Recklessly Giving all to God

Welcome everyone!! Thanks worship team, it’s still so nice to have the live worship.

So, here’s a question for anyone whose mathematical in our community: what’s 1/64th of $120. Once you’ve figured that out, what are two things you could buy with that number? Hold on to those, we’ll come back to them. :)

In the mean time while you’re chewing on that, I’d like to take you the idea of giving. Often when the topic of giving comes up, we shy away from it. Or we get maybe a little defensive. Maybe we think “oh hey! the pastor’s looking for money again!” Well guilty as charged, you can fill the plate later. :)

Kidding. But here’s the reality: Giving is important. Giving allows us to worship God. Giving allows us to put our trust in Him into action. It keeps us kingdom-focused. Giving is simply giving back to God what is already His.

God sees more than the plate.

Our text today is from Mark 12:41-44. And we picked this passage on purpose because it demonstrates how when you give everything to God, He can and will do amazing things. So, here we are introduced to a widow who gives two copper coins to the temple treasury, and is observed by Jesus. I think the widow demonstrates for us three specific realities of giving for the Christian. All of them matter to God, but it’s not the amount that you give, so much as the heart of total surrender behind it that allows God to do an amazing work.

Mark 12:41-44

English Standard Version Chapter 12

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.!”

The Widow gave her weakness (v. 42)

Mark 12:41–42 ESV

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.

This widow was obviously financially weak - she barely had money, and the size of her coins is so small, it took two just to make up one of the smallest in Roman currency.

Beginning in verse 41, Jesus is sitting in the temple (specifically in the court of women). Many rich people are there, and they give large sums. Then, in the middle of all of these rich people, probably dressed in colourful and fine clothing comes a widow. We can imagine her dressed in rags; standing out among these rich people. She puts in two small coins. That’s it, just two. Mark gives the conversion into Roman currency - she gave the equivalent of one penny. These two copper coins made up 1/64th of a denarius, which was the equivalent of a day’s wages. (Logos)

Can you imagine?? So for everyone curious on that math challenge from the beginning: In today’s terms, if you worked an 8 hour job getting paid just 15 bucks an hour, you would make about $120, before tax… 1/64th of this is approximately one dollar and eighty cents. That’s about the equivalent of two packages of gum from the dollar store. Nothing!

This widow was at the very least financially weak. Her fiscal situation could be described as… not that great?? Just maybe? Feel like somebody was definitely making dinner at home that night!

The greater point is, all the other givers were rich, and they gave their riches. This widow in contrast gives not her riches, but she presented to God her weaknesses, and offered up even that meagre sum for use in His temple. Her social situation is against her, she has no voice, and definitely no money. This widow gave not from the place of security, but from a place of complete uncertainty. This is the first reality of giving for us: We give not for show, but to trust God, with everything.

The Widow gave her heart (v. 43)

She put in more, even though it was less.

Though she came from a place of poverty, with almost nothing to give, she gave from her heart. Jesus tells His disciples that though this lady gave less, she has put in more. Pillar New Testament Commentary notes “For Jesus, the value of the gift is not the amount given, but the cost of it to the giver.” This gift cost her everything. Yet, she gives it unreservedly. In doing so, this widow exposed her heart. She gave from her heart.

Giving was not just routine for her. The concept of tithe that we have today came not just from the Old Testament practice of caring and providing for the levites and temple itself, but also as a offering to God - as a celebration of God’s provision. This woman put in her two small coins and exposed her devotion to God. She was devoted enough in her heart to offer up what she had physically. As a result, Jesus says she’s given even more than all those who put in the large sums of money.

The Widow gave her tomorrow (v. 44)

This widow gave all she had, she truly had to rely on God, because her worldly means of survival went in the offering plate.

The abundance of the others meant their trust might not have to be fully in God.

Perhaps the most striking thing about this woman’s sacrifice was that she gave not only from her heart, not only in the known weakness of her position, but that she gave her tomorrow. She gave God everything. This was no routine thing for her, she walked into the temple that day knowing that walking out, she would have no means left.

There is the possibility that if this widow had children still in her home, she would have nothing with which to provide for them. If she was older, her situation would become all the more dire, with no security as her health declined. These are real possibilities. Or perhaps this woman had simply given up, and with the little she had left she gave it to God, perhaps hoping that He would somehow save her tomorrow.

No matter which position she had when she gave, she still gave everything she had left. Widows in the greco-Roman era “lacked the economic, legal, and physical protection a man provided in that society.” Thus the widow had little hope even through work of recovering enough to put food on her table. It would be a struggle. Her tomorrow was something she had to hand over to God, and have complete trust that He would provide.

Fully Trusting God: What Will He do with You?

As your student council this year, we have a vision: to ignite a passion in Vanguard for recklessly seeking God. We want this year to a-tune our hearts and minds to a posture of full dependance and surrender to the Holy Spirit, who is the life giver and the empowerer. As our first step, together we need to step out into a trust exercise that will take our full lives. From wants and desires, to needs and necessities, as Christians we sacrifice the works to God. The widow gave not only in her weakness, but she offered up that weakness itself - exposing herself for who she was to an Almighty God. She gave her heart, exposing an unreserved trust in God, and by doing so she gave her tomorrow - offering up whatever she had, and her trust that God would give and provide. She simply gave everything she had, and trusted God for the rest. And because her heart was tuned in trust and in a first love for God, Jesus says she gave more than all the rich people, who simply went through the routines of their days. Because this widow fully trusted God with everything, He used her in a great way.

The next part of this service is all about doing just that, giving everything, and not just going through the motions. You will hear from members of your student council, sharing testimonies of times when allowed God to have their lives, when they dove deeper into this journey we are all on of trust God with everything. You are going to hear about how He worked, and brought about amazing things.

And then, we are going to invite you to do the same: to come before our God, and offer up everything to Him. Take the time to trust Him with everything you have, everything you are, and everything you hope to be. And see if He doesn’t come through.

Stabnow, D. K. (2003). Widow. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1671). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.