Title: THE WIDOW’S MITE

Focus: Jesus affirms the spirit of giving as revealed by the poor widow’s offering into the temple treasury. Catch and be shaped by that spirit.

Function: To encourage the people to adopt the poor widow as a model of stewardship and generosity. Be formed by God’s Spirit in the practice of faith, obedience, sacrifice, worship, service, and gratitude.

Text: Mark 12:41-44

Today is the first Sunday in the season of Lent. We have begun the journey of Christ’s descent from heaven to earth, from the cradle to the cross to the grave. Jesus’ journey to the cross is marked by sacrifice—he is truly the Lamb of God who gave his life that we may live.

On this Sunday, we also pay attention to God’s call of stewardship. That call of stewardship comes to all Christians, and it’s clear that the call to stewardship also involves sacrifice.

As we consider Jesus’ descent to the cross in this Lent season, we do well to listen carefully to Jesus’ affirmation in the passage we read. For there we learn that Jesus affirms the spirit of giving as revealed by the poor widow’s offering into the temple treasury. The scriptures encourage us today to adopt the poor widow as a model of stewardship and generosity. In fact, the scriptures call us to be formed by God’s Spirit in the practice of faith, obedience, sacrifice, worship, service, and gratitude.

So let’s buckle down and enter the story. It’s a remarkable story. Think about it: in our world, the biggest donors or philanthropists usually get all the attention and praise. When a university receives a 3 million dollar gift from the estate of an alumnus, that person will receive praise and recognition in the newspapers, and his name will appear (most likely) on a new building on that university’s campus.

But how many people will remember such a person and his or her gift to that university? And for how long do we remember those charitable men and women and their gifts? A month? A year? A decade, perhaps?

In this story, however, we meet a widow. She never received a personal note or commendation from Jesus. But Jesus’ comment about her giving spirit has made this widow “unforgettable.” So far, her mite or gift of two copper coins has left her with a 2000 year legacy, where Christians all over the world take note of her giving spirit. Two copper coins have done more for this widow’s publicity than all the dollars and cents of the world’s philanthropists together. That’s remarkable.

In this story, Jesus is saying to us today: Catch and be shaped by the spirit of giving that this poor widow reveals.

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We find the Lord Jesus in the temple courts with his disciples. In the previous passage we learn that Jesus rebukes the teachers of the Law for their refusal to respond to Jesus as the Messiah, and for their failure to “walk their talk.” Jesus is very harsh in his response to the Scribes. Listen: “They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.”

There’s no praise for the Scribes coming from Jesus’ lips. That’s for sure.

But then we enter the text for today. We learn that Jesus is sitting opposite the place where the offerings were put. Jesus is watching the crowd, “putting their money into the temple treasury.” Jesus is watching, observing the people who approach the treasury. He makes it his business to observe the giving spirit of people around him.

Now what’s this business with the temple treasury? Why do people put money into that offering box? The answer is simple: God has commanded his people to tithe their resources and to make sure that

#1. the temple itself will be maintained. Upkeep and maintenance of the temple are the responsibility of God’s people.

#2. the ministry of the Levites, who serve as Israel’s priests and liturgists, must be maintained. The Levitical priests are at the core of Israel’s relationship with God. No priests, no worship, no spiritual formation, no allegiance to God’s Word and will.

Here’s another reason for the offering box in the temple treasury:

#3. the people of God live with a communal awareness to reach out to their neighbors, the poor, the sick and the widows, and to promote social justice in the land. The temple treasury, then, has a vital function in the communal life of God’s people.

Jesus is watching and observing the crowd “putting their money into the temple treasury.” So what does Jesus see? He observes the status of the givers: rich people, poor people, such as this widow. What does Jesus observe? The rich people give large amounts of money; the poor widow only two very small copper coins—a mite or two. Jesus makes the offering of the rich and poor his business. He watches and observes.

What else does Jesus do? He makes a judgment call. Calling his disciples to himself and drawing us today into his presence, the Lord Jesus says: “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.” Now that’s a fascinating and bewildering statement; it defies our logic and our social sensibilities. Would you say that a $ 1.00 bill in the offering bag is more than a $ 100.00 bill? Of course not! Yet, that’s what Jesus seems to be saying. He’s turning things up-side-down.

Either the Lord Jesus is defying logic and common sense or he is trying to get at something that we often tend to miss—the spirit of giving. It’s not so much the dollar amount but the spirit of giving that Jesus confronts us with. Jesus affirms that spirit of giving as revealed by the poor widow’s offering into the temple treasury.

And in doing so, the Lord Jesus encourages us to adopt the poor widow as a model of stewardship and generosity. For this widow’s spirit--moved by the Spirit of God himself--forms us in the practice of faith, obedience, sacrifice, worship, service and gratitude. Catch and be shaped by that spirit!

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What is it that Jesus wants us to see in this poor widow and her magnificent gift of two copper coins? What is it that Jesus wants us to incorporate into our own spirit of giving—whether we think of ourselves as rich or poor or in-between?

Here’s what Jesus is after from us who follow him:

#1. Take note of this widow’s spirit of faith—and be shaped by that spirit. Jesus observes that she has put more into the treasury box than all the others because she “gave out of her poverty.” She “put in everything—all she had to live on,” says Jesus. Somehow, this widow had to flex her muscles of faith or trust—trust that God would provide for her tomorrow and beyond. Was she reckless in doing so? Should she have kept one copper coin for herself so that she can buy some food tomorrow? I don’t know. All I understand from the text is that this widow’s trust in God was deeply tested as she gave “all she had to live on.”

Am I saying that we should give all that we have unto the Lord—and simply trust that God will provide for tomorrow? No, I am not willing to say that. But I do learn from Jesus’ praise of this widow that a spirit of faith or deep trust brings delight to God as we offer our resources unto him. We are to catch that spirit of faith in our giving.

#2. Take note of this widow’s spirit of sacrifice—and be formed by that spirit. One word comes to my mind when I think of her spirit of sacrifice: “self-denial.” She denied herself of the opportunity to splurge or to freely spend on herself. She denied herself a little piggy-bank to save some extra money for future hard times. She was not thinking of herself when she placed her widow’s mite in the offering box. The resources she has—what little they are—do not cling to her, nor does she cling to her copper coins. She displays a sacrificial spirit. I think that Jesus is saying to us: Catch that spirit!

#3. Take note of this widow’s spirit of worship—and be formed by that spirit. God’s people come to the temple in Jerusalem to worship God: they offer their prayers; they hear the Word of God as taught by the teachers of the Law; they present their sacrifices—lambs, doves, and bulls, for example—to the priests; they ordain the high priest to plea with God for mercy once a year. And yes, they present their financial resources as an act of worship to God. Both the rich people and this poor widow were engaged in worship as they dropped their gifts in the offering box.

Let me ask you: do you believe that the weekly offering in church is an act of worship? Have you taught your children that placing their gifts in the offering bag is a spiritual discipline that forms them—as well as you--in their worship and devotion to God?

I know of pastors who tell guests and visitors that they should ignore the offering plate: “After all, we are not after your money,” they say. I understand what motivates these pastors, but I believe firmly that their action is misguided. Anyone who enters a Christian worship service—members and guests alike--should be encouraged to participate in the acts of worship, including the offering.

Why minimize the notion that God wants our all? If you are a guest and you worry that God is after your money, I have news for you: God wants not only your wallet and resources under his sovereign power; God wants your heart, your mind, your soul, your all. God is looking for his people to “offer themselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing” to him (Rom. 12).

Jesus calls us to be shaped by the spirit of worship. The offering is an act of worship. The rich and the poor, including the widow—have it right: their giving is an act of worship. What about us?

#4. Take note of this widow’s spirit of service—and be shaped by that spirit. The Scriptures summarize God’s will for us by calling us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and we must love our neighbor as ourselves. Though it may seem very insignificant, a portion of these two copper coins express love for the neighbor. Someone else—someone who is sick or poor or being taken advantage of--will benefit from the gift in the offering box. For part of the offering is to promote social justice, to fight unjust practices in society, and to alleviate the hardship of those who are destitute. The spirit of service, revealed in this widow’s gift to the temple treasury, is really a spirit of love. Catch that spirit!

#5. Take note of this widow’s spirit of obedience—and be shaped by that spirit. Who told this widow to go to the temple and worship the Lord? Who told this widow to cast her offerings into the temple treasury? Who forced her, impelled her, led her, moved her, or instructed her to do so? Yes, God instructed her—as he also instructs us in his Word—to tithe a portion of our income unto him. Even if you believe that tithing is no longer a required O.T. practice, you cannot miss or ignore the rhythm of tithing as found in the N.T. instruction by the Apostle Paul: (I cor. 16:2) “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up….” In praising this poor widow, the Lord Jesus reminds us of the spirit of giving—which calls for obedience to God’s instructions found in his Word. Catch that spirit of obedience!

One more thing: #6. Take note of this widow’s spirit of gratitude. Faith, sacrifice, worship, love and obedience—all of these aspects of giving, I think, bubble up from the fountain of gratitude. This daughter of Abraham and Sarah—this poor widow—drank from the wellspring of God’s love and care and protection of her. She lapped up God’s promises to his people; she placed her trust, her future, entirely in God’s hand. And she recognized that all of life—even its poverty—is under God’s sovereign control.

She belongs to God—and all her belongings, including her poverty, including her loss of husband, including her daily needs and future—these all belong to God and under his sovereign care.

Poor in resources! Yes. That she is. But she is rich in spirit: faith, sacrifice, worship, service, obedience, and gratitude. Catch that spirit! For we too belong to God—through Christ Jesus and his awesome gift of himself as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Giving of himself, he came down from heaven, took on our dust, lived in our midst, showed us the way of love, died on the cross, and descended way down into the grave. Catch the spirit of giving. And give thanks to Christ, our Lord!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.