The Model for Giving (Mark 12:41-44)
- my name is Thaddaeus
- I know, I know – who is Thaddaeus?
- everyone knows the other apostles – Simon Peter, James and John, etc.
- but I was there – look me up!
- I’m even mentioned two times in the Scripture as one of the twelve
- I think I have an image problem
- I’m here this morning to tell you about a story that revolutionized my life
- it caused me to look on people very differently
- and it caused me to give to God’s work in a very different way
- but I’m getting ahead of myself
- it was the last week of Jesus’ life
- the week of Passover, as you know, was a busy one in Jerusalem
- and Jesus was at the height of his popularity
- large crowds followed him
- everywhere Jesus went, he attracted attention
- you wouldn’t believe the excitement!
- I’ll never forget the day he entered the temple and cleared the Court of the Gentiles
- that got him a little bit of attention!
- I’ll never forget the way the intellectual elite of the city came to do battle with this uneducated man with the rough Galilean accent
- obviously a man of little education, but he was more than their equal!
- I’ll tell you, that was an unforgettable week in my life!
- but one day, Jesus drew away from the crowds
- he had just one-upped the teachers of the religious law, and given a scathing warning about how they loved to get attention
- how they love the seats of honor at synagogues and at banquets
- how they walk with these long, flowing robes and have everyone bow to them in the marketplace
- meanwhile they’re shamelessly cheating widows out of their property, and the next minute offering long prayers in public
- “Hypocrites!” Jesus said
- he had no time for them
- but then he took us away from the crowds, and we sat on the steps of the Court of Women within the temple
- the temple was packed with people
- we sat and people-watched
- how interesting to see the people coming and going
- the looks on their faces
- the ones that were running around in a hurry
- those who were absently performing their duties, unaware of our presence
- I love to people-watch, and it was always very interesting to people-watch with Jesus
- around the Court of Women were thirteen sofars
- they were trumpet-shaped boxes into which people threw in their money
- there were seven sofars for the temple tax, and six for freewill offerings
- it always made me laugh
- pious religious people lined up to give a gift
- they would stand in line, walk up to the receptacle, and announce the amount of the gift and the purpose
- and the priest would yell back the amount and the purpose
- some people took their gifts and broke it down to as many coins as possible
- you get the idea – $100, all pennies
- click, click, click, click
- we were pretty poor, and I have to admit being a little bit impressed at some of the large gifts being given
- we certainly couldn’t afford to give the way we were
- so we were watching the people coming and going
- and we were watching people line up to contribute to the thirteen receptacles, as the priests announced the amount of the gift
- I have to admit I didn’t notice the lady until Jesus pointed to her
- she was old, and she shuffled along in the crowds oblivious to all that was going on around her
- we found out later that she was a destitute widow
- she was not just poor, she was in abject poverty
- rumor has it that she had even been financially abused by the religious teachers of the law
- but she shuffled along, and entered the lineup to contribute to the temple
- we watched her as she made her way to the front
- the self-righteous stood in front of her and behind her, armed with gold and silver, ready to demand God’s presence
- they brought their tithes
- but slowly, she made her way to the front as we strained to hear
- she dropped some money in the sofar, and we couldn’t hear her announcement of what she gave
- the money certainly didn’t make a racket as she dropped it in
- and then we heard the priest yell out, “Two lepta!”
- two lepta?
- they were the smallest coins in circulation
- they were worth almost nothing – worth less than 1/100 of a denarius, or five minutes labor at minimum wage!
- it was the minimum amount that you were allowed to give
- it certainly wasn’t a very impressive gift, and we were almost embarrassed for the old woman as she shuffled away into the distance
- but as she left, Jesus pointed at her and said, “The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all!”
- two lepta, the largest offering given that day?
- the most extravagant gift that was offered?
- as others continued to give their large gifts, and as the old woman disappeared in the crowd, I began to think about it
- it struck me that those who were tithing thought they were giving well
- and here was a woman who gave an inconsequential amount, and walked away viewing her gift as a failure
- and yet she gave the most extravagant gift of them all
- it began to hit me at that moment that there are two ways of giving
- THERE’S GIVING THAT COSTS A PERSON LITTLE, AND GIVING THAT REALLY COSTS
- here I was watching all the wealthy people come and give their offerings
- meanwhile, they weren’t even thinking of their gifts!
- they weren’t financially needy people
- I suspect that their minds were on the families and meals that were waiting for them as soon as they finished their temple duty
- don’t get me wrong – they gave, but their giving wasn’t a sacrifice
- they gave and they still had lots over
- but then this one old woman comes up and gives a meager amount, and yet it was her all
- sometimes a little gift costs a great deal more than big gifts do
- I began to think about this issue of sacrifice
- and I began to wonder, how many people give to God’s work in such a way that their gift is not sacrificial?
- they may give the prescribed amount, but their gift is such a small percentage of their resources that they hardly miss it at all
- I have to admit that I’ve given more than once to the temple without really thinking about it
- oh sure, I could have done other things with the money, but I wasn’t really sacrificing
- it didn’t affect my lifestyle that much
- but here was a woman who gave in such a way that she had nothing left
- it was the height of generosity
- I don’t know your financial situation today
- it’s not really my place to meddle – after all, I am from the first century!
- but I’ve noticed an interesting thing
- the more resources one has, the less they tend to give to God’s work
- I’ve found that when people’s income rises, their percentage of charitable contributions drop
- so my question after hearing Jesus talk about this widow is as follows:
- are you giving – even a large amount – in a way that costs little, or are you giving in such a way that it really costs you?
- I still remember the words of King David, “I will not offer to the Lord that which cost me nothing!”
- does your giving really cost you?
- there’s another way of looking at giving
- THERE’S GIVING THAT LOOKS AT HOW MUCH ONE GIVES, AND THERE’S GIVING THAT LOOKS AT HOW MUCH IS LEFT OVER
- I was so impressed with the amount of the gifts that were being given, but the truth is:
- faithfulness in giving has nothing to do with how much we give; it has everything to do with how much we keep
- I looked at the size of the gifts, and to tell you the truth, the widow’s offering wasn’t that impressive
- but it became really impressive when I saw how little she had left over
- Jesus looked not at the amount of the gift, he looked with how much was left over at the end
- I’ve got to be honest with you
- many of you were taught the principle of tithing
- but for many of you, giving 10% of your income is no test of faith
- it’s not a risk
- you still have more than you need left over
- how much do you have left over after you give?
- the truth is, God owns it all
- he’s the one who gave you all that you have
- everything that you have is his
- Jesus once told the story to us of a man who had a really good crop
- so he decided with his profits, he would tear down all his barns and build bigger ones
- I guess in today’s terms, it’s like one of you who gets a windfall of money and decides to buy a new car, remodel the house, whatever
- he said to himself, “Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!”
- but then God said, “Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?”
- and I still remember what Jesus said to conclude the story: “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God”
- are you filling your barns full of Self or of God?
- if you’re even tithing, but all the while building bigger barns for yourself, building a bigger kingdom – you’ve made the wrong choice
- God is going to say to you, “You fool”
- but listen again: our faithfulness has nothing do with what we give, and everything to do with how much we keep
- how much are you keeping behind?
- well, there are two more ways of giving
- THERE’S GIVING THAT COMES FROM RULE-KEEPING, AND GIVING THAT COMES FROM THE HEART
- the people who were offering up their gifts weren’t all that bad – they were all tithing
- they were keeping the rules as far as giving went
- I always used to think that as long as you tithed, you were giving enough
- but that’s the problem with giving according to a formula
- it’s possible to give a certain amount, and yet have the heart ripped right out of the process of giving
- giving becomes perfunctory and mechanical
- but the widow – she gave from the heart
- she gave her everything!
- what a challenge to me
- that great teacher, Paul, tells us later in the Scriptures that everyone should make up their own mind what they give
- in other words, don’t just follow a formula
- pray about it
- he advised us not to give reluctantly or in response to pressure, because God loves the person who gives cheerfully
- the attitude is more important than the amount
- God is concerned how we give as much as he is concerned about what we give
- when you give, do you give like all the people throwing in their money to the temple according to a prescribed formula
- or do you give from the heart, like that poor widow who gave it all
- do you give out of rule-keeping, or do you give as a spiritual act of service
- well, I really have thought about what happened a lot
- and one other distinction popped into my head as well
- and it’s this:
- THERE’S GIVING THAT TRUSTS GOD, AND THERE’S GIVING THAT DOESN’T NEED TO
- I wonder what was going on in that widow’s mind as we watched her go away
- she had just given the last of her meager resources
- with no husband, and no income, how would she make ends meet?
- how could she give the last of what she had?
- but as I saw Jesus point to her, I couldn’t help but think, “Will God not meet the needs of such a woman?”
- how many of us really think, that after giving so sacrificially, God did not meet her needs?
- I somehow think God was more faithful to her than any of us could imagine
- I’m ashamed of the times that I’ve given God only what I thought I could afford
- it never occurred to me to give in such a way that I would have to trust God to provide
- I was giving in such a way that I didn’t need to trust God
- there was more than enough money left over to provide for all of my needs and wants
- so let me ask you
- does your giving demonstrate a trust in God to provide all of your needs?
- or do you give in such a way that God has to step in and provide for you?
- since that day, I’ve found that the people who give the most to God are the ones God blesses most
- oh, I’m not saying that they’re the richest financially – but make no mistake about it, they are the richest
- as somebody from your century has said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
- Jesus pointed at her and said, “The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all!”
- as you give to God in a few minutes, let me ask you again:
- does your giving really cost you?
- how much are you not giving? how much is left behind?
- are you giving out of rule-keeping, or from the heart?
- and are you demonstrating a trust in God?
- are you giving half as generously as the widow who gave just two lepta?
- let’s pray
- (2 Corinthians 9:7) Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
- (2 Corinthians 9:8) And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
- I pray that when Jesus looks at us as we give – not just this morning but always – I pray that he will find purposeful, cheerful, extravagant givers, who have discovered that God is able to make all grace abound to us, so that in all things at all times, we will have all that we need, abounding in every good work
- in Jesus’ name, Amen.
