Based on Mark 12:38-44 (New King James Version)
“Then He said to them in His teaching, ‘Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.’ Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.’”
Francis of Assisi once said: “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Sometimes, people don’t get involved with certain things either because they think it may be difficult, because of fear, or because they believe it is impossible to make some sort of difference. Doing what is right is never easy. Possibly, and humanly speaking, doing what is right can be the most difficult thing to do at a given moment. To be able to understand a little more, we must deepen into something very critical: understanding that there is such a thing as absolute truth.
One of the biggest problems that exist today is relativism, and of course, it becomes even a larger problem when trying to use that way of thinking with the desire to remove God from things. A very serious problem today is being able to define right and wrong. Through relativism, being able to distinguish between right and wrong is put under a very subjective focus. In other words, the question turns rather quickly into: does something seem right or wrong to you? From the moment that something is taken to an opinion, and God is taken out of the equation, it will turn into something very subjective, and of course, relative to what an individual wants or desires to think; to do as they please. In other words, relativism tries to take God off His universal throne (if it were possible), and it sits each human being on their own throne, giving them an apparent power over universal reality by using something as limited and fallible as an opinion. This is very problematic.
Let us take this to a very common idea that exists today, in that many opine that all religions take you to the same god. Basically, many think that the Judeo-Christian God is the same god of the Muslims, and the same god of other religions also. How could have the same god told us that Jesus was His Only Begotten Son from the heavens when He was baptized by John, and at a different time, tell Muslims centuries later that Christ was only a prophet and that Muhammad is a superior prophet, and that we the Christians are the devil? At very minimum, it is quite confusing, no?
And here is where our reading today comes in. There is such a thing as absolute truth, and it is defined by a person (by God through His Word). If we cannot believe in absolute truth, then morality is useless. And of course, why worry then about hypocrisy, trying to do what is right, and even sacrificing yourself for what is good? Blessed be God that He exists, and that He has given us the knowledge of good and evil; but also, giving us a way to able to reach eternal life, despite our evil! It is good that such a thing as the knowledge of good and evil exists. What is the value in that? Let’s take this to a personal level. What would happen if someone killed someone that you loved very much just because they felt like it, and there was nothing to hold them back or punish them for their action? How would you feel? And not only that there is nothing to hold them back or punish them, but even more, they are congratulated and rewarded for the wrong they did? Let’s take things to something that people don’t consider being “that bad”, like lying. Do you like being lied to and deceived? Are you understanding the value of right and wrong, and why it cannot be subjective or relative?
And now, beyond good and evil, God did something even greater than justice itself. He gave His Only Begotten Son, a holy and sinless Being, that never did wrong, so that people like you and me (that have sinned and have done wrong many times throughout our lives) can have the hope of eternal life, and the knowledge to do those things that please God because they also produce good and blessing for others. As it is written: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. And this is what His Son suffered for us: “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked—but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.” Isaiah 53:3-9. Was it fair? Not in the least. It is not fair for a truly good being to be sacrificed for those that do not do good. Notwithstanding, here is where we see the value of our God: A God of love, of mercy, of teaching, and of instruction for universal good (not for a subjective good).
And finally, God offers us salvation so we can be a part of the plan to help others. He desires for good to be permanently flowing. For it is also written: “Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’” Mark 12:29-31.
Do you want to do the impossible? Do what is necessary, surrendering your life completely to a God that truly loves; do the possible, and dedicate your life to Him because that is what is fair (He has given you everything, even though you cannot fully understand it); and you will find yourself very soon doing things that you never imagined—the impossible. Lord bless! John