Key Points

• Because the temple was the place of God’s faithful dealings with His people, Joash, his workers, and their donors dealt faithfully in repairing it.
• Law: We often allow God’s house and worship to be a low priority in our lives.
• Gospel: Being with His people by Word and Sacrament is always God’s highest priority.
• Law: Too often we fail to bring God the first and best of our treasure—sometimes because we disagree with how it is being used.
• Gospel: God did not withhold His own Son, but freely gave Him up for us.

Context

Lesson 5 described the building of the Lord’s temple (1 Kings 5–6). There He dwelled in the midst of Israel to hear prayers, receive sacrifices, and bless His people. By the time of Joash, the temple had fallen into a state of disrepair on account of aging, neglect, and abuse.

Joash (also known as Jehoash) ascended the throne of Judah at the age of seven and reigned forty years (2 Kings 11:21–2:1). Prior to this, the wicked queen mother Athaliah sought to wipe out all of King David’s lineage (the Messianic line) so that she could control the throne, but the Lord rescued Joash from her hand (2 Kings 11:1–3). The godly high priest Jehoiada anointed Joash and secured the throne for him.

Joash reigned well as long as his counselor Jehoiada lived, but later the king backslid into idolatry (2 Chronicles 24:15–27). Joash’s life reminds us to live each day in repentant trust in the grace which God delivers in His Word and Sacrament, knowing that we can lose our salvation by leaving the church or living in persistent, intentional sin (Hebrews 10:23–27).

Discussion Points and Questions

1. Examine 2 Kings 11:17-12:16. How does Joash follow the lead of the priest Jehoiada in renewing the covenant between God and his people?
2. Why was it important to Joash to have repairs made to the temple?
3. What did Joash use to pay for the repair work?
4. God blesses us with the opportunity to support the ministry of His Word by offering money to the Lord through the church. Sometimes, we do not give our offering very willingly, for different reasons. Sometimes, it’s a low priority for us. We might want to buy things for ourselves, or we might disagree with how the money is spent at church. What offering was given for us, freely and willingly?
5. What is the best reason to give offerings to God?
6. Read the Seventh Commandment and meaning. What are other ways we are guilty of breaking this Commandment, besides just taking something that does not belong to us?
7. How did God work through the humans in the Bible story to deal faithfully with His people?

For next week, read Matthew 2:13–15, 19–23; Luke 11:11–12; Ephesians 6:1–4; and 1 Thessalonians 2:11–12. Focus on Joseph’s role as a father.

Key Points

• Just as the widow gave all she had to God, trusting Him to provide and care for her, so Jesus gave His all for us, who fail to trust in God for all things.
• Law: God demands that I love Him with all my heart, all my soul, and all my might and that I be willing to hand over to Him all that I am and have.
• Gospel: Christ loves me with all His heart, all His soul, and all His might, and willingly gave up His life and poured out His blood for me to ransom me and make me His own.

Context

Preceding this story are several incidents that involve Jesus’ face-offs with the religious leaders of the day—the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes. The Pharisees challenge Him about taxes (Mark 12:13–17), the Sadducees about the resurrection (Mark 12:18–27), and the scribes about the priority of the commandments (Mark 12:28–34). Right before spotting the widow, Jesus dresses down the scribes for strutting peacockishly about in their “long robes” (Mark 12:38), their narcissistic addiction to public praise, and the heartless way they “devour widows’ houses” (Mark 12:40). Presumably, Jesus means the way these teachers swindle widows out of their savings, all supposedly in the service of God.

Discussion Points and Questions

1. How do you view the offering during the Divine Service? Is it an inconvenience? Do you feel guilty that you don’t give enough or bothered that you pay more than you can afford? What is the theological basis for the collection?
2. Whom does Jesus first see putting money into the offering box? Does Jesus judge them? Is what they have done wrong?
3. What is the real criticism of these rich people? What is the commandment God is using to judge them? Why is money such a pivotal thing, and what does the faith of the widow really tell us about life priorities?
4. Even while Jesus makes this point of contrast between the widow and these rich people, are they fundamentally different? Why or why not? We think of this story as emphasizing the right response that the faithful person should show toward God. But what does this story tell us about God’s grace and mercy?
5. So far, we have been speaking primarily of earthly wealth and goods, and how God provides for all of these things. But what other wealth and goods does God provide through His Son, Jesus Christ? See Ephesians 1 and 2, especially Ephesians 1:7–10 and Ephesians 2:4–10. What are the riches of God?
6. What is the Offertory in the Divine Service and what purpose does it serve?
7. How do we really avoid trusting in money and instead put our trust in God? Can we be sure that God will always provide for our physical needs?
8. What is the right response of faith when it comes to our money? How do we know what the “proper” amount is to give? How do we do it cheerfully and with a right heart?

For Next Week

Read Luke 19:1–10, Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus. Whose company does Jesus seek out? Why does this seem unusual to the onlookers?