Whenever Jesus sees something wrong or unjust he will confront it. Jesus can be particularly critical of the scribes and Pharisees. The scribes and Pharisees were the religious leaders. In the gospel today, Jesus reserves his comments for the scribes. The scribes were important. The problem was that they thought they were more important, too. They loved the trappings of their position, but in reality they were far removed from ordinary people.

       In the second part of the gospel, Jesus observes that the well-to-do were putting large sums into the Temple Treasury, and a poor widow gave what she had to live on. At first glance this passage appears to be about generosity and stewardship, but it isn’t. It’s about the cost of discipleship. The widow was truly giving of herself. The backdrop of the temple treasury contributions is secondary to the primary message. Being a disciple isn’t part-time. It requires an attitude of gratitude and a desire to live the faith without reservation.