Giving Everything

 

Introduction

A little girl was given two one-pound coins by her father. He told her that she could do anything she wanted with one of the coins, but that the other one was to be given to God on Sunday at church. The girl agreed and then asked if she could go to the candy store. With visions of all she could buy with her quid, she happily skipped toward the store, holding tightly the two coins in her hand. As she was skipping along, she tripped and fell and one of the coins rolled into the drainage by the sidewalk. Picking herself up, she looked at the coin that was still in her hand, then looking down at the other coin that had gone down into the drainage, she concluded that it was lost forever. Then she looked up and said, “Well, Lord, there goes your quid!”

Sadly, many of us Christians have the same attitude toward giving – First me, then God. But in our New Testament reading, we are told of a woman who held back nothing from God, and who was singled out by our Lord as an example to us today, hundreds of years later.

 

Our story begins with Jesus, as he takes a moment to rest after his tiresome encounters with the Jewish leaders. Jesus is seated in an area of the Temple known as the “Court of the Women,” so called because women were not allowed beyond this area. It was also in this area that the Jews would normally assemble for worship.

 

In this area are thirteen collection boxes called “Trumpets” because of their trumpet like shape, which were used for receiving the Temple tax and freewill offerings. From his position, Jesus observes a number of persons giving their offerings. Many of them threw in quite large amounts. Then comes a nameless woman, described only as a “poor widow.” In the original Greek, the word that is translated as “poor” is a word that is used to describe the worst kind of poverty imaginable. This woman represents a group of women who had no one to provide for them, and who, in the society of that time, had no way of earning a living. But surprisingly, she throws in two copper coins into the collection box – “all she had to live on”!

 

These copper coins were the smallest of all coins in use among the Jews. Even the metal with which they were made was of such poor quality that they deteriorated very quickly. It takes about forty mites to make one penny. In today’s value, a mite is probably what you would earn after working for about five minutes! These two mites were the smallest offering acceptable, capable of purchasing only a handful of flour, yet Jesus said that the widow’s seemingly insignificant contribution, was “more … than all the others.”

 

The contrast between the affluent people’s “wealth,” and the poor widow’s “poverty,” is worth noting. The word translated “wealth” can also mean “surplus,” while the word translated “poverty” can also mean “lack” or “deficiency.” In other words, the woman had nothing extra. She had no margin from which she could contribute to the temple. Unlike the wealthy, whose gifts would not be missed and would not cause for them any hardship or discomfort, the widow’s gift took food right out of her mouth.^[i] The contrast between her offering and all the others who are tossing in what they can spare exhibits the false values of a society that generally does not really offer sacrifice to God.[ii]

 

If we are honest with ourselves, most of us will have to admit that we give out of our surplus – that is, what we can spare without feeling the pinch. But the true test of our giving does not begin unless we have to deprive ourselves of something, or work twice as hard, in order to give. So, while the others gave what they could easily afford and still have more to spare, the widow’s paltry sum was “more” than all the others put together because she gave all that she had!

Such a comparison serves to illustrate the principle that the value of a gift is not to be judged simply by its size, but in relation to the giver’s ability. As one Bible commentator puts it, “the Lord measures giving, not by what we give, but by what we keep for ourselves.” Therefore, a sizeable contribution made out of great wealth, may not be as significant as a much smaller one made out of want.

 

It is important that we take a careful look at another significant detail in our story; while Jesus approves of the conduct of all who placed their gifts in the collection boxes, he singles out this widow for her exemplary generosity.

 

But Jesus’ praise of the widow should not be taken to mean that he approved of the social conditions that created her poverty in the first place. In fact, this story can be connected to the many condemnations made by the prophets of the Old Testament against the wealthy who maintain a lavish place of worship while creating poverty in the lives of others through their unjust practices.

 

Nonetheless, this poor widow's offering was more than all the others – even the wealthy – not only because it was all she had, but also because of the willingness with which she gave it.

Stories of poor widows or poor couples who pleased the gods by giving all they had were common during the time of Jesus. One such story is that of the poor widow who gives her last morsel of food in the house to the prophet Elijah, based on the Lord’s assurance from the prophet that, “There will always be plenty of flour and oil left in your containers…!” (1 Kings 17:14).

 

This story is remarkably similar to that of the widow in Mark’s gospel, who, placing two of the smallest coins in the coffers, gives her entire livelihood. The only difference is that this time, this poor woman receives no assurance of any material reward for her sacrifice – she does not discover a miraculous supply of money when she leaves the Temple and goes home! She simply gave out of a generous heart. Her exemplary character lies in her willingness to give everything to God!

 

What matters therefore is our willingness to give, and this must come from a truly generous heart, whatever the gift may be. This principle, however, applies not only to the giving of money to the church, but to everything regarding Christian service. A willing heart is the first requirement. That is what God wants. If we do not give willingly, then we become hypocrites. And so, service that is given half-heartedly, or that is given with the expectation of reward, loses its value. When you serve, remember that service of any kind is pleasing to God when it is done from a willing heart.

 

Mark does not tell us how Jesus knew how much money the widow gave, or how Jesus knew that what she gave was all she had. But we may assume from the story, that as a poor widow, she was totally dependent on the charity of others for her survival. Yet, she gave "all she had," in contrast to the rich man in chapter 10 (vv 17-22), who was not willing to give up his own desires in order to serve Christ

 

But Jesus makes it clear that those who desire to become his followers must surrender to all his demands (8:34). The image of a needy woman, arriving at the Temple with two small coins – all she had – but who gives them just the same, is a clear picture of the act of commitment, for in so doing, she gives herself to God.

 

Jesus, in one of his most remarkable statements, had already told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me…” (8:34). The Romans, the persons for whom the gospel of Mark was originally written, knew what shouldering the cross meant. You see, death on a cross was a form of execution used by Rome for persons considered dangerous criminals. A prisoner was made to carry his own cross to the place where he would be executed, as a way of showing that he was brought under submission to the power of Rome.

 

Jesus used the picture of a believer carrying his/her cross to show the kind of submission required of anyone who would follow him; in fact, the widow’s story can be read as an anticipation of Jesus’ own sacrifice of his life. Jesus is not against enjoyment, nor was he saying that we should go out and get ourselves into trouble! Jesus was simply talking about the immense effort needed to follow him moment by moment; to do his will even when the work is difficult and the future looks bleak.

 

Many Christians today would criticize this poor woman in our story that she did not provide for her future; that she showed a lack of wisdom in the use of money. But such is the life of faith—plunging all into the work of God now and trusting God for the future. This woman’s gift showed that she was giving herself entirely to God and trusting in God to meet her needs.

It is indeed a tragedy when so often, like the rich man we read about in chapter 10, there is some area in our lives that we have not yielded to Christ. Somehow, we nearly always hold back on something. Rarely do we make the final surrender. 

 

Not so with a certain little girl. In a church service one Sunday, the offering plate came to this little girl, who was seated at the end of the row. She took the plate, placed it on the floor, and stood in it. When the usher asked her what she was doing, she replied, “In Sunday school I learned that I am supposed to give myself to God.” This little girl had the right idea about personal commitment!

 

It is amazing how we can approve the widow’s action and agree with Jesus’ assessment of her and yet not follow her example! If we really believed what we say we believe, we would do exactly what she did. Her gift expressed her conviction that all belonged to the Lord, that He was worthy of all, that He must have all.

 

But perhaps there are some persons here this morning who believe that all of this sounds hard. How can I be expected to give so much and yet have enough for my own needs? And so, this story poses the same challenge to readers today as it did in Jesus’ time. People usually think of giving to the church and to charities as an option. The money for charitable giving comes out of the surplus after personal expenses have been met. Those “necessary” expenses usually include many extras in terms of leisure and entertainment, clothes, food, and persona treats.

 

The late Dr. Peter Marshall – a Scotsman of renown who served twice as Chaplain to the U. S. Senate – once selected for use in a church service the well known hymn of consecration, “Take My Life and Let It Be.” He asked that the congregation give special thought to the words of the fourth verse:

He explained the practical implications of these words and asked that all who could not sing them with sincerity refrain from singing them at all. Hundreds of voices, with the organ accompaniment, sang with enthusiasm up to the designated point. Then all of a sudden, there was only the sound of the organ – not a single person in that service dared to utter those words with insincerity.

 

This incident is a sad commentary not only on the casual, often thoughtless manner in which many Christians tend to sing this particular hymn, but also on the fact that very few Christians are prepared to sacrifice their comforts in order to give just a little more of themselves to the cause of Christ. But it doesn’t have to be that way; we can begin to experience Jesus’ commendation in our giving in the same way the poor widow did…if we do as she did. And so, this is my challenge to you: Put God to the test…and watch God work! Give sacrificially, give willingly, give completely! 

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