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     If this scene seems familiar, it is probably because it appeared on Sunday, November 11th in the gospel scripture from the Gospel of Mark!  Both Luke and Matthew "borrowed" much of their material from Mark and combined it with another source common to them, known by scripture scholars as the "Q source" and with material each of them had from other sources.  This story appears in Mark 12 and in Luke 21.  However, in Luke, the context is an explicit instruction to the disciples about how they are to avoid behaving like the scribes.  Then the widow comes along and gives good example of the kind of generosity that discipleship may require.  It is important, too, to note that this incident occurs after Jesus has triumphantly entered Jerusalem in his last days on earth.  The tension with the scribes and other Jewish authorities is very high, especially after his action in "cleansing" the temple!

    The widow's action can be interpreted on at least three levels.  First of all,  Jesus commends the widow's generosity.  It echoes the generosity of the widow of Zarephat to the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17) to which Jesus referred at the beginning of his ministry when he spoke in the synagogue in Nazareth. (Luke 4)  Second, in the context of his comments to his disciples about the scribes that immediately precede this incident, the requirement that this widow give her last and only resource to the temple represents the kind of system the scribes personify that takes advantage of the vulnerable and poor.  Third, in the context of the last days of Jesus, the widow's offering is an example of the sacrifice that Jesus himself would be making - the sacrifice of his own life!  From each of these levels of interpretation, we who consider ourselves disciples can receive instruction!  AMEN