sermon 3/9/08

God’s Economics – the Widow’s Mite
Mark 12. 41 – 44

The message today is taken from Mark 12. This is the last section of public teaching by Jesus before his death. He would teach his disciples in the upper room, but this was for the religious leaders of his day. In the whole book of Mark Jesus has shown that his kingdom and his people will be different than the religious leaders of the day. What they taught and practiced was not what Jesus wanted for his church and his people. Read Mark 12.41 – 44.
This is what this might have looked like – 3 men putting in money in the offering with a lot of show and for the praise of men. One (smiling because it made her happy) putting in just two pennies but it was all that the person had. The people around praised the ones who have been giving a lot of money. They may have made fun of this widow for giving just two cents.
Let’s look at this widow, her gift and what it means to us today.
1. First, her gift was a gift of faith and trust. She gave all she had because she had learned that God would supply her needs. She had learned to trust God for what she needed. All of us need to learn to trust God and learn that he is faithful to supply what we need.
This lady is really dumb or very smart. She is dumb if she gave all she had and did not have anything to buy food or clothes. God does not expect us to starve to death or give everything we have to others. Then we would have nothing and need to depend on others for even our food. She gave what she had and in God’s economics she gave more than all the rest. Would we rather have the two pennies she gave or $200? I believe God can do more with her two cents than the $200.
If it is very clear to you that God is telling you to give everything, then do it. Give everything. But usually God tells us to give a certain amount and he will supply what we need. For the last few years it has been clear to me that God wanted me to give a certain amount – a very specific amount. When God made it clear to me what he wanted me to give, I did not have enough to cover that. But I just said, if you want that amount, then you will need to supply the money, and he has completely every time.
On our money is the motto of our country – In God we Trust. (It is there right now – there are some who what that removed.) As Chrs especially that should be our motto. God, I trust you to supply what I need for myself and to give to others.
2. Next, the gift of the widow was a sacrificial gift. It cost her everything she had to give this gift. The others gave out of their bounty or as one writer said, they gave out of their excess or superfluity. I like that word – superfluity. They had a lot of money and they just gave a small amount of that. Most of the time, we give out of our excess. After all, we need to take care of ourselves, don’t we? We give if we have any left over.
One of the things I have learned about giving is that some of the money I have is God’s money. In the OT the tithe or 10% of the income of the Jews belonged to the God. It was God’s money. It is not my money to spend. It is His money. In the OT God told his people that they were robbing him. They were robbing God in their tithes and offerings. People were using God’s money as if it were their own. God’s money has bought a lot of cars and clothes, and a lot of other things I think.
God owns the cattle on a thousand hills according to Ps 50. He has an unlimited supply of money that he wants used for his purposes. What he does usually is get one of us to be the channel of his money. He says, Steve, I want this money given so you give it and I will supply it. (Too often he gives us money and we just keep it ourselves.) He gives us money so we can take care of what he wants to get done. If we give sacrificially he will supply what we need to give. We need to open channels to him so his money will flow to us and then out from us to do his will.
Lastly, the widow gave a gift of love. She loved God so she gave so his will would be done. The money she gave to the offering in the temple that day was to be used to support the priest and the poor. (I wonder if the poor got their fair share.) Even though she had little, she still gave so his work could be done.
The greatest commandment is Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. This widow loved God and her fellow believers and she showed it by giving what she did – all she had. Our giving is an act of love – we give because we love God and we love the people who receive what we give.
Giving sacrificially helps us to know and love God. It is fun to listen to God about our giving and then watch him supply what we need. He does it in some unusual ways. It builds our faith in God as we see him working today – not just years ago. He wants his will to be done and he will supply what is necessary.
Last year the National Missionary Convention was in Cincinnati. Dave and I went to it. On Friday night they had an invitation for all who wanted to commit themselves to full time mission service to come forward. There were a lot of people with eyes full of tears as we watched about 100 people stream down the isles of that auditorium. These were mostly young couple and individuals, but many of them were middle aged and older. They want to go to mission fields to win people to Christ while there is still time to do that. I was thrilled, but I also thought that the churches need to supply the thousands of dollars that is necessary to send them to foreign countries and keep them there. These will need somewhere near $2-4 million a year to go and preach and teach.
Who is going to pay for this? We are in the churches. How? Most of us would claim we do not even have enough for ourselves. How can we give to others? God will supply. But he needs you and me to be willing to give the money.
I have a challenge for you. A while ago I heard a televangelist say – you send me $1000 and if God does not bless you in a special way, I will give you back your money. I am saying, if you give $1000 to mission this year and are not blessed in a special way, I will give you back your $1000 – no questions asked. Will you trust God and give?