More Than They All
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Luke 21:1–4
If you had been standing in the Temple that day, you probably wouldn’t have noticed her.
There were plenty of other people to watch.
Wealthy people were coming to give their offerings.
Some of the most respected religious leaders in Jerusalem were nearby.
And all around them stood one of the most impressive buildings in the ancient world.
There was plenty to catch your eye.
And then there was this widow.
Luke doesn’t give us her name.
He doesn’t tell us where she came from.
We don’t know how long she’d been a widow or what had happened to her husband.
We don’t know whether anyone came with her that day.
Luke simply calls her “a certain poor widow.”
And she had two little coins.
That’s it.
If you’d been watching the offering that day, you might have seen somebody put in a large amount and thought, Now that’s a gift.
Then this woman comes along and drops in two mites.
You probably wouldn’t have thought much about it.
But Jesus did.
In fact, Jesus looked at those two little coins and said something that must have sounded almost ridiculous:
“Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all.”
More?
How could Jesus call that more?
That’s the tension in this passage.
Because Jesus wasn’t bad at math.
He knew perfectly well that the wealthy people had put more money into the treasury than this woman had.
But Jesus was measuring something they weren’t measuring.
Now Us…today we are surrounded by measurements.
We measure success by size.
We measure influence by how many people notice.
We measure usefulness by how much somebody can accomplish.
We compare what we have with what somebody else has.
We compare our abilities, our resources, our opportunities, even our service for God.
And without realizing it, we can begin assuming that bigger means better, visible means valuable, and impressive means important.
But Jesus doesn’t always measure things the way we do.
Just before this, He warned about religious leaders who loved recognition, important positions, and outward displays of spirituality.
In just a moment, the disciples are going to look around at the Temple and talk about its magnificent stones and beautiful gifts.
Everybody seems to be noticing what is impressive.
Jesus notices a widow.
Everybody else could see how little she put in.
Jesus saw what it cost her.
And I think that’s one of the truths the Lord wants us to understand from these four little verses:
Jesus isn’t impressed by the same things we are.
He sees and values the quiet sacrifices that others may never notice.
So the question tonight isn’t simply, “How much are you giving?”
Oh No, It’s deeper than that.
What does Jesus see when He looks at my faithfulness?
Am I living for what people notice—or for what matters to Christ?
Am I deciding what is valuable by comparing myself with somebody else—or am I letting Jesus set the standard?
And when following Him actually costs me something, is He still worth it?
In these four verses, Jesus confronts the way we measure our lives and leads us toward three personal decisions about the kind of faithfulness that matters to Him.
I. See What Jesus Sees
I. See What Jesus Sees
vv. 1–2
Verse 1 says, “And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.”
Then verse 2 says, “And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.”
There are a lot of people in the scene, but Luke slows down when Jesus sees this woman.
Notice that Jesus sees both groups.
He sees the rich men, and He sees the widow.
The passage doesn’t say the rich were wrong for giving.
Jesus doesn’t condemn them simply because they had more money.
But among all those gifts, all those people, and all that activity, Jesus notices the woman whose offering would have been easiest to overlook.
And there’s something I like about that.
We tend to notice what stands out.
Jesus notices faithfulness.
So what can we learn from this?
A. Stop Comparing
A. Stop Comparing
Imagine how easy it would have been for that widow to compare her gift with somebody else’s.
She had two mites.
They were tiny coins.
Whatever somebody else placed into the treasury, she could probably see enough to know that her contribution wasn’t impressive.
Comparison would’ve told her, “What you have doesn’t matter.”
And comparison still talks to us that way!
You look at somebody else and think, They can do more than I can.
They know more Scripture.
They have more money.
They have more energy.
They’re better with people.
They can sing.
They can teach.
They can organize.
They can fix things.
They seem to have abilities I don’t have.
And before long, instead of asking, “What has God given me to do?” we’re asking, “Why can’t I do what they do?”
That’s a miserable way to live the Christian life.
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:12
12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
God didn’t ask this widow to give what the rich men had.
And He hasn’t asked you to be somebody else.
The decision is simple: stop using somebody else’s life as the ruler for your faithfulness.
Ask instead, “Lord, what have You placed in my hand? What opportunity have You given me? What obedience are You asking of me?”
So — Stop comparing - -the second thing we can learn is…
B. Don’t Despise Smallness
B. Don’t Despise Smallness
The widow’s gift looked small.
Jesus never pretended otherwise.
But small in the eyes of people didn’t mean insignificant in the eyes of Christ.
10 For who hath despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; They are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
We often do despise smallness.
We think a prayer nobody hears is small.
A quiet act of kindness is small.
Teaching three children instead of thirty seems small.
Encouraging one discouraged person seems small.
Showing up faithfully when nobody thanks you seems small.
Giving what you can when it isn’t much seems small.
But Scripture repeatedly reminds us that God isn’t limited by size.
A boy’s lunch looked small until it was placed in Jesus’ hands.
A shepherd’s sling looked small beside Goliath’s armor.
A mustard seed looked small, yet Jesus used it to describe the growth of the kingdom.
Don’t confuse small with worthless.
There are things you may do for Christ that will never be announced from a platform, never appear in a bulletin, never receive applause, and never be known by most of the church.
But! Jesus sees them.
Stop Comparing…Don’t Despise Smallness, third…
C. Choose Quiet Faithfulness
C. Choose Quiet Faithfulness
That brings us to a decision.
Will I still be faithful when nobody notices?
It’s easy to serve when people are watching.
It’s easy to give when somebody knows what we gave.
It’s easy to sacrifice when sacrifice gets recognized.
But some of the most Christlike things you’ll ever do may happen in places nobody sees.
It may be caring for an aging parent.
It may be getting up and going to work again because your family depends on you.
It may be praying for somebody for years.
It may be quietly refusing a temptation nobody else knows you’re fighting.
It may be continuing to love someone who’s difficult to love.
Colossians 3:23 says:
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
That changes the audience.
You don’t need everybody to see you if Jesus does.
So see what Jesus sees.
Stop comparing. Don’t despise smallness. Choose quiet faithfulness.
See What Jesus Sees - then…
II. Measure What Jesus Measures
II. Measure What Jesus Measures
v. 3
Now Jesus makes the statement that turns the whole scene upside down.
“And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all.”
That’s not how anybody else would’ve totaled the offering.
If you counted the coins, she didn’t give more.
If you looked at the amount, she didn’t give more.
If you judged only by what entered the treasury, she was near the bottom.
But Jesus says, “more than they all.”
That means heaven’s accounting system is different from ours.
A. Reject Human Measures
A. Reject Human Measures
We naturally measure by what we can see.
How big?
How many?
How successful?
How impressive?
How much attention did it receive?
Those measurements can be useful.
Numbers aren’t evil.
Results matter.
Faithful stewardship often includes paying attention to outcomes.
But numbers can’t tell you everything God sees.
Samuel learned that when God sent him to Jesse’s house to anoint Israel’s next king.
Samuel looked at Eliab and thought surely this was the man.
But God said in 1 Samuel 16:7
7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
That principle is operating here.
Everyone could see two mites.
Jesus could see what those two mites meant.
And sometimes we need to reject the measurement system we’ve adopted without realizing it.
Maybe you think your ministry matters only if it grows quickly.
Maybe you think your giving matters only if it’s large.
Maybe you think your testimony matters only if it has some dramatic story attached to it.
Maybe you think you’re valuable only when you’re accomplishing something.
But the Lord sees things human beings can’t calculate.
Reject Human Measures, second…
B. Seek Christ’s Approval
B. Seek Christ’s Approval
If human measurements aren’t enough, then whose approval matters most?
Christ’s.
Paul said in Galatians 1:10
10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
There’s something freeing about that.
You don’t have to win every comparison.
You don’t have to impress everybody.
You don’t have to make sure somebody knows what you did.
You don’t have to exaggerate your service so it sounds more important.
You can simply be faithful before God.
Now, that doesn’t mean we stop listening to correction.
“I only care what God thinks” can become an excuse for pride if we use it to ignore wise counsel.
But it does mean our deepest question becomes, “Am I pleasing Christ?”
Not, “Did anybody clap?”
Not, “Did anybody notice?”
Not, “Did I look as successful as somebody else?”
“Lord, was I faithful?”
That’s a better question.
C. Let Jesus Define More
C. Let Jesus Define More
And then there’s that word: “more.”
Jesus gets to define it.
The crowd might’ve said less.
The numbers might’ve said less.
The amount might’ve said less.
Jesus said more.
And if Jesus says “more,” it doesn’t matter if everybody else says “less.”
We need that because we live in a world where visible success can become addictive.
We can start chasing more attention, more recognition, more possessions, more influence, more applause.
But Jesus may look at something the world barely notices and call it more.
More love.
More sacrifice.
More faithfulness.
More trust.
More devotion.
That means we have to let Christ retrain our instincts.
When you evaluate your life, don’t ask only, “What did I accomplish?”
Ask, “What did I obey?”
Don’t ask only, “How much did I produce?”
Ask, “Was I faithful with what God gave me?”
Don’t ask only, “Who noticed?”
Ask, “Was Christ pleased?”
Let Jesus define more.
See What Jesus Sees
Measure What Jesus Measures
III. Choose Costly Devotion
III. Choose Costly Devotion
v. 4
Verse 4 explains why Jesus evaluated her gift the way He did.
“For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.”
The difference wasn’t merely the amount given.
It was the cost.
The rich gave “of their abundance.”
They gave something real, but they still had plenty remaining.
She gave “of her penury”—out of her poverty, out of her lack.
Then Luke adds:“…all the living that she had.”
Those two mites represented what she had to live on.
We need to be careful here.
Jesus does not tell us to pressure poor people into giving away their last dollar.
In fact, the immediate context includes His condemnation of religious leaders who “devour widows’ houses.”
The church should never use this widow as a weapon against vulnerable people.
Jesus is not praising religious manipulation.
He is recognizing costly devotion.
A. Move Beyond Convenience
A. Move Beyond Convenience
There’s a kind of obedience that never costs us anything.
We serve when it fits.
We give when there’s extra.
We forgive when the other person makes it easy.
We pray when we’re not busy.
We obey as long as obedience doesn’t interfere with our plans.
But genuine devotion eventually costs something.
David understood that in 2 Samuel 24:24 when Araunah offered him some land as a gift when he was seeking to buy it to sacrifice on.
But David knew worship ought to cost something.
24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
There’s something wrong if our entire Christian life can be built around convenience.
Following Christ may cost time.
Generosity may change what you can buy.
Serving may mean you go home tired.
Forgiveness may cost your pride.
Purity may cost a relationship.
Integrity may cost an opportunity.
Obedience may change your plans.
The question isn’t whether every act of faithfulness hurts.
God gives us many joyful privileges that don’t feel like sacrifice.
The question is: when obedience does become costly, do I still obey?
So, Move Beyond Convenience.
Secondly —
B. Give God Your Best
B. Give God Your Best
This widow didn’t give God what was meaningless to her.
She gave something that mattered.
And that raises an uncomfortable question for us: does God regularly receive only what’s left over?
Leftover time.
Leftover attention.
Leftover energy.
Leftover money.
Leftover affection.
We know better than to say that out loud, but it can happen quietly.
We give our sharpest energy to everything else and then wonder why prayer gets the exhausted minutes at the end of the day.
We spend freely on ourselves but become very careful when generosity requires sacrifice.
We make time for what entertains us but tell ourselves we’re too busy to serve.
God doesn’t need our leftovers. He deserves our hearts.
Romans 12:1 says:
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
That’s bigger than an offering plate.
It’s saying, “Lord, my life belongs to You.”
My schedule.
My resources.
My abilities.
My plans.
My comfort.
My future.
I want You to have more than whatever happens to be left.
So, Move Beyond Convenience, Give God Your Best, then lastly…
C. Trust Him Completely
C. Trust Him Completely
There’s an element in this woman’s gift that we can’t ignore.
She gave “all the living that she had.”
Again, Luke doesn’t tell us everything going through her mind, so we shouldn’t invent a speech for her.
But we can say this much: her gift left her with nothing else in reserve.
That is costly devotion.
And costly devotion forces us to face the question of trust.
Can I trust God when obedience leaves me less control?
Can I trust Him when I can’t see how everything is going to work out?
Can I trust Him enough to obey before I have every answer?
Proverbs 3:5 says:
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding.
Sometimes our problem isn’t that we don’t know what God wants.
We know.
We just know it’s going to cost us.
And that’s where trust becomes more than a word.
Trust says, “Lord, You are worth obeying even when obedience is expensive.”
This widow walked away from the treasury with less in her hand.
But Jesus said she had given more than them all.
That’s the strange arithmetic of heaven.
What looked like less was more.
What looked insignificant was seen.
What looked weak was costly devotion.
And what almost everybody else could have overlooked caught the attention of Jesus.
Conclusion
Conclusion
So where does that leave us tonight?
Maybe the most important question isn’t, “How do other people measure my life?”
Maybe it isn’t even, “How do I measure my life?”
The question is, “How does Jesus measure it?”
He sees what others overlook.
He values what others may dismiss.
He knows what obedience costs you.
He knows when you keep serving even though you’re tired.
He knows when you give quietly.
He knows when you choose integrity and nobody finds out what it cost.
He knows when you keep praying.
He knows when you resist temptation.
He knows when you forgive.
He knows every act of faithfulness that never receives public recognition.
So don’t compare.
Don’t despise what seems small.
Don’t spend your life chasing measurements Jesus never gave you.
And don’t build your Christian life around convenience.
Choose quiet faithfulness.
Seek Christ’s approval.
Choose costly devotion.
Maybe tonight there’s an area where you already know what the decision is.
Something God has asked of you, but you’ve been comparing.
Something small you’ve been tempted to quit because it doesn’t seem important.
Something you know is right, but it’s going to cost you.
Bring that decision to the Lord.
You may feel like all you have is two mites.
But the question isn’t whether your two mites look impressive beside somebody else’s gift.
The question is whether your life is surrendered to Christ.
One day, so much of what looks impressive now will be gone.
Buildings will be gone.
Possessions will be gone.
Applause will be gone.
Human rankings will be gone.
But faithfulness to Christ will never have been wasted.
And when Jesus looks at a life surrendered to Him, He may call “more” what everybody else called “less.”
So let’s live for what He sees.
Let’s measure by what He measures.
And when obedience costs us something, let’s choose Him anyway.
