The Infinity of Little

Mark 12:41-44

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

D

r. John A. Broadus did a most unusual thing one Sunday morning. As the ushers picked up the offering plates to pass them around he stepped down from the pulpit and followed those men. As the people gave their gifts he would reach into the plate and pick up the gift and look at it carefully. The people became increasingly uncomfortable as was evident by their frozen posture and strained looks on their faces. I don’t know that those giving near the end gave more than they had planned, but they were clearly ill at ease as the spectacle played out before their eyes.

As the plates were returned to the front of the auditorium Dr. Broadus again mounted to the pulpit and announced his text, the same text under consideration in our own services today—Mark 12:41-44. Broadus acknowledged that his actions no doubt made the people uncomfortable, but he asked if they would experience any greater discomfort if they thought that Christ was minutely examining their gifts as they placed them in the plates. From that introduction he continued to tell them that Christ does examine not only their gifts but also the manner in which they give week-by-week. Consequently, I caution against trying such an inspection of gifts, as did Dr. Broadus.

One can do the right thing with the wrong motive and displease God. It is attitude and not action that ultimately dictates whether we honour God or exalt ourselves through our gifts. The size of the heart is of greater significance than is the size of the gift. All these statements are true. It would do us each well to memorise them and regularly review them. One example of the verity of each of these sayings is provided in the account of giving by one impoverished woman. That account is found in the second Gospel, Mark’s Gospel, and I invite you to turn there with me now.

I have read this account many times, and I have wondered what happened to this woman after she had given her gift. She gave her gift never knowing that the Son of God was watching her. She gave without ever realising that she was commended before saints and angels. She gave and never knew that she was an example for all time of how God views our actions. She gave though she never knew that she had pleased God in a special way. She went on her way, just as impoverished as before she gave and likely wondering what she would eat that evening. Her needs—a place to stay, clothing, food—all were yet unanswered though she gave freely to the cause of the Great and Mighty God.

She had no wealth beyond her rich love for God. There were no insurance moneys, no pension funds, no emergency funds laid aside for a rainy day. When she left the Temple that day she enjoyed an unenviable freedom which imposed upon her the crushing pressure that attends utter dependence upon God. Few of us have known such pressure, and what few times we may have experienced such dependence upon God we likely were crowded into the situation instead of freely choosing that condition.

The Measure of Greatness is Love — Jesus did not say that this woman was great, but the tenor of Mark’s account leaves no question that God considered her to be great. Greatness is a subjective concept, though for the world about us greatness is a reflection of power—especially power over others. Greatness in the world is measured by wealth or by position or by one’s ability to command others. Wealth purchases subservience. A high position in government, in industry or in society ensures attentiveness to our every desire. The ability to command others is a mark of greatness as witnessed by our view of generals and marshals—those we call great in the world about us. By such commonly accepted criterion this woman was certainly not great. She had no power, not even power to change her situation to the least degree.

God measures greatness by means differing from those chosen by the world. There are a number of statements addressing the concept of greatness in the Kingdom to be found in the Word of God. Though you are familiar with many of them, for the sake of emphasis I invite you to recall the words of Jesus which are recorded in Mark 10:42-45. You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

This is not the first time the disciples had heard this strange, paradoxical message. In Mark 9:33-37 we have an account of the disciples receiving instruction in greatness. When [Jesus] was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

What we learn from passages such as these is that greatness is revealed through submission—greatness is demonstrated through humility. This servant’s heart, this sacrificial attitude, is valued in the Kingdom of God because a submissive spirit is nothing less than an expression of divine love. John writes these words in his first letter: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers [1 John 3:16]. Greatness in the Kingdom of God, then, is a measure of love. The degree of love is reflected in the willingness to sacrifice our own desires for others and it is seen in our humility as we serve the people of God.

The soaring oratory of a widely acclaimed preacher is no measure of greatness; greatness is measured by devotion to the truths of the Word and through one’s willingness to faithfully deliver that Word unaltered. Greatness is not measured by the exercise of power over the congregation; greatness is measured by submission to the people’s good. Greatness is not measured by how many people know your name; greatness is measured by whether your name is well known in the halls of Heaven. Greatness, in the eye of God, is revealed through devotion to Christ and to His cause. Greatness in the Kingdom of God is a measure of one’s willingness to die to self, even while taking up one’s cross and following Christ [cf. Luke 9:23, 24]. I would that I could so stress this truth that there were never again a question concerning it. Greatness in the economy of God is a measure of one’s love toward God and toward His people.

It is not likely that the high priest nor any of the priestly class knew this poor widow. It is not even likely that any of the Levites serving in the Temple knew her name. She had not likely been invited to any dinner parties hosted by the powerful of the nation. We cannot know with any degree of certainty that she had no children, but the text would seem to indicate that not only was she a widow but she was childless and therefore had no hope of support beyond that which the synagogue provided for widows and orphans. This poor woman, even had she been recognised, would not have been acknowledged by the wealthy of her world. She was a nobody as far as the leaders were concerned.

Despite ignorance on the part of the Sadduccees and the Pharisees of who she was this impoverished woman did love God. The evidence of her love for God is witnessed in the fact that she valued the ministry of the Temple and brought her pittance to contribute to the ministry of God. Since her gift was all that she had it meant that she certainly sacrificed food for that day in order to participate in the freewill offerings of the Temple. For all we know she surrendered any prospect of personal comfort at some future date and perhaps even housing, in order to show her love for God.

In the Court of the Women, immediately outside the Treasure Room of the Temple, were thirteen Shofar-chests [so named because of their trumpet-shape] to receive contributions. The inscriptions on these Shofar-chests read: New Shekel dues; Old Shekel dues; Bird-offerings; Young Birds for the Whole Offering; Wood; Frankincense; Gold for the Mercy seat; and six were inscribed Freewill-Offerings.[1] Since her offering was specifically said to be two lepta [literal] we know that hers was a freewill-offering. The lepton was equal to 1/64 of a denarius, and a denarius was a day’s wage. For an individual earning $50,000 per year, a day’s wage is $192.30. Therefore, her gift was about $3.00 in today’s currency.

What will three dollars buy? According to the current advertising it will buy three long-distance phone calls of twenty minutes each. This assumes you can afford a phone, however, or even that you have a place to have that phone installed. Three dollars will buy a small drink and some fries at most fast-food restaurants. Most Canadian charities will not give a receipt until the gift is over five dollars. Three dollars isn’t much, but it was all she had and she loved God.

Turn your mind back to the text for a moment. When you read the words of our text there is something you won’t necessarily notice. As the text opens we witness Jesus sitting down opposite the Shofar-chests. When we read that He watched the crowd putting their money into the Temple treasury there is much more to His observing than may be apparent. Let me read a portion of that first verse (verse forty-one) from a more literal translation. He … began observing how the multitude were putting money into the treasury [Mark 12:41 nasb].

Jesus watched. The verb which is translated into English by watched or by the phrase began observing is imperfect tense. This bit of information would indicate that Jesus was closely watching the action of those giving. His was an intense scrutiny of the action and other translations bring out what it was that Jesus was watching more clearly than does our text. He was watching how the crowd put their money in the Shofar-chests. It wasn’t the gift but the manner in which the gift was given that attracted the attention of Jesus. It is as though he were seeing the heart reflected in the action of the giver.

That piece of information gives me pause, and no doubt it gives you pause as you weigh its impact on your service. As you bring your gifts to the house of worship would you do anything different if you thought that Jesus was watching? What would you do differently if you thought that Jesus was watching the manner in which you gave? Would your actions differ from your present practise?

I have in my desk at home a cross that was crocheted by hand. I recall the woman who gave that cross to me. She wasn’t too bright; her mind was injured in one of those cruel misfortunes associated with this fallen life. Nevertheless I had been privileged to serve her in some small measure during the days of my ministry in San Francisco. I had been permitted to tell her of Christ and to be present when she was born into the Kingdom of God. I had become her spiritual father before the Lord. Every time that woman saw me she would thank me for caring and telling her about Jesus.

One Sunday night she opened her cheap, tattered Bible and lifted from between the pages that crocheted cross. She insisted that I take it. She had no money and she wanted me to have something to remember her by. She insisted that she was so grateful that someone cared enough to tell her about Jesus. I don’t mind telling you that I cried. I would never use a bookmark such as that, but the woman loved Christ and she wanted to do something to show her love for Him, so she tried to honour His spokesman. I suspect that that woman whose mind was injured so cruelly is far greater in the Kingdom of God than many of the wealthy women I have known since then.

I remember a dear lady named Sue Dollin, a gracious saint of God. On one occasion when an offering was received for renovations to the church house she gave a gift of twenty dollars. She lived on a fixed income and gave regularly from her small income. As she pressed the gift into my hand asking that I convey the funds to the offering for her I demurred. I can still hear the pain in her voice as she challenged me. “Would you deprive an old woman of the joy of giving to Christ?” She loved God and sought to do something to honour Him. She had no great wealth and little power left, but she did love God. Somehow I think that elderly saint occupies a greater place in the Kingdom of God than many wealthy people I have known in Vancouver and in Dallas.

Some of you may be great in the eyes of God, but if you are great it is because the size of your heart has permitted you to embrace a world dying for want of divine love. You understand that your gifts are not required by the church so much as you are compelled by Christ’s love for His great work to give. You give quietly and generously because you love Christ. Perhaps your financial gifts are not so great, but you seek to do all you can to ensure that the congregation is healthy and strong as you invest your life in the church and in the people of God. If that describes you, you have learned something of infinite value and you rejoice in your position in the Kingdom of God.

Some of you perhaps think yourself to be great. You look at your receipts for charitable giving at the end of the year and you congratulate yourself because you imagine that God must surely be impressed with your devotion to His cause. Yet you know little of sacrifice and you know little of selfless investment in some great cause. You must ever bear in mind that it is not the size of the gift that impresses God, but it is rather the size of one’s heart that impresses Him. I tell you this not to rebuke you, though no doubt the mere telling does rebuke you, but I tell you this in order to challenge you to become great in the eyes of the Saviour. I urge you to become great in God’s eyes through loving Him and through loving His work sacrificially.

The Value of Love is Infinite — This poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. That widow impressed Jesus. Don’t you wish you could impress the Saviour? I certainly wish my actions were impressive to Jesus. If I will impress Jesus I must change my thinking to remember that since the measure of greatness is love the value of love is infinite. That love which was so clearly revealed in Jesus’ sacrifice is the love we seek. That love which held Him fast to the cross is the love which must be reflected in the heart of the believer. That love which sought us out when we were unlovely is the love we must discover and embrace for our own lives.

Love cannot be purchased, but it can be sold. Whenever an individual begins to measure love by the means available to this world that love becomes cheap and tawdry. Some of you may recall a movie released almost ten years ago which raised the question of what a couple would do for a million dollars. In the movie, Indecent Proposal, a young couple in need of money was offered a million dollars if the wife would sleep with another man. Though I did not see that movie I understand that the movie speculated about changes in the life of the young couple following that night. Couples were leaving movie houses all over North America asking what the value of love was.

Of course the love portrayed in the movie was solely erotic love—sexual love. I do not for a moment depreciate sexual love within the marriage where God intended it to be an expression of even deeper love. The point is that if sexual love can be sold, though it cannot be purchased, how much less do you suppose sacrificial love can be purchased. Devotion to a person or devotion to some great cause is not marketable. That cause which grips the heart demands submission and demands devotion and the one seeing the greatness of that cause willingly surrenders everything for the cause. It is impossible to put a price on such sacrificial love.

This widow was committed to a great cause—God’s glory. She was captivated by the majesty of the True and Living God and her action reveals that she committed herself to His glory. Though she had but little, that little would be devoted to Him and to His praise. Throughout the years of my ministry I have known some very wealthy believers, though the vast majority of those I call my fellow saints are not particularly wealthy. They struggle to care for the demands of life, as do any of their fellow citizens. Though one can make the comparison with people living in an African village or with others living in rural Asian villages, the fact remains that in terms of their own environment they are not rich and they haven’t great sums of money at their disposal.

During nearly thirty years of service to Christ I have seen some great ministries promoted by various churches and denominations. As I review those great outreaches I am compelled to confess that seldom have these great ministries been the result of large gifts from wealthy individuals. Most of the ministries of evangelism and discipleship which have had lasting impact have been built on the gifts of little people. The founder of one of the great universities dedicated to producing godly men and women in America used to say that the school was built on the nickels and dimes of common folk. The egg money of farm wives and the sacrifice of tenant farmers underwrote that work.

There is a tendency to find ourselves attracted to that which is flashy and gaudy. We worship our tele-heroes who seem to reach millions, even sending them our gifts with alarming regularity. If we think about it we will confess that the love of God is not often seen in the ornate and elaborate which attracts the crowds, but the love of God is discovered in the quiet touch of one saint devoted to Him and thus devoted to His glory.

What I am saying is that the love we find most attractive is that which flows from a heart devoted to Christ. After all, Christ’s cause alone shall endure throughout time and eternity. John warns us that everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever [1 John 2:16, 17]. Knowledge such as this should give us pause and should humble us. Much of what we consider great in our worship of God is destined for dust. Though we acknowledge true love we are somehow embarrassed by such devotion when we do encounter it. Perhaps we are uncomfortable because we find ourselves challenged. So we substitute the thinking of this world and imagine that we have honoured God through cool service.

Noisy marches and great throngs, if all they accomplish is to make a show without touching the heart of one individual, shall shortly cease. This is the caution Paul gives in 1 Corinthians 13:8-13. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

It is easy to be attracted to the large and to the lavish and think this is the Faith. I have sat in some mighty large churches and heard the choir sing great, swelling anthems. It is easy to think, “Ah, this is the Faith! This is the power of God!” As you listen to the power of a great organ accompanying the singing of a mighty multitude you might be tempted to think, “This is the Faith! This is where God’s power is revealed.”

I think differently. A mother’s touch to a fevered brow as she sacrifices her sleep for the sake of her little one—this is love. When that same woman devotes herself to ceaseless prayer for her child’s eternal welfare—this is the Faith. A father’s labour to provide for his children though it requires him to go without rest he desperately needs—this is love. When that same Father devotes Himself to modelling a godly life and to investing himself in the life of his children—that is the Faith.

The union of a small group of saints determined to represent Christ in the midst of an uncaring world—this is the Faith. That small body of believers met for prayer and praise when they would much rather be spending time in recreational pursuits—this is the Faith. That church which is united, which works together to accomplish some great task, which sees the obstacle to growth and yet dares trust the Living God—this is the Faith. However, if in all our pursuits as a people who claim to know the love of God we have failed to win the lost and we have failed to love the fellowship of believers with heartfelt love, we have failed to know the love of God.

God loved a lost world and gave Himself for it. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life [John 3:16]. Remember also that Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her [Ephesians 5:25b]. If I know the love of Christ I will find that I am compelled to love that same dying world and that I am compelled to love that same church. Moreover my love will be sacrificial. I will willingly give myself to find lost souls, daring to speak to them of Him who loved them. I will willingly serve the church of the Living God because I love Him who purchased that church with His blood.

Therein is love revealed, and that love is of infinite worth because the One loved is infinite. The value of such love, demonstrated through the sacrifice of those who have discovered God’s love in Christ is infinite, just as Christ Himself is infinite. Those who have discovered the value of love will find themselves repeating with the Apostle those glorious words recorded in Galatians 2:20. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

The Call of God is to Greatness — Which of all the commands is the greatest of all? Though we can recite it, few of us can live it. Jesus says that the greatest commandment of all is to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind [cf. Matthew 22:37, 38]. Few of us can claim to have achieved anything approximating compliance with this first and greatest commandment. None of us can lay claim to having obeyed this law perfectly. Our love is flawed, imperfect, stunted; and yet each of us who are Christians have a deep longing to love God perfectly. Because we serve a Great God, we long to exalt Him through the greatness of our hearts.

You will recall that there is a second command akin to the first and evidently dependent upon the first, Love your neighbour as yourself [Matthew 22:39]. Assuredly my neighbour is anyone to whom I may reach out with the love of God and to the praise of His Name. That neighbour should first include my fellow worshippers, for I know I am to Love the brotherhood of believers [1 Peter 2:17]. This command constitutes nothing less than pointed application of Jesus’ Words which are found in John 13:35, By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. My neighbour includes those who are lost about me for God has demonstrated His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us [Romans 5:8].

If I will be great, I must love as Christ loved and love that which Christ loved. I must devote myself to some great cause. There is no cause which will last throughout eternity except for the cause of Christ. If you will be great in the sight of the Lord you will devote yourself to Him. Already some shrink from such a call. Perhaps you have bought into the lie of this dying culture that we should not commit ourselves to anything. We tend to wait to see how things will turn out, and then if they seem to be moving in a direction we approve we will jump on board. May God forgive us for such cowardice.

You need to hear the words of the Saviour who when approached by a wealthy young man seeking an easy way to do the work of God said, One thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me [Mark 10:21].

Others recoil from the thought of commitment to the cause of Christ because they fear being labelled fanatics. Ridicule has become one of the most powerful weapons the evil one employs against contemporary saints. We can stand up to almost anything except the laughter of our colleagues or the mockery of our neighbours. So we are willing to keep Christ compartmentalised for the sake of our reputation.

We need to be challenged by the words of Christ as he challenged the timid and the cowardly. If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels [Mark 8:38].

The marching orders have never been changed. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age [Matthew 28:19, 20].

Loving the lost, we disciple them. Loving the church, we bring those discipled into the fellowship—baptising them and teaching them. This work reveals the depth of our love and demonstrates our devotion to that which shall last throughout all eternity. That which we love is that to which we are devoted; and if that to which we are devoted is great, then we ourselves shall share in the greatness of that cause. Commit yourself to some great cause; and there is no greater cause than that of Christ the Lord.

Jesus taught His disciples a great lesson that day as He sat across from the treasury of the Temple. He saw what they failed to see. Fortunately for us He drew their attention to what was happening, forcing them to see with the eyes of God. Perhaps you have been prone to see with eyes accustomed to the dim light afforded in this dying world. You may have tended to judge greatness by the standards of the world—how big and how immediate the impact and whether it grabs the attention of the media. Somehow as you review again the message presented in this pericope you are forced to pause and reconsider your estimate of greatness.

If that describes you, I urge you to act on what you witness in Christ’s words. Assess your view of what you are doing for Christ’s sake and bring your own vision into line with His. In your excitement to do the work of God, do not fracture the unity of the Body. Do not struggle to take control in order to compel the people to go in your direction. Do not attempt to force the work of God into paths that are showy and ostentatious. Don’t become enamoured with the big and with the noisy. Instead, focus on being great in the eyes of God.

Greatness will be revealed in winning the lost through witness to the grace of God in Christ the Lord. Greatness will be revealed in investment of your life in the Body of Christ. Greatness will be revealed in seeking the unity of the Body. Greatness will be revealed in devotion to that which is eternal. Amen.

One can do the right thing with the wrong motive and displease God.

It is attitude and not action that ultimately determines whether we honour God or exalt ourselves through our gifts.

The size of the heart is of greater significance than is the size of the gift.

In the Court of the Women, immediately outside the Treasure Room of the Temple, were thirteen Shofar-chests [so named because of their trumpet-shape] to receive contributions. The inscriptions on these Shofar-chests read: New Shekel dues; Old Shekel dues; Bird-offerings; Young Birds for the Whole Offering; Wood; Frankincense; Gold for the Mercy seat; and six were inscribed Freewill-Offerings.

Since her offering was specifically said to be two lepta [literal] we know that hers was a freewill-offering. The lepton was equal to 1/64 of a denarius, and a denarius was a day’s wage. For an individual earning $50,000 per year, a day’s wage is $192.30. Therefore, her gift was about $3.00 in today’s currency.

He … began observing how the multitude were putting money into the treasury

[Mark 12:41 nasb].

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[1] James A. Brooks, Mark, The New American Commentary, Vol. 23 (Broadman, 1991) p. 203