LUKE | Devoured and Devoted Widows | Luke 20:45 - 21:4

Uh, if you would now open up a copy of your scriptures. As we look at the Gospel of Luke, we are in Luke, chapter 20.

Luke 20 · chapter mention

I'll read the end of Luke, chapter 20, beginning there in verse 45, so Luke, chapter 20, beginning in verse 45 and I'll read to in the chapter 21 through verse four, Luke, chapter 20 beginning in verse 45 before we read, let's go to the Lord in prayer. Let's pray, Father, we thank you. You are not silent, but that you speak to us. Lord, give us ears to hear this morning. Open up our eyes to behold Jesus Christ, soften our hearts to receive Lord as we just confess we believe in the Holy Spirit the Lord and Giver of Life. And so Lord, we pray to you now because that is our hope. We are dead in our sins. We are dead, men and women here, and we need your Holy Spirit to enliven us to be the Lord and giver of life. I pray that you would do that now, father and son, that your spirit would come upon us and open up our eyes and our hearts to hear, to receive. And it's in Jesus's name, we pray, Amen, people of God, here God's Word this morning for you, from the Gospel of Luke beginning in verse 20, or chapter 20, verse 45 and the hearing of all the people, he said to his disciples, Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts who devour widows houses and for a pretense, make long prayers they will receive the greater condemnation. Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box. We saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them, for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on. He who has ears, let him hear the Word of God. Please be seated. I Hmm, as you might be familiar with, the Gospels, as we have before us, of or one example about Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, those four books recount for us the life and ministry of Jesus.

Luke 20 · chapter mention Luke 20 · chapter mention Luke 20 · chapter mention

They record Jesus's actions and his words. But in those gospels, there are different emphases that the writers have. For example, Matthew often emphasizes that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. That the Old Testament was all pointing to Jesus, and Matthew has a particular interest in that Mark often points to Jesus's divinity. Not only was he a man, but he is the God man, 100% man, 100% God. Luke, he also often emphasizes that salvation is available for sinful people.

Luke also has a particular interest in money and women.

I think those are two, two topics that more wars and conflicts have started over than any others, right? War more about money and women.

Luke often talks about how, how our money is so easily worshiped, how, how easily Our hearts are drawn to money, to hold fast to it, to want to collect it, to have it, to be secure in it, but Luke often tells us to let it go, to care for the needy, to care for the poor.

In fact, Paul [sic Luke] would have been a wealthy person. He was a doctor, but yet Paul [sic Luke] is probably one of the people that funded Paul's missionary journeys.

Luke also talks a lot about women.

It talks about the need of protecting women, to not use them to or abuse them or to exploit them. He especially talks about widows. And here in our text too, there is a great condemnation for those who seek to take advantage of them and not care for them. And you see, Luke has a special interest in those items because Jesus has a special care and loving widows in particular and all.

So that we love God more than any earthly thing.

And then the story would read here this morning of the widow and her two mites. As some of you might know the story her two copper coins, the two mites is the King James Version. Some of you might have been raised on that, but the two copper coins might be a familiar story to us, but it's really helpful to understand that this story is in a larger story, and it's given in contrast of the actions of the religious leaders. It's given in contrast to the actions here we of the scribes, and so in the first part of our or of our text, we see a caution given, a caution that also has a condemnation, the following that if you do not heed this caution, it leads to condemnation.

And then secondly, we see a counter example that leads to a commendation, being commended for following this example. And so let's look in and get into the text here. And we begin with a caution that Jesus gives us.

Our text begins in verse 45 and in the hearing of all the people, he said to his disciples, Beware of the scribes. Now Jesus is addressing his disciples, but he is speaking in such a way that others around can clearly hear him.

It is not meant to just be for the disciples. It's meant to be in the hearing of all there is a crowd around, and in that crowd we know there are Sadducees in the crowd. We know there are scribes, because if you look just previously in our text, the scribes have said, Teacher, you have spoken well, and you remember why they have said that? Because Jesus has just put down the Sadducees. Jesus has just told, told them that there is a resurrection, and the Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection. If you remember from last week, that is why they were sad, you see, because they don't believe in the resurrection. And Jesus says there is a resurrection, Moses taught about the resurrection.

You should believe in the resurrection of the living and the dead. But Jesus God is not the God of the dead. He is the God of the living, of Abraham, Moses and Isaac, they are alive in their Redeemer. And the scribes say, Well done. Well done, Jesus. You put the scribes down because we don't like the scribes, and we just happen to agree with you, Jesus. But now he turns to the scribes and says, Beware.

Beware of these scribes.

Be on guard. That is, be watchful. Why?

Well, he gives several reasons here to be watchful, to be on guard of these scribes. Now listen, the first is, they like to walk around in long robes.

That is, the long robes at that time were a sign of distinction and prestige and and wealth success, implying that if I have these robes, God must be pleased with me. If I have wealth, God must be happy with me. Be given me all this wealth, God must be pleased if our if our church has money, if our church has people, if our church has a building, God must be so happy with us.

And remember, those are the killer bees of the church, budgets, bodies and buildings.

And we think God must be so happy if we we have this stuff.

No. Jesus says, Beware.

Beware of your stuff, beware of long robes, beware of your wealth.

This is like the tele evangelists to not listen to them. You know, give Give me. Give me some seed money. Give me some seed money that you give me money and God will make you rich. Don't listen to that. It's a lie.

You know, the emphasis, even here on their robes, is emphasizing their, their their their emphasis on outward appearance rather than God, that they care so much about how they look and how they appear, rather than their own hearts.

But here's a question this morning, as you're getting ready for church, how much time did you think about what you would wear and how other people would perceive you and your where what you your wardrobe over? How much did you prepare your hearts and what God would see.

Did you all spend a lot of time thinking about my own heart?

What God will see as I come into worship, or more what others will see as I look through my closet.

They love greetings in the marketplaces. They that is they crave.

Recognition. They want everyone to give them the honor that they thought that they deserved. You see how important I am. You see how that mayor came up to me.

You see how you see how the boss came up to me. You see how he talked to me and shook my hand.

He didn't shake your hand. He called he said, my name from the pulpit. I'm important.

Look at the commander. He comes over to me says, Oh, you're you're work. So, good job. I'm important. I'm important, and we all like to be greeted.

But do we look for the heads around that are looking at us being greeted, as the scribes were doing. They love the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogue.

They would often pay for these.

They had made the temple a marketplace and the seats could be rented as well. But they want people to appreciate the leadership that they provided.

You know, I deserve to have a front seat. I'm a leader of the Jews. I'm a leader of God's people. I deserve to be right up front so people can see how important and how good of a leader I am right up front for everyone to see.

And maybe you, too, maybe you have felt at times your service to God has not been properly appreciated, and you have felt maybe bitter, even resentful, for that offense, not being properly recognized for your service. Well, you see, that's that's what the scribes are feeling too. We, we should be placed in places of honor. Look at our service.

And who devour widows houses?

Well, you see, if you remember, widows were very vulnerable.

They pretty much had to depend on the goodness and kindness of others. Remember the parable of the widow and the judge. She didn't even have anyone to go on her behalf. She had to keep going. She didn't have anything.

She didn't have anyone to protect her. And what does a devouring mean? Well, that's a good question, not entirely sure. But I think from the context, it says that they seem to manipulate the widows, seem to maybe even steal from the widows, again, like you know those phone calls you get that try to take advantage of of people in their their age, and steal money from them. Send us a check and we'll send you some more money.

And they're using, somehow, their spiritual influence for personal gain from these widows.

And for pretense, they make long prayers. So that is for pretense. That is mean that for a cover up, for that to look more pious than they really are.

I'm not really that spiritual, but I'm going to pretend to be spiritual by praying just really long when prayers are offered, are they being offered? For those that can hear him so they think, oh yeah, he's such a good prayer person. Or are they being directed ultimately, to God? Are they being lifted to God directly, not lifted to other people?

This is often like even in the news, where you see famous people, or even political people, and they they go to a church service, right? And they sit up right up front, and you know what? They even they're welcome. They come up and pray, and they want to make sure that the cameras are on, but when the cameras are off, they're not found in the church.

They're not praying then, so they're waiting for other people to recognize, to see. Oh, look how pious. He must really love God. Look the cameras are on this we can all see.

So do you care more about what people see, or do you care more about what God sees?

Do you really want to be godly, or do you really want other people to think you're godly?

Long prayers, they have their place. Jesus, he would even spend whole nights in prayer.

But one of the best prayers recorded in Scripture is even quite short. God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

When Jesus says, Beware of the scribes, it's not just beware of people because, because we might even think, Well, Jesus, we don't really have scribes anymore, so we don't have to really watch out for that. You know, don't look out for the Sadducees that we don't have Sadducees anymore, or scribes.

So we don't have to be careful.

We don't have to watch out for them. But what Jesus is saying, don't watch out for people.

Watch out for these tendencies.

Watch out for these things in your heart.

And Jesus wouldn't tell you to beware, to be watchful, to be worn if they weren't there, if they weren't tendencies of your and my heart. Jesus says this is a reality of our fall.

In nature. This is a reality of your heart and my heart, that we want these things. We want to be praised by people. We want people to think how godly and important and special we are, and we want to care more about man rather than God. And Jesus says, Be watchful.

Be aware.

Be warned to lift your eyes and to live your face before God and not before man.

What matters to Jesus is not what you wear or eat or your titles or where you sit, but your heart, what's in your heart this morning?

What does Jesus see in your heart? A love for him or a love for this world, a love to make people like you, a love to make men's face smile upon you, rather than God's face, smile upon you.

Verse 47 in light of this, he gives this.

He says that they will receive the greater condemnation.

Remember, Jesus is the judge. He is the one who can condemn. He has the authority to do this, and he says they will receive the greater condemnation to stop being a mask wearer in church, especially in church. Remember, this text is given to people who are at church. These are this is the community of believers. This is not the outside world. He says, Stop wearing a mask. Be true to who you are, however weak your faith and feeble your faith might be, however weak your hope is, however meager Your love is, be real, be genuine, and let us really be Christ and rest on him. Stop pretending to be things that we are not.

This is a scary statement by Jesus, isn't it, that if you're here and you're pretending to love God or to love God more than you really do, and again, this is a warning to all of us greater condemnation. Condemnation is already quite scary, but greater condemnation.

I don't understand this in full, but what Jesus is saying is that there is a greater degree of misery in hell for you who are spiritual hypocrites. That's what Jesus is addressing here, spiritual hypocrisy in the church.

Religious hypocrisy will lead you straight to hell, and Jesus is warning especially at the spiritual leaders, the priests, the pastors, the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees. It's especially for you who are in leadership.

One commentator had this really great poem by Charles Wesley, who wrote a poem about this particular passage, and I think it is quite gripping. Let me just read it for you.

He says, alas for us who need beware of men that sit in Moses's chair and should the heaven the people guide men with the pomp of office, clad and robes pontifical, arrayed, but stained with greed and pride, the love to be preferred, adored, affect the state and style of Lord and shine magnificently great, hard laboring for the highest seat the church. They call their proper care the temple of the Lord. They are abusers of their legal power, greedy the church's goods to seize their wealth.

They without end, increase and the poor Widow's house devour.

Oh, what change they shall soon know when torn away by death, they go reluctant from their splendid feast, condemned in hottest flames to dwell and find the spacious Courts of Hell paved with the skulls of Christian priests.

That's scary, isn't it, religious hypocrisy, pretending to be a follower of Christ, and yet you are not the counter example we see in verses one and two. As we move into chapter 21 we see this counter example of those in religious privilege and position now with this weak and unworthy woman, what.

Again, a counter example of this public show of my faithfulness and love for God. Verse This just quiet faithfulness.

Verses one and two, Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw our poor widow put in two small copper coins. I just first notice that Jesus notices the smallest things.

Jesus is a busy guy, isn't he?

He's going to the cross. He's in Jerusalem. There's a lot on Jesus's mind, but yet he notices this widow.

JC Ryle said, the same hand that formed the sun, moon and stars was the hand that formed the tongue of the gnat and the wing of the fly with perfect wisdom.

The same eye that sees the council chambers of kings and emperors is the eye that notices all the goings on in the laborers cottages. You might feel small, you might feel insignificant, you might even feel overlooked, and even in a small church like this, hopefully you're not but even if you do, God knows you. He considers you, He loves you. He looks upon you. You are not forgotten. He notices this widow, he notices her. His heart goes out to her, and He commends her.

She has had bad leaders, she's had bad pastors. She's had a bad church to be a part of.

She's had bad examples, and yet she loves the Lord, and she puts in just a couple of copper coins. And the copper coins must have been so little, probably hardly any little cup copper at all in them, they probably just float down in the offering box like a feather.

They don't even make a Clink.

They're so little, two little mites, not even worth $1 in our day.

That's all she had. She was giving everything she had.

Remember, there's no paper money back in the day, so it's all coins. And you can just imagine the scribes are dragging their their bags of copper money. And it's like, plank, plank, plank.

I got, it's gonna be a while.

Plank, plank, plank, you know, I got another bag still? Yeah, hey, yeah, I do more money. Do you see how much he's giving?

He's has more bags to give. I'm trying to get my offering in, but I can't, because the scribes, they just give so much, yay. And that's what, exactly what they wanted. That's what they wanted. And you know what?

That's what we want, too. If we're honest, we want people to praise us, to see our our piety and our love for God. You people were impressed with how much they were given and but He commends this widow.

He said to her, truly, I tell you this poor widow was put in more than all of them, for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on Jesus, I don't think your math is very good. How did she put in more?

Right? Well, Jesus is comparing not how much was given, but what each gave based on what they had.

Some were just giving out of their abundance. They they have so much money that even after large contributions, there's still lots to spare. It's like this, one person may makes ten million and a 10th of that, I'm not good at math, but at least I think it's $1 million right. A 10th of 10 is 1 million, and then they write a check to the church for$500,000 Wow. Isn't that great?

Wow, man. Think of what you can do with the missions. We can 500,000 but yet they didn't even give a 10th of what they had. And then one person, they make $10 and a 10th of that would be $1 but they give $8 and what are you going to do with $8 I guess we could buy some goldfish for the nursery. Not a lot we can do with $8 but in God's sight, who gave more?

The widow did right? And some people who appear to give large chunks of money to ministry in God's sight are, in fact, very give, giving very little, and some who appear to give very little and man's sight are giving very much in God's sight, and whose sight matters to you, God or men, this woman is so impoverished she only has the two copper coins, and yet she gives it all.

Could she have just given one?

That's 50% that's a pretty good tithe. She could have.

Just given one, sure, I would even say she wouldn't even have to give two copper coins, or, I'm sorry, give neither. She doesn't have 10, right? I mean, a 10 are you going to split?

Like, just, just wait till you get some more copper coins and then give. But she gives it all.

Isn't that interesting?

Why?

Well, what we can determine based on what Jesus says says here is she's entrusting herself wholly to God.

You know, God doesn't need our money. Did you know that God doesn't need our money to do his work? He owns the cattle on 1000 hills. God is not in need of even believers to come to him.

It's not like, oh, you know, I wish there's a lot I want to do in the world, but I just need more people to give. God doesn't need us. He doesn't need our stuff either. He is God. He has all things. He owns, all things.

Remember, he made everything out of nothing. So what does God want? He wants us. And the point of this passage is not to set a higher percentage of your tithe.

Could that be an application? It could maybe that needs to happen.

Maybe that's an outcome of the sermon.

But as Paul says in First Corinthians, chapter 13, if I give away all that I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but I have not love, I gain nothing. The point is, do you have a heart for God, or do you have a heart for this world?

1 Corinthians 13 · chapter mention

And how you handle your money is usually a good indicator of the answer of that question, whether you love God or love this world.

Am I rich toward God, or am I just rich towards myself?

And the warning here is to not let riches be your ruin.

And maybe you think, Well, you know, I'm not doing it so other people can see how religious I am. But maybe some of you will just give, just enough to quiet your your conscience, but not sacrifice what you have for God.

And some of you might think, Well, I only have a little, you know, it's not even worth it to give two mites. Two mites won't even buy a little communion cup.

It's not worth it to do it again. It's not about that. It's about loving God and trusting the Lord with what you have, you know, and giving regularly and giving sacrificially. It's a reminder that I'm ready to give it all.

Remember the rich young ruler, that's what God that's what Jesus asked of him, sell all that you have and give it to the poor, not sell what you have and put it in your retirements accounts and just bundle it later like a squirrel. So when you need it, it's there. He required that from the rich young ruler, and he didn't. He couldn't do it. He loved the world more than he loved Jesus.

But when we give, it's a reminder to us that I don't want the things of this world. I want Jesus. Let us be lovers of Jesus, not lovers of money, because your money won't save you.

You can give it all and it won't save you.

You can teach, you can preach, and it won't save you. Jesus will save you from all of your sins. We can give from a grateful and cheerful heart, because Jesus was given to us, we have been given a Redeemer.

He has purchased us with His precious blood. He has taken our sin upon himself. Jesus has taken your idolatry and your greed and your covetousness and your selfishness, and he takes it upon Himself on the cross, and He dies for it. He puts it in the grave. The wages of sin is death, and that is what you and I deserve, and that's what Jesus takes on his behalf. He gets what we deserve, that is death.

And then in Christ, we get the greatest offering. We get life.

We get the most valuable thing that we that anyone can possess, and it's something that you could not work for. It's something that you could not buy. It's something that you could not earn. And it is Jesus Christ. Romans eight tells us He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all. How will He not also with Him, graciously give us all things you see, our greatest need is not stuff. What will you do with your sin, when you stand before God, when your soul is required of you, when you if you were to die this day, and you stand before God, why should God let you into heaven? And it's not.

Going to be look at all the stuff I have.

It is because of Jesus. It is because he has washed away your idolatry. It is because he has washed away our greedy hearts.

It is because he has washed away our selfishness and longing for this world, and has given us a renewed heart in him.

It is because of Christ alone.

And we respond to Jesus the Greatest Gift, the Pearl of Great Price, by faith.

We receive it. We rest upon him.

We give ourselves to God. We don't just give 10% of ourselves to God. We give 100% of ourselves to God. We are to be living sacrifices, your family, your home, your car, your life, are God's not your own. You have been purchased with a price.

God has been so generous to us in Jesus, Christ, so generous.

Think about what you deserve, but what God has given you in Christ.

How can the disciples of Christ be stingy?

How could we not be generous in giving?

How could I possibly love the things of this world that are are fleeting and perishing rather than God, it's like the child who loves the dime more than the penny because, or the the penny more than the dime because the the penny seems to be a little bit bigger than than the dime, and angels shake their head and that that is like us, that we love the things of this world. We think it more valuable than Jesus.

So beware. This is Jesus's words to you, beware this morning. Be on guard of your own hearts. Do not give in to the temptations that the scribes were giving into.

But what should you do? Repent, believe that's the call this morning.

The call is not, hey, let's just pass the communion [sic Offering] plate it around, and then let's, let's, let's subdue your conscience that way, because now you gave and now God's happy. No no.

Believe in Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

Call upon his name, repent of your sin and rest in Christ.

That is Jesus's call to you.

Let's pray.

Father, we we confess so often we are like these scribes that you tell us to be aware of longing for people to look at our nice dress and how we appear, caring more about that than preparing our hearts to worship You, Lord. Lord, we're so worldly minded, wanting people to respect us, wanting to be greeted and people to see how important and special we are, Lord, I pray that you'll give us a desire, a longing, to lift our eyes heavenward, to be as Jesus, who did not look upon the faces of men, for he knew what was in the hearts of men. But to knew, but to know that, if his father was pleased and with him which he was, that's all that mattered.

Lord, the voice from heaven said, This is my Son in whom I am well pleased. And let, let that be the words that we long for and desire. Lord, let us be ready and willing to give completely of ourselves, fully, not just partially fully. Lord, if, if we like the rich young ruler, you said, Give it all.

Let us give it all without a question, without a doubt, Lord, let us give our lives for Christ.

Lord. Christ is all he is all we need. He is all really what the soul longs for and what we desire. Christ is what we truly want.

So Lord, I pray that you will help us to have great faith to rest upon him. Be merciful to us. We pray in Jesus's name, Amen. Amen.