Give As God Gives                                     Mark 12:41-44

As we are embarking on a fund-raising campaign, I thought this passage would be appropriate. It does have lessons on financial giving, but it also has undercurrents as how we are to give of ourselves.

To start, let’s look at the warning Jesus gives us in verse 38, “As he taught, Jesus said, ‘Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.’” First lesson, as we work for Christ, always make sure our motivation is him and we’re not doing just for others to see us or compliment us.

So now next we see Jesus sits down and observes the people in the Temple around him. He notices several wealthy people giving large donations and one poor widow giving just a few cents, and he sees this as an opportunity to teach a lesson to his disciples.

The rich who give a lot of money do so out of their abundance, and Jesus doesn’t condemn them for being rich. And he doesn’t condemn them for giving a large amount. But in comparing them to the widow, he is making a point. “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth, but she gave out of her poverty…”

The rich give, but do they even feel the gift? Does the amount they give affect them in any way, or is it done with little thought? One way to see this is through Acts chapter 5 where a man named Ananias sold some land and promised the money to the church, but he lied about how much he earned and shortchanged the church. Peter confronts him about it in Acts 5:3, “Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit…” Ananias lost the fact that the generous sale was a gift from God. The wealthy in our reading lost the fact that their wealth was a blessing from God.

Galatians 6:2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you fulfill the law of Christ.” By giving sacrificially, we show we love God with all our heart, mind, and soul. By giving sacrificially, we love our neighbors as ourselves. By giving sacrificially we fulfill the two laws of Christ.

Pastor Mark Batterson from the National Community Church in Washington, DC wrote, “When God blesses you financially, don’t raise your standard of living. Raise your standard of giving.”

 In essence, we need to give in a manner that affects us and blesses others. The rich in our story may have benefited others, but it didn’t affect them. The widow’s donation may have had a miniscule effect on others, but it affected her and her situation in a big way. And as we see in Jesus’ observation, this second kind of giving is more important than the first kind.

So why does God ask us to give in this way? There are a few reasons. It mimics God’s generosity. We are gifted the greatest benefit, salvation, by a savior who willingly walked to his own execution. It shows that we understand and appreciate God’s gifts in our life. By using our blessings to bless others we grow in faith and trust in the Lord. It aids in our spiritual growth. By giving up material goods for others, it encourages us to rely on God for provision and not to rely on our ability to stockpile. And it shows a Biblical level of concern for others. Giving sacrificially is an opportunity for us to show God’s love, and our dedication to his ways.

Let’s look at the widow for a minute. Her meager gift can’t help all that much, she knows it yet she gives anyway. Her gift certainly isn’t going to be praised by the priests. No, they’re going to praise the wealthy and solicit them for more. This widow demonstrates that to be noticed by God, it isn’t necessary to be noticed by men.

There are those who come to church in their best suits and dresses, they sit in the front rows and give huge amounts. They expect that the church will bow to their wishes because of it. They have little faith. Others come in whatever they have and put just a few coins in the collection because that’s all they have, and they have great faith because they rely on God’s grace.

There’s a story about a woman who started to come to a church wearing a short skirt and tight blouse. Some of the people complained about it and asked the minister to talk to her and to ask her to dress differently. Several weeks went by and she came to every service dressed the same. Finally, some of the congregants went to the pastor and asked why he hadn’t talked to her. He replied, “I did. Did any of you bother to talk to her and learn about her? She recently went through a divorce and lost her job. She comes to church because she needs to, she relies on God. She comes to church dressed in the only cloths she has that are not ripped and old. She does this out of respect for this church and for God. And no matter what anybody thinks, she is always welcome.” Who understood God better, the woman in the short skirt, or the people confronting the minister?

This brings me to the next lesson in this reading because these verses are not just about money. I’ve said Christianity is hard, it demands your life.

When I was doing my internship, we were about to go out to dinner with several friends. The minister that I was working with called and needed my help. I don’t remember where we had to go, but I skipped dinner and went.

More recently, Jen and I were going to the fair with my sister. A man I knew called and said his wife had a stroke and he wanted me to come to the hospital. Jen and I canceled our plans and went because a brother in Christ was hurting and needed spiritual help. All of us are called to live our lives this way.

Churches are losing members, and there are several reasons for this. But a bigger problem is that many who remain treat their faith as a one hour a week part of their life, or worse, I’ll go to church if nothing better comes along. Too many people in churches act on their faith if, and only if, it’s convenient instead of building their life infused with faith. To many in churches say I’ll come if nobody calls me to do something else, instead of saying I need to spend time with God, I’ll meet you after, or I can’t go because I promised time to my fellowship. How does God see us when we put him and his kingdom second. Instead of planning God around our life, we should be planning our life around God.

Today’s message may not be a warm and fuzzy one, but it is important. Today’s reading tells us to be right in our motivation. Our work is not to promote ourselves; it is to promote God. All honor, praise, and thanks are his.

Today’s reading is Jesus telling us to be less like the wealthy and more like the widow. To be a close follower of Christ, our needs and desires need to be second to his. To be a close follower of Christ, our lives are his. Christ, our work for Christ, our involvement in Christ’s fellowship on earth, are more important than the “fun” in our lives. This is what Jesus meant in Matthew 10:37, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me…”

No matter who or what is important to us, no matter who or what we love, Christ tells us to put him above them. This is not easy, but this is why Christianity is not a belief. Christianity is nothing less than our whole life in service to God.

God bless you,

Amen.