The Odd Paradoxical Situation of Kings

I spoke months ago about the image of the circle in describing all ancient and modern systems of political and social organization.  The one with the greatest authority is in the center of the figurative circle, those who the one at the center gives authority to constitute the circle itself, and the overwhelming majority of those in the system are outside the circle; they are the excluded and marginalized.  In ancient Israel, the King was the one at the center, surrounded by the religious and political authorities (on the circle itself); with virtually everyone else on the outside; children, women, the outcasts, the unclean, non-Israelite males.

This system creates and perpetuates anxiety, suffering, and persecution, with those on the circle neurotic about maintaining their place on the circle, and excluding and marginalizing those on the outside.  Those on the outside were punished for being on the outside of the circle.

You would assume that the one person in the system who was free of anxiety, suffering, and marginalization was the one at the center of the circle; the King.  Today is Christ the King Sunday in the liturgical year, when the image of Christ as King is explored.  This provides an opportunity to reveal the odd paradoxical situation of Kings in the ancient world, as well as their modern equivalents (e.g. CEO's in the corporate world, leaders of sovereign nations, etc...).  The irony is that the one at the center of the circle was actually the one most marginalized, vulnerable, and excluded.  In fact, modern anthropology would suggest that the origin of Kings has its roots not in the process of the most powerful male seizing power, but in the primordial need to sacrifice and scapegoat; that is, that the practice and system of monarchy actually arose out of those who were marginalized to provide a scapegoat--a figure for the community to sacrifice to alleviate tensions that arise within the community.

Jesus said that the one who is greatest in the Kingdom of God would be the one most willing to sacrifice for others.  It is often said that the cross is the last place where you would expect to find a King.  In reality, the ancient world know that this was the first place where you would expect to find a King; being sacrificed for the Kingdom.  The image of Jesus as King refers not to power and glory in the world's eyes, but to a willingness to sacrifice.  When we sing that our cross will be exchanged for a crown, it will not be a gold crown of glory in the world's eyes, but a crown reflecting our willingness to sacrifice ourselves for others as one who has lived under the Lordship of Christ. 

The Widow's Mite and the Need for Self-Awareness

In Mark's gospel, Jesus is very critical of the religious institutions and systems of his day.  He was particularly critical of the scribes.  The "scribes", from the Greek grammateis, were those who were the most knowledgeable of the Hebrew scriptures, and who the Jewish community turned to when they had questions about the meaning and significance of the law.  When there was a complicated question of the interpretation of the law, the scribes were consulted.  The scribes also acted in a quasi adjudicatory capacity to resolve disputes in the Jewish community that arose out of differing interpretation of the law.

Jesus criticized the scribes for their opulent lifestyles, their arrogance, and their self-righteousness.  Specifically, Jesus says that the scribes "devour widow's houses." A few verses later, Jesus and the disciples see a widow placing two copper coins in the temple treasury, which is all the wealth that she had.  Jesus then remarks that, comparatively speaking, the widow has given more than those who given significant sums.

Ironically, the story of the widow's mite is used most commonly on Stewardship Sunday in American churches.  The story is read to mean that we are called to give a huge proportion of our wealth, in the same way as the widow; in other words, the widow is held up as a model of giving that we are called to emulate.

Such a reading of the story ignores two important things: (1) Jesus just spent several verses talking about the corruption of the scribes, and thereby the Jewish religious establishment; (2) Jesus makes no statement suggesting that the widow was wise, righteous, or should be emulated.

The widow is not a paragon of virtue that we are being called to emulate.  She is actually very tragic figure; the tiny amount of money that she had to give is going to be given to the temple, and thereby, to the scribes.  This story is not even about the widow or about giving.  Its about self-awareness, or the scribes' lack of it.  And the terrible horrific tragedy that results by the lack of it.

All of us who seek to live under the Lordship of Christ can do enormous good in this world.  We can also, without awareness of our sin and narcissism, do terrible things, like create and maintains systems that result in widow's giving what little they have to subsidize the scribes' "flowing robes." Jesus' message is awareness, awareness, awareness.