The readings for the 25th Sunday after Pentecost are from 1 Kings 17:8–16; Hebrews 9:24–28; and Mark 12:38–44.
The Old Testament lesson is a familiar one. Elijah was sent to stay with a widow who was gathering sticks to make a fire to cook the last of her food and then die with her only son. Elijah did not take the last of her food. On the contrary, the widow’s oil and flour never ran out while the prophet stayed with her.
Hebrews tells us about the greater Elijah, the Son of God now among us in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus never comes to take what little we have . . . except to take into and upon Himself our infirmities, our sin, and anything else that bears down on us to ruin our lives. The Lord Jesus does this because it is His nature to love and the love of Jesus succeeds in saving us because He rose from the dead and ever lives to provide for us.
Another widow appears in the Gospel lesson. Jesus points out how she was donating the last of her money, in contrast to the pretentious religious leaders who were takers, not givers. The emptiness of hypocrisy has no room for honesty or gratitude. The fullness of God’s love for us provides for us and overflows in generosity and love for others; the widow was well aware and a witness to that truth.