Sermon 1/27/08
Abundance: Putting in Your Two Cents - Mark 12:38-44
(view lectionary notes for this text)
Last week, we began our stewardship campaign, focusing on the theme of abundance, by taking a look at the Parable of the Talents. This week, we continue talking about stewardship with another well known story from Jesus’ teaching – the story of the Widow’s Mite. You probably know the gist of the story and the way it is usually taught – a poor widow puts pennies equivalent into the temple treasury collection box, and Jesus remarks on her gift, saying that what she has given amounted to more than what many rich people had given, since for her she gave all that she had to live on. We can quickly draw a number of conclusions from this: it’s not the size of the gift that matters so much as what it costs you to give it, how much it represents of all that you have. There are no gifts that are too small, without value. We should be like the widow, give like the widow, and know even our small gifts are important, like the widow’s. Something like that is usually how we read this story. But I find it all too easy to skim through texts in the Bible I’m very familiar with, assuming I know what the point is already. I’ve heard that one before, known it since I was a child in Sunday School. But is this really what the story of the widow’s mite is about, or do I need to read more carefully? Is the widow’s mite a model for how we’re supposed to give?
Like most things in life, we understand scripture better if we view it in context, so that we know where the story is coming from, why it appears where it does, and in this case, what causes Jesus to comment on this widow’s offering as he does. Our text today starts with a different part of this story, the context, the why Jesus told the story part that we usually forget about. Our gospel lesson is from Mark, and in the first section, we find Jesus talking about the practices of the scribes. The scribes were professional interpreters of the religious laws. They were responsible for copying, editing, and studying the sacred texts and explaining them to the people. So, they were educated men, some of few in society who could read and write. And having these skills and this knowledge gave them power over others. Over the centuries, their skills gave them an elevated status. It is this status, this position that Jesus is talking about. He warns the crowds against the scribes, who would have been respected and esteemed by most, criticizing them for making their faith for show. He calls them insincere, calls their intentions into question, and accuses them outright of unethical practices. He comments on their long robes – by which he probably meant their prayer shawls, which had fringes that would be visible under clothing. Some men would wear the prayer shawls all the time, though, instead of just at home and worship, as a sign of their piety. And he talks about the scribes, who would have legal charge of widows’ estates after the death of their husbands, since women could not hold property themselves. He talks about the scribes taking advantage of their position, their authority over the widows, and using it for personal gain, by taking portions of the widows’ property for themselves. All this they do while still saying long-winded prayers to God, as Jesus says, “for the sake of appearances.” This hypocrisy is what most troubles Jesus – he’s upset because the scribes act like they are faithful Jews, but in reality, what they do is just for show, while their real intentions are motivated by greed and selfishness.
Then we hear the part of the story we know well: Jesus sits opposite the treasury at the temple, and watches people bringing their offerings. He sees many rich people putting in large sums of money, and then sees a poor widow putting in two small copper coins – like a penny or two in our terms. He calls his disciples to him and says “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” For Jesus, his apparent admiration of the widow was not about money, but about who she was – about identity. Unlike the scribes, it is apparent that her faith compels her to live justly and sincerely, even if she could hardly expect notice or thanks for her meager offering.
Whenever we read the scriptures, we learn the most if we always seek to find ourselves in the passages we study, in the characters we admire and in the characters we aren’t so fond of – that’s how we make the scriptures relevant to our current day situations. In this passage, we really must take stock of ourselves in two ways. We have to look at both parts of the passage, and see ourselves in both the scribes and the widow Jesus talks about. Jesus’ words about the scribes are pretty scathing. But what he most seems to dislike about them is that what they do is only for show. Being a scribe isn’t in itself a bad thing. In fact, being a scribe should represent interest in, passion for God’s word, and devotion and commitment to knowing more about God’s word. But instead, the scribes took all the heart, all the passion out of what they were doing, and kept only the outward pieces, only the public persona. And that they did in a haughty way, relishing in being holier than anyone else.
Do the behaviors Jesus describes go on still today? Are we like the scribes? Well, we may not wear our prayer shawls around – the choir and I are the only ones you’re likely to see wearing long robes – but it is still easy to only look like a faithful disciple instead of actually being one. What does the good Christian look like? The scribes were pretty concerned with what a good Jew looked like. But I think Jesus wondered if they were as concerned with what a good Jew actually was. Which does God prefer, someone who looks like a good disciple, but isn’t really what they appear to be? Or someone who doesn’t have the image of good discipleship, but whose heart is on target? I once read a quote that said something like, “character is what you do when no one else is watching.” It is so rare in today’s world that someone isn’t watching what we’re doing. And so it is easy to end up doing everything because we think we have to, because we want to look good, because we want to fit in. But when it comes to discipleship, what God sees in our hearts is what matters.
What does that have to do with stewardship? Well, we’re getting to the question of motivation. Why do you give? And why do you give what you give? What moves you to give your money to this church, or to anything? Jesus wants us to seriously ask ourselves about the whys of our giving, the whys of our Christian behavior and discipleship, beyond what’s apparent on the outside, to what’s going on with our hearts on the inside.
The other part of this passage is about the widow and her meager yet abundant offering. Her pattern of giving – giving such a huge chunk of what she had – is a practice that hasn’t changed much. Today, studies still show that those who are poor themselves are likely to give a greater percentage of their income to charities than those who are well off. Are we like the widow? Can we see ourselves in her? Most people don’t see themselves as rich – I certainly wouldn’t give myself that label. But for a little perspective, I invite you to try a quick experiment. There’s a website called: GlobalRichList.com. You can enter your income, and it will tell you how rich you are, relative to the whole world. I can tell you that out of the 6 billion + people in the world, I’m the 59,029,289th richest person. I’m in the top percent. That gives me a bit of perspective, a bit of an eye-opener. Can I, do I still give like the widow gives? Jesus dares to comment on who is giving what, and calls to our attention a heart of generosity in the widow that is beyond what most of us expect of ourselves in our giving. Can we give like the widow gives?
But still, we have to look even more closely at this text. What is motivating this widow to give like she does? What is she giving to, and why? The answer to that question might surprise us. One theologian (1) writes, “Where do you see any suggestion at all in the text that Jesus thinks it's a wonderful thing that this poor widow put her last two coppers -- all she had to live on -- in the Temple treasury, going away destitute? It just isn't there. If anything, the text suggests the opposite. The passage starts with Jesus warning his followers to beware of those who like to walk around in long robes, receive the seats of honor, put on a good show of prayers, and DEVOUR WIDOWS' HOUSES. That last bit is particularly important because of what follows: Jesus watches a bunch of guys in long robes take a widow's last two coins -- all she has to live on. Then Jesus says something. What he says boils down to "and just in case you thought I was making stuff up on that point, check out this woman -- she just put literally her last cent, all she had to live on, in the treasury to maintain this lovely building."
We always read this passage, at least I always read this passage, and assume that Jesus admires the actions of the widow. And I think that to a point he does admire her. He admires here sincerity and commitment and generosity. But Jesus never says that the woman should have given all of her money to the treasury. In fact, Jesus was highly critical of the practices related to the Temple, particularly the financial practices of the temple. Should the widow have given her all, her last cent, to the temple treasury? Why should the widow feel obligated to give her last to the Temple treasury, when the scribes had no qualms about giving only a smaller percentage of their abundance, and taking her estate as well? If she could give her all, was that the right thing to give to? Why do you think she gave to the treasury? Was that where her heart was? Or where she felt she had to put her money, little bit that it was?
I think the message of this passage is two-fold. On the one hand, Jesus wants us to be genuine and be giving of our whole selves, not for the sake of what others think of us, not for show, not for keeping up appearances, but because our loving and generous God also wants us to be loving and generous with all we’ve been given. On the other hand, I think Jesus wants us to make sure that what we give our all to, what we give our whole lives to, is worth our giving. Why give your whole self, all that you are and all that you have to something that isn’t worth the gift?
So we’re back to our stewardship campaign. But the issue really isn’t money. And this issue is not giving what you think you are supposed to be giving, what we think must be giving to qualify as a good Christian, like the scribes did to be good Jews. You don’t have to find out what the person next to you in the pew gives and make sure you’re giving more than them. There really are no bonus prizes for the highest pledge, no recognition for biggest increase or highest percentage. God wants what is real, what is in you, and what is all of you, down to your very soul – that is what you are called to give.
And, so most importantly, I want you to ask why you give to this church. I want us to move beyond giving because we feel an obligation that weighs us down. And I don’t want us to give because we’re worried about our own survival. I think we’re called to give because we have this abundance from God that we want to share, and I want us to give to this church because we have this passion, this commitment, this hope and vision for the message, the gospel we have to share with the world, that makes us excited about supporting the mission and ministry of the church. Why would we give our all to something if what we’re giving to is not worth the sacrifice, not worth the generosity. When you think about this community of faith, if you figure out that your heart isn’t really here, if you are just coming to be coming, just giving to giving, then you really shouldn’t be giving this place all of your time and gifts and talents and money. You’d have to figure out where you heart really was, where else God might be calling you. And then put yourself, your gifts, there. I’m not telling you not to be invested here. I want you here! I want this community of faith to be the very place that captures your heart and soul. But I also want you to know that if you want to be a part of the mission and ministry of the gospel, if you want to be a disciple, God is going to ask you to give everything you have.
God’s not letting you off the hook – wherever your passion is – wherever you find yourself answering God’s call, God will require your deep generosity, your giving your last two cents for God’s purposes. But please, know that God wants your generosity for all the right reasons. Whether you think you’re a modern-day scribe, or you relate to the widow with her coins, God wants your generosity for all the right reasons. Whether you’re a pillar of the church, or a Sunday School student, or up front for Children’s time, or trying to go unnoticed, God wants you, wants your heart and soul, and want you for all the right reasons.
Amen.
(1) http://www.sarahlaughed.net/lectionary/2006/11/proper_27_year_.html