“What Happens Next?” (Mark 12:38-44)
Intro: Our New Testament reading is from Mark. As he often does, Mark puts two stories back-to-back in order to emphasize a point. Jesus is in the temple with the disciples and they aren’t at worship, they are instead watching people. Jesus says look at those leaders who like good seats and long prayers, don’t do what they do. Then says take notice of this elderly woman, watch what she does. Let us listen for God’s word as it comes through Mark’s words. ///
I’d like to do something a little different this morning. Our text is a conversation between Jesus and the disciples about giving to church and I’d like to start out by inviting you to have a conversation with the person next to you (or a few people near you) and consider in what ways this woman can be seen as foolish and in what ways this woman can be seen as faithful as she puts her last two coins in the offering box. This will only be a few minutes, so please don’t exchange recipes or have the conversations you can have over tea, please do try to name ways that she can be seen as foolish and how she can be seen as faithful. Take a few minutes to do that. (Discussion time)
In what ways Foolish / in what ways Faithful? Does anyone have any observations they would want to share? —-
I imagine you came up with many more good thoughts on each side of this question. On one hand we can ask “how could this poor woman give everything away?” What was she thinking? And perhaps we might ask, if you’re going to give it all away “why would she give it all to church?” Did she really think that God needed her two small coins? Did she think that somehow her gift would actually matter in the big scheme? We don’t know what she was thinking, we are left to guess and wonder at her motivation.
But she is motivated, she acts and Jesus calls our attention to her and her gift. He says hers is the greatest gift. There is something about her actions that Jesus notices and lifts her up as an image of faithfulness. For two thousand years her “two cents worth” has been talked about. And remember that of all the things that Jesus taught about, money was second only to “the Kingdom of God”. Jesus often spoke about money.
The powerful image of the widow coming forward to offer her only two coins has been often misused for many years in efforts to increase giving to the church. Here is the ideal giver, it’s been said, or preached. If this woman could dig so deep and sacrifice so much, as Jesus notes, why can’t the rest of us? She gave everything she had and so should we. Some like to note that she was a percentage giver – “100%” of what she had. Let’s all do the same. There are some churches badger people into giving by saying “God is watching what you put in the plate so make it splashy” In Kenya, at one service I attended there was a special offering taken where each person came forward to make their offering and not only was the giver identified, but the amount of the gift was as well. Mr. Kariuki gives 300 Shillings. Everyone clapped for each gift, but I don’t think it would catch on here.
The story of the widow’s mite has also been used by some as an example of bad stewardship and a reason to not give to the church. Some people take delight in pointing out what a corrupt institution this must have been that would take the last coins from the poorest of the poor. What kind of religious community would encourage that? What kind of church would accept this gift? Some say she must have been tricked or guilted out of all of her money and that is not right. She wasn’t. So I’m not going to say that this morning either.
What I do want to is try to picture this story as vividly as possible. Jesus did sit and watch as people came to offer their gifts. He and the disciples are just sitting with their backs to the wall in the rear of the temple. People would come and go and leave gifts in one of the 13 boxes in the back. As always Jesus takes the opportunity to make a profound teaching from everyday events. He notes that some people give from their abundance and his words are a challenge to consider how much one had truly sacrificed to give as they did. But then he focuses on an elderly woman, a widow. She quietly drops two coins in the box as she leaves. He calls her action to the attention of the disciples. Look, she what she has done. Hers is the greatest gift for she has given out of her poverty. She is a devoted woman who was not afraid to give all she has to God. She has given her whole life because of her faith.
I heard a story in Africa about a time when the offering plate went around a man took the plate and gently set it on the ground, and then he stood in it to show the depth of his conviction and his desire to give it all to God. I don’t know how the ushers picked up the plate without hurting their backs. That image of standing in the offering plate in one that stuck with me. The woman in our story was doing something like that and I would like to focus on the woman this morning.
The question I have, that is not answered in out text is what was the woman thinking and feeling as she did this? One of the most engaging things to do when reading scripture to make the stories come to life in your head, and fill in the parts that are not told. As this woman brings her gift, what was it like for her? I don’t think she was pressured to make the gift. But one wonders is this something that she had done many times before? Was she accustomed to emptying her pockets as she left the temple, knowing that God would provide for her in the coming week? If so her act might be one of joyful confidence, she may have dropped her coins in saying, “here you go God. Thanks for everything, see you next week!” She knew what would come next. She may have found a way of living that God got everything but just the basics of what it took to live on. The thought that she was used to putting everything in was a new idea to me.
I had always had a picture of a very old woman, walking with a shuffling step. In my mind, even though she had been through some hard times, her heart was filled with a sense of loving gratitude toward God. Her gift of two small copper coins was a sacrificial gift of a truly grateful heart. She had not done this before. She was responding to a need to give from within her and this day it was to give it all away. She was going to be OK; she would make this gift and then see what comes. But she didn’t know what would come next, really. That’s how I had often pictured it.
From this moment on my life is in your hands” When you ride across the heavens in all your glory. I will be like a cocklebur sticking in your saddle blanket!
Giving is an act of faith. We don’t know what motivates another to give. We may not ever know what is clearly going on within ourselves as we live out our faith and make our commitments to God. Some may know the joy of God filling us up faster than we can give ourselves away. Some may feel like sacrificial giving is too much of a sacrifice.
But we know that no matter what we bring before God, in loving transformation God uses whatever is brought, for good. If we put our whole selves in the plate, or even just a little bit, God will bless and use whatever is there. Amen.
