Mark 12:41-44 Jesus sat down opposite the offering box and was watching how the crowd put money into it. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42One poor widow came and put in two small bronze coins, worth less than a penny. 43He called his disciples together and said to them, “Amen I tell you: This poor widow put more into the offering box than all the others. 44For they all gave out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all that she had to live on.
Just as you overflow in every way—in faith, in word, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us —see that you also overflow in this gracious gift. Amen. (2 Corinthians 8:7)
While Shelley and I were dating, one of the things we would do was people watch. You might say that we did that because I was cheap. You wouldn’t be wrong. But it was also fascinating. We would go to the park, or the airport, or food court at the mall and watch people. It was interesting to see what they were wearing – remember this was the early 90s. It was intriguing to see how people interacted with one another. It was informative to pick up on people’s body language.
This morning we hear that Jesus was people watching. Is that creepy or comforting to you? You can take comfort that you have a God who watches over you at all times because he neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:4). You are also warned that your God also watches over every aspect of your life – even when you don’t want him to be watching.
Jesus is sitting in the temple courtyard opposite the box where the offerings were put. He is watching the crowd put their money into the temple treasury. Obviously, Jesus hasn’t learned anything about a person’s right to privacy. There is a sobering thought that if Jesus watched the widow and the rest give their offerings, then he is watching our offerings too.
Should Jesus really be watching our wealth?
If it surprises you that Jesus sat down to watch people give their offerings, then perhaps it surprises you even more to realize when he did this people watching. This was Tuesday of Holy Week. On Friday, Jesus would be hung upon a cross to die. With the clock ticking, what does Jesus do? Note the details. Mark reports, “Jesus sat down opposite the offering box and was watching how the crowd put money into it. Many rich people put in large amounts.”
Jesus didn’t sit there because he needed to take a breather. Jesus sat down in that spot specifically so that he could watch the people as they gave their offerings. The Greek word is explicit here: Jesus was watching, staring at, studying the people as they gave their offerings, and he did this for some time. For Lutherans who were trained to be discrete when they put their envelopes into the plate, the thought of Jesus sitting there, watching, staring, studying, makes us more than a bit uncomfortable.
Should Jesus really be watching wealth? If you and I were Jesus’ personal advisors, we would say absolutely not. Jesus, you’ve got bigger fish to fry. Instead, you should watch for a place to eat the Last Supper. You should watch your step because the Pharisees are trying to trip you up. Better yet, watch your back, because Judas is plotting to betray you. But watching what people are doing with their wealth at the temple? Don’t do that. Watching what people put into the offering gives the impression that our God cares what his people give to him.
Despite our input to the Son of God, Jesus sits opposite the offering box. What does he see? Many rich people threw in large amounts. This doesn’t seem all that surprising. We sort of expect rich families to be big givers. After all, Jesus himself once said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48). But there is another insight that the Greek gives us: It seems as if the wealthy were coming back to get in the offering line again and again. There was some pomp and show to their offerings. “Excuse me. Mr. Usher, can you run the plate past me a second time please? I forgot to put my other envelope in.” It turns out that Jesus was not only watching the amount of their gifts, but he was also staring right through their reasons for giving them.
To Jesus, the amount wasn’t as important as the motivation behind the amount.
Then Jesus saw another person. No one would have mistaken her for a big giver. Can you picture the scene? “One poor widow came and put in two small bronze coins, worth less than a penny.” Jesus was watching the widow’s wealth too. What surprises you about her? That she was poor? No surprise there. Social Security wouldn’t be invented for another 1,900 years. She offered two tiny copper coins — the bare minimum that could be paid for the temple tax. Again, no surprise there.
What should surprise us, even shock us, is what we never would have known if Jesus hadn’t said something. “[Jesus] called his disciples together and said to them, “Amen I tell you: This poor widow put more into the offering box than all the others.” This widow, this woman that no one else took notice of, she was the one our Lord really noticed. She had given more than all the others. Can you picture the disciples scratching their heads? “You mean to tell me, Jesus, that this widow with her two copper coins gave more than the rich who gave their thousands? That doesn’t even make sense!” To our eyes, it doesn’t make any sense. But Jesus could see what the disciples couldn’t see. “For they all gave out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all that she had to live on.”
When Jesus watched Jerusalem’s givers, he saw the rich give out of what was left over. They gave their thousands, but they had thousands left over. They went home to a warm house, a full pantry, and a cozy bed. They gave big gifts, but there was precious-little personal sacrifice behind those gifts. They gave out of their comfort. They weren’t sacrificing. They gave some of the frosting on the cake, but they still had both cake and extra frosting left over.
The widow was different. She didn’t give some frosting off the cake, because she didn’t have any cake. Instead, she gave her daily bread. She gave her bread money and her milk money. She gave everything – all she had to live on. She didn’t give thousands. She gave a few cents. The amount of her offering was tiny, but her self-sacrifice was total.
The widow gave until she had nothing left – and at that very moment she still had absolutely everything. She had her Lord. She had God’s promises and God’s gift of faith to trust them. She was like the widow of Zarephath who trusted in the Lord to feed her family with daily bread (1 Kings 17:8-16). Even though humanly speaking she only had enough daily bread for one more day. Both widows gave beyond their ability because they trusted their Lord’s ability to care for them. They didn’t give from their comfort. They had no comforts. Their gifts were truly sacrificial.
How does it make you feel knowing that Jesus is still watching people? Instead of sitting in the temple courtyard he is sitting on his heavenly throne. But he’s still watching the offering box. Is that creepy or comforting? Is it warming to you or a warning for you that Jesus is deeply interested in what you are giving him for the support of his kingdom ministry? Are you giving sacrificially or comfortably?
Jesus watched this widow who gave her two coins that ended up being everything she had. What the Lord saw was not the smallness of her offering but the greatness of her faith. This was a picture of what he himself would fulfill in his self-emptying upon the cross for you and for me. This nameless widow became the example of faithfulness and generosity who continues to shame us who are rich in comparison but fearful and stingy in giving. It is not an issue of resources but of faith.
We would all agree, it’s easy to be hospitable when you have a house and much to share. It’s easy to be generous when you have many resources to count on. It’s easy to be giving when you have much to fall back upon. But what about when you have nothing? Giving love when you are already loved is easy. Giving food when your belly is full is easy. Giving friendship when you have many friends is easy. Giving money when you have a full wallet is easy. It’s easy to give when we’ll still be comfortable after our gifts are received. But where is faith in this? When we begin with an abundance, none of this requires faith. But when we have nothing, giving anything is an act of faith and an expression of confidence in God’s mercy. When we must sacrifice to give, then our giving becomes Christ-like. Jesus Christ gave up everything in his suffering and death so we who have and are nothing could have everything, even the mansions of heaven themselves. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
None of us are like the widow in the story. Even the poorest among us is rich in comparison. But this is not about how much or how little we have. It is about the character of our faith. Some think we need people rich in resources and money to support the church and fund its mission. But that’s not what we need. We need people of faith. We need people of faith who give not because they have much but who give because they trust much. We need people who give not leftovers from of their comfort but people of faith who give sacrificially even from their poverty. We need people of faith who stand before the cross in gratitude and thanksgiving. People who trust all things to Christ’s death and resurrection. People who live in confidence of God’s merciful and providential care for daily bread. And people who, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, seek to live in this faith and fear all their days.
This is foolishness to our world. That’s why we receive the wisdom of faith only through the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes to people watch. We watch Christ who cast aside the riches of heaven to take on the poverty of humanity. He did this so we might receive the riches of forgiveness, grace, and salvation.
Most of us have our noses buried into our phones so we don’t people watch anymore. Yet it should be comforting to know that Jesus is still people watching from his heavenly throne. He is still watching people’s wealth. What does he see when you plan your offerings for the Lord’s ministry here at Water of Life? Does he see you giving from your comfort? Or does he see you giving sacrificially.
We are often tempted to believe that kingdom work depends upon people with deep pockets who can give out of their surplus. But the Christian Church has always and will always be supported by people who may be monetarily poor but spiritually wealthy.
We pray to the Lord of the Church to have such a trusting faith that moves us to sacrificial giving. Your Lord is faithful; he will do it! Amen.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich. Amen. (2 Corinthians 8:9)