1 Kings 17:10-16 / Hebrews 9:24-28 / Mark 12:38-44
Whether people believe in God or not, it cannot be denied that everyone has a conscience.
Although it also cannot be denied that there are some people who are able to suppress their conscience.
So, their conscience becomes numbed to the bad that they do to others, and evil they commit against others.
But even with the conscience suppressed, the eyes and the ears cannot be shut off from the realities of life.
And there is one reality that cannot be denied and that is the reality of retribution.
Retribution is commonly understood as some kind of “payback”, and it is usually about a punishment that is inflicted for some wickedness or evil that was done in the past.
The reality of retribution is often portrayed in stories, movies and dramas.
It is also something that we would talk about in order to dissuade someone from doing something wicked.
And it may also be something that we have experienced in our lives or in the lives of people we know.
In the gospel, Jesus did not use the word retribution.
But in His teaching, He told the people to beware of the behaviour of the scribes.
Jesus also said that because they swallow the property of widows while making a show of lengthy prayers, the more severe will be the sentence they receive.
So, Jesus is issuing an unmistakable warning for those who commit wickedness and evil against others.
More than just retribution, the wickedness and evil committed against others is done before God.
Yes, God sees, God knows and God waits.
But even as Jesus issued the warning against the wicked and the evildoers, He also pointed out something inspiring and enlightening.
No one really noticed that poor widow who dropped the two small coins into the Temple treasury, but Jesus did.
And how did Jesus know that the two small coins were all that the poor widow had to live on?
There could be a couple of explanations, but in the end it comes down to this:
God sees, God knows and God waits.
But if God sees and God knows, then what is God waiting for?
Well, that poor widow dropped in the two small coins, everything she had to live on, and there were no immediate rewards for her.
But we believe, that God will bless her and provide for her and that God will sustain her because of her faith and generosity.
So, God sees, God knows and God waited, so that His blessings will be more than we can expect.
So, for the good we do, let us do it quietly and humbly, like that poor widow.
Our reward is not in man's praises and admiration, but in the blessings of God, the blessings of His love and peace.
As for those who commit wickedness and evil, let us not threaten them with retribution or punishment.
Because God sees, God knows and God waits.
God waits for our two small coins of prayer for sinners as He waits for their repentance and conversion.
Yes, God sees, God knows and God waits.
God waits to grant sinners forgiveness, and God waits for our two small coins of prayers, prayers for the conversion of sinners.