Tuesday’s Reading: Matthew 21:23-26:3, Mark 11:27-13:37, Luke 20:1-21:36 (today’s are longer than the rest, perhaps break up into two sittings…)

Each day this week, Holy Week, we’ll follow Jesus with a meditation by Kari. Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, returned on Monday to cleanse the temple, and now was being tested by the religious leaders.

“Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle Him in His talk.”

Matthew 22:15

As you read through these passages you see Tuesday’s common thread: The religious leaders were testing Jesus. They challenged His authority, they “plotted how to entangle Him in His talk,” they came up with complicated scenarios regarding Old Testament law in order to test His knowledge. Over and over and over in these passages the Scribes, Pharisees, chief priests and Sadducees approached Him with “questions.” But their questions had nothing to do with wanting to gain knowledge, wisdom or understanding, their questions were challenges of authority.

One in particular stands out, because it’s so sharply contrasted with another story in this same passage. The chief priests and scribes ask Jesus about paying taxes, crafting their question in a way that might easily entangle a lesser man than Christ. But Jesus cuts to the heart of the issue:

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

Done. The response: “Marveling at his answer, they became silent.” 

Our world is full of people who are “questioning” the faith. I have little patience for these “questions” which are really nothing more than an attempt to be let “off the hook” of worshiping Christ and bowing before Him in humble obedience. Do you know what I mean? There is a place for humble, honest, sincere questions—but we are wise to recognize when our “questioning” is nothing more than an attempt to slip away from surrender. 

Right after this story, a woman comes on the scene.  She does not questioning. In fact, she doesn’t even speak:

“And Jesus looked up and 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.”

She easily couldn’t have questioned the tithe. She could have tried some similarly-slippery Scribe-like reasoning to weasel her way out of worship:

“Jesus, do I really have to tithe? I mean technically it’s impossible to tithe off of two coins, an amount that can’t be divided by 10, right?”

She saves her words and just worships instead. She gives all she had. Instead of arguing, questioning, and trying to “figure it out” she just goes ahead and gives all she has. No calculating or scheming, no sounding trumpets.

She comes, not to question, just to bow. 

Oh I ache to have a heart like that. I am too often the questioning and calculating scribe or Pharisee. I am asking Jesus a thousand questions instead of reaching into my pocket and just taking out all that I have.

Worship, really, is simple. 

Whatever it is you have, just give to Him today. Your loaves, your fish, your time, your heart, your two tiny copper coins. 

~

{No need to question or figure it out. Just worship Him right now, today.}