.
Me, I’m not sure about which interpretation of the widow’s offering is best. I simply point out the current debate to encourage critical thinking and sensitive reading. If we do side with the Temple-critique interpretation, we must be sure to be critical of our own tradition that, sadly and tragically, has a history of promoting contempt against Jews and the Jewish tradition.
- Matthew Kieswetter
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