.PNG) |
| Click to Enlarge |
Ever been around a godly person who made you feel humbled to be in their presence because the power of God was upon them in service to the King of Kings? You are enraptured with their love and commitment before the Lord that you feel like you are virtually uncommitted compared to them. Have you ever felt being two feet tall around such people? Maybe I was comparing what they had done and were doing for God which made my service to God really pale in comparison. Some people feel that way being around wealthy people because their self-esteem is wrapped around material things rather than the things of God (cf. Jer 9:23, 24).
Rather than being envious of people around me that God has blessed, I chose to rejoice that we crossed paths because it helped to elevate my service to the Lord. I learned long ago not to rob myself of a blessing by being jealous when God blesses others for their faithfulness and service. When you hang around the wise; you will be the wiser for it.
Well, this story about the widow who had given an offering of two mites has a similar and penetrating effect on me every time I read about her! She makes my giving seem insufficient in some way, and it causes me to reevaluate everything related to my giving unto the Lord. Okay, call me overly sensitive or simply hardheaded. Anyway, though I give on a regular basis, the testimony of the poor widow challenges my spirit to elevate my giving in such a way that everything surrounding it is pleasing to Him.
By elevate I don’t mean necessarily to give more. We often make that mistake when something doesn’t seem right about our giving. We are supposed to make a heart decision concerning how much to give (2 Cor 9:7a), not to give reluctantly or out of compulsion (2 Cor 9:7b) and feel hilarious about it (2 Cor 9:7)! So why ain’t I laughing? Why do I experience a trace of uneasiness at times? It could be the amount; or it might be I have a wrong attitude; or perhaps I give with the wrong motive; or maybe I feel I’m being pressured; or it could be a residual issue to where I am not stretching my faith to trust in a Spirit-led venture; or it could be all of the above!
Jesus was not pointing this woman out to His disciples to make them feel guilty about giving, but to look at giving from a completely different angle, what is left to live on or the residual. What better way to illustrate this insight than with the giving out of the overflow of the rich and the giving of it all of a nameless woman who was destitute and a widow, that gave meaning to being found faithful (cf. 1 Cor 4:2).
“Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put
money into the treasury, and many who were rich put
in much” (Mk 12:41, emphasis mine).
Naturally, the rich “put in much” since they were not poor? Putting in much is
actually commendable since people that are rich are generally very careful with their money – thus, “and many” but not
all of those “who were rich” put much into the treasury.
Those “who were rich” were the ones everyone looked up to, admired,
envied, sought their advice, much like today. No on putting into the collection
box took note of the poverty-stricken woman, but One, Jesus. Not in a million
years would anyone think to approach this widow in penury and ask for her
advice on money or giving since she didn’t have much to give. In most people’s
minds she was a loser. You don’t go to “losers” for advice for anything, duh.
Jesus obviously wasn’t “impressed” by the “put in much’ crowd, loading up
the treasury with their egos and strings attached moolah – “for all these out
of their abundance have put in offerings for God” (Lk 21:4a); in other words,
it didn’t impact their livelihood (cf. Lk 21:4b). There are those who are
wealthy who do love the Lord. This observation by Jesus is something to
consider if you are; it’s radical and revolutionary. Oh, let’s me just say it;
all of the principles of Scripture are radical and revolutionary! I feel better
now getting that off my chest!
Giving out of our abundance is not a faith statement. Going beyond the abundance
or the need of it is an opportunity to express our faith, trust, and
thankfulness to God. When there’s money to “burn,” giving is easy. When you
need it to keep from getting burnt, the scarcity of money is quite another
matter as in the case of this widow. Going beyond the abundance or the scarcity
is a matter of trust if the Holy Spirit is leading us to a love and trust
statement of Him; He knows already, it’s for our benefit! Jesus asks us on
occasion to do this because He knows that where your treasures are there will
your heart be also (Lk 12:34); Jesus is to be our treasure, rich or poor.
So as Jesus sat across from the treasury (Mk 12:41). He saw a
widow who lived in abject poverty give two copper or bronze coins to the Lord (Mk
12:42). The
only Jewish coins mentioned in the New Testament are the two mites given to the
treasury in the temple also known as a lepton
(lepta, plural) or mite (NKJV); NASB,
ESV translate as “copper coins.” These were very small copper or bronze coins
worth only a fraction of a penny by today's standards. These two mites “make a
quadrans” (Mk 12:42, NKJV), a “farthing,” KJV, a “penny,” ESV, or a “cent,”
NASB). The quadrans is the smallest denomination of Roman coinage which is 1/64th
of a denarius. The denarius was equivalent to a day’s wage. Imagine placing two
Lincoln copper pennies into the offering plate; all that was in your pocket,
and the person next to you put in $300, who, unbeknownst to you, had $75,000 in
his bank account and several million in savings and everything paid for. Who
gave more that day? Let’s see what Jesus said at the treasury.
Lk 21:3 So He said,
"Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all;
Lk 21:4 for all
these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her
poverty put in all the livelihood that she had."
Mk 12:43 So He
called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say
to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to
the treasury;
Mk 12:44 for they all put in out of their abundance,
but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood" (emphasis mine).
There
are those who would criticize this widow for not providing for her future. “Ah,
she’s a woman running on emotions,” some might say, “showing no foresight or
prudence.” Would you criticize her? Say whatever you will; Jesus wasn’t critical
of her. Isn’t this radical? Marvelously refreshing? Revolutionary? Yes! Yes!
Yes! What comes to mind as I am writing this is this passage of Scripture
concerning the law of the harvest which is used in the context of grace giving,
by the way,
But this I say:
He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully
will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor 9:6).
She still reaping
isn’t she? I think so; I wonder about the rest that gave that day? You know the
answer. Giving is not primarily about the amount contrary to popular wrong
thinking. Giving involves motive, means, and residual, or how much we have
left. Leaving the amount up to God is the
radical thing! Too few want to go there. Yeah, just settle for ten percent
and bump it up a little every decade or so. Grace giving is Spirit-led giving.
What if the Spirit of God told you to give 35% this week? Liking that 10%
better now? What right do we have to judge this poor widow’s giving who was
wholeheartedly committed to the Lord (Mt 6:33; cf. Php 4:19; 2 Cor 9:8)? Also, we
should give consistently; the church has daily needs and has to pay bills, too!
But you decide what to give out of an
expression of love and trust to the Lord, remembering the law of the harvest;
it’s a no brainer!
Did you catch the choice aspect the widow made with the two mites? She had three options: (1) don’t give anything, (2) give half, or (3) give all. It turned out to be one of the greatest investments decision “a nobody” (female in Jewish culture, a widow, and poor) in society ever made. What she gave was less, but it amounted to a whole lot more. While others who had more gave more, but it amounted to less!
The other thing to notice is that Jesus evaluated her giving not on the amount of her gift but on what she had left to live on – but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood" (again, emphasis mine). Let’s state the obvious here; her giving was sacrificial. It draws into a sharper focus on motive, means, and residual when giving to God. I heard a statistic that only eight percent of Baptists give on a regular basis and of that eight percent only ten percent give 10% or more!
Even if the accuracy of this stat was in question, there is a general element of truth to it because most people who attend church don’t give, and those that do give very little who have the means to give more. It makes you wonder about all of the “sacrifices of praise” being offered to Jesus in the churches today with so little financial giving. Could this be an illustration of lips and hearts out of sync? I think so. Sadly, we may very well be guilty of honoring God with our lips but our hearts and wallets are far from Him!
Are we really ready and willing to give all that we have if the Holy Spirit prompted us to do so? Jim Elliot, a missionary to Ecuador who died in 1956 by the hands of the very people he was trying to reach for Christ said it best, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” For those obsessed with keeping more in their pockets, giving more is not an option when the plates are passed around. The reality is that our attitude and actions toward money reveal our spirituality like nothing else for where our treasure is there will our heart be also (Mt 6:21).
Truly, less became more for this blessed widow. Jesus wants for us to consider are motive before giving to Him. I think He would rather for us not to give if it is for the wrong reasons; just don’t take too long to deal with your wrong reasons (2 Cor 9:6). And by the way, the rich in the widow’s day received what they were really after, to be seen of men. They were the short term investors (temporal), not in it for the long haul (eternal). Their return on their investment was instantaneous once they were seen to be giving lavishly; they got their reward.
The widow is still receiving dividends on her two mites though that is not why she gave. She left the offering there, trusting in the Lord for the future. For anyone that gives to God like she did, it has to be love and a strong vibrant faith. For her the dividends keep coming in. She has been a blessing to me! Give In Faith Today! Indeed, little is much when God is in it. Give with all of your “mite!” <><
+Camel+Silhouette+Camel+CLR+Bkgrd+right+10%25.png)
