Money Matters: The Divine Reversal

by Marilynn Chadwick

Most of us know Luke as the physician, but did you know he’s also widely regarded as a respected historian? According to Luke’s opening verses, the author himself refers to his work as an “orderly account” rather than a Gospel (Luke 1:3).

The story of the poor widow’s sacrificial gift (Luke 21:1-4) is one of Luke’s most well-known stories about Jesus and money. It takes place near the end of Jesus’s earthly ministry.

Luke devotes much of his narrative to the journey of Jesus and his disciples (Luke 9-19). The action now moves quickly as Jesus approaches the cross. Jesus enters Jerusalem, weeps over the city, cleanses the temple, and responds to a series of heated arguments with the religious leaders. He condemns the scribes (Luke 20:45-47); honors the poor widow for her gift; and turns the tables on the rich (Luke 21:1-4).

Jesus’s confrontation with these corrupt leaders has been a continual theme throughout much of the Gospel of Luke. Luke shows us how Jesus used surprising examples for the religious leaders. His listeners would have been shocked and offended at the heroes of his stories. Some call this Luke’s “divine reversal.”

For example, children in that day were completely powerless. “People were bringing even the infants to Jesus.” (Luke 18:15 NIV). And even the disciples rebuked them. Yet, Jesus responded, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Luke 18:16). The word, brephos, is used for infants and children—born and unborn. Luke uses the same word to describe John the Baptist who “leaped” in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:41).

Women were also considered as second class citizens. Yet Jesus, in another example of “divine reversal,” included women in his community of followers. He even entrusted the first news of his resurrection to a woman, Mary Magdalene (Luke 24:10).

Finally, there’s the example of Zacchaeus. Tax collectors were despised as traitors, working for the Roman Empire, not for their Jewish community. They were known to be corrupt. Luke tells the story of Zacchaeus’s dramatic heart change. He gave back all he had stolen and even restored twice what was required.

Throughout Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is always “flipping the script,” bringing surprising heroes to his stories. Perhaps this should give us hope for our stories as well.