Ruth 3:1-5; Mark 12:28-34  “Wonder Widows”

            When I was a child, I was wowed by Wonder Woman.  She was incredibly powerful, beautiful, and she got to wear that cool outfit.  Wonder Woman is a fictional superhero appearing in DC Comics.  She is one of the founding members of the Justice League.  Modeled after Diana, the Roman goddess, not only is she beautiful, she has several special weapons—the Lasso of Truth, and indestructible bracelets.  She is an independent woman fighting the evil forces of the world, saving people from certain death.  Lynda Carter starred in the TV series of my youth, and now there is a movie in the making starring Jennifer Aniston as Wonder Woman (Watch out Angelina Jolie!)

            The women we read about in today’s lessons hardly appear as super heroes.  However, I think they merit the label “wonder widows,” and serve as examples to all of us.

Ruth and Naomi

            The Old Testament lesson is the story of Ruth and Naomi, two women who find themselves in an unlikely alliance and a very difficult circumstance. Naomi, a Jewish woman, emigrated with her husband, Elimelech, from Bethlehem to neighboring Moab, because there was a famine in Judah.  While living in Moab, Naomi had two sons. Elimelech died, leaving Naomi a widow.  In those days, women were totally dependent on men.  They could not inherit money or property, which always was handed down to the male next of kin.  Not to worry, Naomi had two sons who could provide for her. 

            The sons grew to adulthood and married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth.  While their marriages to non-Jewish women might not have been optimal, it had to do under the circumstances.  Unfortunately, the two sons died as well.  We aren’t told the cause of death, but it does seem strange that the men in this family all died at young ages.  The sons died before producing any off-spring. Now Naomi is in a difficult situation indeed.  She is a resident alien in Moab, with no means of support and two daughters-in-law, also without men to take care of them. 

            Deeply grieved and depressed, Naomi suggests changing her name from Naomi that means sweet, to Mara, which means bitter.  She blames God for her plight, because in those days, people believed that God or the gods were responsible for everything that happened, good and bad.  Indeed, Naomi’s situation was dire.  The prophets included the neglect of widows and orphans among the many charges against the people of Israel and Judah.  Though the law provided for the support of widows and orphans, they were among the most destitute in ancient times.

            Naomi encourages her daughters-in-law to return to their mother’s home.  Some Biblical scholars believe that this story was handed down by women, because the narrative includes the names of the women, and it is a story about women.  That Naomi would encourage the women to return to their mother’s house is noteworthy, since the father would have been the primary means of support.  Reluctant to leave, the two women resist.  They do not want to leave Naomi who has no one to turn to.  Naomi hears that the famine in Judah is over and decides to return to her homeland and take her chances there.  Orpah returns to her mother’s home, but Ruth refuses.  In one of the most poignant passages in the Bible, Ruth swears her allegiance to Naomi, to her land, her people, and her God.  They return to Judah.  One of the provisions made for the poor in the Law of Moses was the opportunity to glean in the fields of the more prosperous.  Farmers were directed to leave some of the harvest in the field for this purpose.  Ruth goes to the fields to glean in the field of Naomi’s husband’s next of kin, Boaz.

            Ruth is catches the eye of Boaz.  He encourages her to glean in his fields only and protects her from being hit on by the male harvesters.  Naomi and Ruth devise a plot to capture the heart of Boaz, and Ruth succeeds.  She and Boaz marry and have child who is the grandfather of Israel’s beloved King David. Yeah!  Happy ending!

            Naomi and Ruth are wonder widows, because they are clever and resourceful.  Despite their disenfranchised and desperate plight, they trust in God, and they are able to work the system to their favor.

Jesus and the Widow

Jesus uses another widow as an example of faithfulness.  The setting Jesus has been verbally sparring with the temple leadership.  In a moment of truth-telling, he warns the people to beware of the scribes, among the elite of his day.  They liked to strut around town in long robes, enjoying places of honor at banquets, grabbing the best seats in the synagogues, and being greeted with respect in the marketplaces.  Jesus accuses them of “devouring widows’ houses,” of exploiting the poor for personal gain. Jesus condemns the scribes for turning away from their role as experts in religious law, and putting their energy into acquiring social power and influence.

Then he points out to his followers a poor widow, coming to the temple treasury.  Many wealthy people drop large sums of money in the treasury collection, but the poor widow comes and deposits only two small copper coins worth a penny.  “Truly I tell you,” says Jesus, “this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury” (v. 43).  Jesus continues, saying that the rich “contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”  

We’ve probably all heard stewardship sermons based on this text, but I’d like to look behind the money to the widow’s motivation.  She, in contrast to the scribes and Pharisees, was motivated by her love for God and her trust in God.  She was willing to sacrifice everything she had, confident that God would provide for her.  The widow gave sacrificially, while the wealthy gave what they figured they could afford and still maintain their lifestyles.  Here is another Wonder Widow. 
Having It All

The other day, Bill Webster, Donna Baker, and I attended a workshop on the future of the church.  The speaker, Alan Hirsch, asked us to list the characteristics of Pharisees.  We came up with the following descriptors:  they tithed to the temple; they loved the Torah; they were custodians of the religion; they asked questions; they prayed; they believe in the resurrection and in miracles; they were evangelists; they believed in adhering to a strict personal morality.  Hirsch believes that we church-goers are the Pharisees of our day.  Though we don’t like to think of ourselves in this way, Americans have much in common with the scribes and the rich people of first century Jerusalem.  “…we tend to see charitable giving as an option, and we do it out of our abundance, after we’ve paid our mortgages, our utilities, our car payments, our tuitions, our club dues and our credit card bills.”   Some may give large sums of money to the congregational treasury, but how sacrificial is our giving.  I’m certain none of us meets the standard of the poor widow.  None of us gives everything we have, all we have to live on.

But Jesus makes a greater point.  It’s not about the money; it’s about commitment.  The widow gives her whole life to God.  Ruth and Naomi put their trust in God.  Because they had nothing and no one on which to rely, they were forced to rely upon God.  Truly, these are heroines worthy of respect.

Conclusion

            Many years ago while in seminary and working on weekends in a church, I traveled with a group of senior highs on a mission trip to Puerto Rico.  We worked on a Christian camp in the mountains on the western part of the island.  One of the highlights of the week was interacting with youth from local churches.  We gathered for worship, playing guitars and exchanging songs. 

I remember being struck by the obvious enthusiasm for and commitment to Christ these young people exuded.  They were unapologetically Christian.  Jesus was important to them and faith was evident in their lives. Yet, they were shabbily dressed.  They lived in houses made from sticks and thatch.  Most of them worked hard in school and after school, cutting sugar cane or harvesting plantains.  Yet, they were joyful, literally filled with joy, because of their faith. In contrast, our upper middle class youth, with their studied expressions of boredom, their finicky eating habits, and their begrudging participation in worship seemed to be the impoverished ones.

During the past several weeks, we’ve been focusing on what it means to have open hands and committed hearts.  It isn’t enough to have our hands open.  Our arms must be flung wide.  It isn’t enough to leave the doors of our hearts open a crack.  They too must be open wide, like those of the Wonder Widows, who, though they had nothing, gave themselves completely to God. Amen.