When Jesus went to Jerusalem, he sat down and watched wealthy folks put large sums into the temple treasury. But he shined the spotlight on the poor widow who contributed two small copper coins, which was all she had left in her account. Jesus was not praising her as some sort of sacrificial model for the faithful. The poor widow was a wake-up call, a warning sign. Jesus was lamenting a system that celebrated those whose “abundance” was built by foreclosing on the properties of poor people, denying the landless a living wage and then blaming them for their plight. Jesus knew that the fortunes of the rich and famous are rarely innocent.
We are locked in the same cycle of injustice and inequality that Jesus condemned. Extremely wealthy Americans are celebrated for contributing to causes out of their abundance. They also anonymously give millions to political campaigns so that they will not be held accountable for how they “earn” profit. They aggressively promote the police, the prisons and the Pentagon. Then they lobby against basic government services for those barely surviving. The way of Jesus is always partial to a platform that protects and serves the poor widow. We must choose sides. Because justice and love are always on the line.
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