The Widow Who Gave
Her Last $1.21
A sermon by
The Rev. Vaughan Smith
Mark 12:38-44
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SERMON: The Widow Who Gave Her Last $1.21
(NOTE: Read the scripture AFTER the introduction. See below.)
In the letter of James, we read a warning
to all people who would teach God’s Word.
James writes these words, “Not many of you should presume
to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that
we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (3.1)
That verse means that God holds me accountable
for what I preach and teach.
Because God holds me accountable for what I teach and preach,
I always spend many hours each week
researching… and prayerfully pondering
the passages I present.
Because today’s passage is especially challenging,
I did especially extensive research.
My comments today are a combination
of my own prayerful thoughts,
plus the thoughts of fourteen commentators.
Based on this copious research,
I can confidently say
that there are basically only four possible lessons
that Jesus might want us to learn from the poor widow.
Please listen carefully to these four possible lessons
that Jesus might want us to learn from the poor widow.
After we’ve heard the four possible lessons,
we will listen to God’s Word together…
and each of us can decide for ourselves
which of the four possible lessons is correct.
The first possible lesson that Jesus might want us
to learn from the poor widow is this:
“The TRUE gift is to give EVERYTHING one has.”
The second possible lesson is this:
“It’s not the AMOUNT of the gift that matters;
what matters is the SPIRIT and MOTIVES of the giver.”
The third possible lesson is this:
“All people should give according to their means.”
The fourth and final possible lesson
that Jesus might want us to learn from the widow is this:
The TRUE measure of stewardship
is NOT how much we GIVE to God;
the TRUE measure of stewardship
is how much we KEEP for ourselves.
With those four possible lessons in mind,
please hear the Word of the Lord, Mark 12:38-44.
(READ THE SCRIPTURE HERE)
Which of the four possible lessons did you hear?
When we examine our passage
we discover that we can easily rule out
two of the four possible lessons.
In this passage, we can rule out the possible lesson that,
“All people should give according to their means.”
We can rule that out as a lesson of this passage
because the poor widow clearly
did NOT give
according to her means.
The widow gave WAY BEYOND her means;
she gave ALL she had!
In this passage, we can also rule out the possible lesson that,
“It’s not the AMOUNT of the gift that matters;
what matters is the SPIRIT and MOTIVES of the giver.”
We can rule that out as a lesson of this passage
because the passage says absolutely nothing
about the SPIRIT or MOTIVES of the poor widow.
We do not know her SPIRIT or MOTIVES
because the text does not mention them.
Please understand, the two lessons that we just ruled out
actually ARE Biblical Stewardship Principles.
Listen to 2 Corinthians 8.12. Paul writes these words,
“For if the WILLINGNESS is there,
the gift is acceptable according to what one has,
not according to what he does not have.”
2 Corinthians 8.12 DOES teach that
“It’s not the AMOUNT of the gift that matters;
what matters is the SPIRIT and MOTIVES of the giver.”
And 2 Corinthians 8.12 DOES teach that
“All people should give according to their means.”
Both of those points ARE true Biblical Stewardship Principles.
However, to understand
what Jesus wants us to learn from the widow,
we need to recognize
that neither of those two Principles
is taught in today’s passage.
When it comes to possible lessons
that Jesus wants us to learn from the widow,
there are only two remaining possibilities.
The two possible lessons Jesus wants us to learn
from the widow… are:
Number One, “The TRUE measure of stewardship
is NOT how much we GIVE to God;
the TRUE measure of stewardship
is how much we KEEP for ourselves.
OR… number two,
“The TRUE gift is to give EVERYTHING one has.”
Many a stewardship sermon has read the story
of poor widow who gave her last two coins…
and said to the congregation, “Go and do likewise.”
However, while God does demand our TOTAL COMMITMENT,
I can confidently tell you
we can also rule out the possible lesson that,
“The TRUE gift is to give EVERYTHING one has.”
Here’s why.
In the New Testament, Jesus commands only one person
to give away ALL of his possessions.
That one person was, “The Rich, Young Ruler.”
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us about him.
We talked about, “The Rich, Young Ruler,” last month.
We saw that Jesus commanded that particular man
to sell all his possessions,
because the possessions of that man
were preventing him from FOLLOWING JESUS.
And we noted that Jesus did have several wealthy followers…
and Jesus did NOT command any of those
wealthy people to sell all their possessions.
Jesus told the “The Rich, Young Ruler,”
to sell all his possessions,
because the possessions of that man
were preventing that man from FOLLOWING JESUS.
This means that if YOUR and MY possessions
are not preventing us from FOLLOWING JESUS,
then Jesus probably will not call US
to sell all of OUR possessions.
There is another important reason
why I am convinced that the lesson of today’s passage
is not,
“The TRUE gift is to give EVERYTHING one has.”
When we consider the context
of the story of the poor widow,
it seems completely clear
that Jesus is doing two very different things:
First, Jesus praises the SACRIFICIAL GENEROSITY
of the poor widow…
and second, Jesus laments…
and is disgusted by a corrupt religious system
that would encourage a poor woman
to put in her last two coins.
Here’s why I say that Jesus was
disgusted by a corrupt religious system
that would encourage a poor woman
to put in her last two coins.
The story of this poor widow is recorded twice,
once in Mark… and once in Luke.
And in both Mark and Luke,
immediately before the account of the poor widow,
Jesus condemns the Scribes for devouring widows’ houses.
Beginning in Mark 12.38, Jesus says,
“Watch out for the teachers of the law [the Scribes]…
They devour widows’ houses
and for a show make lengthy prayers.
Such men will be punished most severely.”
Immediately after Jesus said those words,
He saw the poor widow come and contribute
her last two coins.
When we read the story in context,
the poor widow
seems to be a tragic example
of a widow who has had her house DEVOURED
by corrupt Scribes!
I hope I’ve demonstrated why we can rule out
the possible lesson that,
“The TRUE gift is to give EVERYTHING one has.”
Do you see what that means?
It means that you and I do not need
to empty our bank accounts to please God!
At the beginning of this sermon,
I said that after my own prayerful study
and after reading the works of fourteen commentators,
I am convinced that there are only four possible lessons
that Jesus wants you and me
to learn from the poor widow.
We have carefully ruled out three of those four possible lessons.
Here, my friends, is the lesson
that I believe Jesus wants us to learn from the poor widow:
“The TRUE measure of stewardship
is NOT how much we GIVE to God;
the TRUE measure of stewardship
is how much we KEEP for ourselves!”
In other words, God looks
at what our giving actually COSTS us;
God looks at the SACRIFICES we make
for His Kingdom.
Let’s consider the SACRIFICE made by the widow.
We read that the widow was poor.
Her total cash on hand was only two small copper coins.
The fact that she had only two small copper coins implies two things.
First, it implies that she had no family to help her.
Second, it implies that she had a hard time
just getting enough food to stay alive.
In that kind of poverty… she gave 100% of her cash;
that’s a huge sacrifice.
She gave two small copper coins…
but modern translations might give us a wrong idea
about the actual value of her gift.
The NIV says that two copper coins given by the widow
were, “worth only a fraction of a penny.” (12.42)
We might think, what could she buy with less than a penny?
Sure, she gave all she had…
but that less-than-a penny offering
would not have bought her anything.
We might think, since what she gave could not buy anything,
she really did not sacrifice anything.
If we think along those lines, then we are very wrong.
Depending on which currency conversions we use,
the widow’s offering was between 91 cents and $1.81.
What is important to note is that the widow’s offering
was NOT a WORTHLESS pair of coins
that would have bought her nothing.
Those two coins would have bought her A SMALL MEAL!
And for that woman, food was hard to come by.
The money she gave…
would have put food in her growling stomach.
Today’s passage does not demand that we give ALL we have…
but today’s passage DOES demand
that we give… in ways that are truly SACRIFICIAL…
God’s Words demands that we give an amount of money
that we will actually miss.
For some people, including me and my family,
giving a true, 10% TITHE is a sacrifice.
The New Testament does not explicitly command TITHING,
and God might lead some of you
to give less than 10% of your income.
And… God might want some of you to give
MORE than 10% of your income.
If giving 10% is not a SACRIFICE…
then giving 10% is probably not ENOUGH.
As I see it… it is possible for wealthy people
to give SACRIFICIALLY
without giving themselves into poverty.
For example, I believe that Nicodemus gave SACRIFICIALLY
when he provided seventy-five pounds
of expensive myrrh and aloes for the burial of Jesus…
but even though that giving was SACRIFICIAL,
I don’t think Nicodemus
was begging for food the next day!
And this is an important point because
compared to the vast majority of people who have ever lived
and compared to the majority of people who are alive now,
each of us in this room is rich.
If we have enough food and water,
and a roof over our heads,
then compared to MOST people, we are rich.
ALL of us are rich people who will have to
pass through “the eye of a needle,”
by the grace of God!
Let’s think about how a VERY wealthy person
can give SACRIFICIALLY.
Suppose a VERY wealthy person
really wants a chalet in the mountains… or a Ferrari.
But instead of buying that chalet or Ferrari,
the wealthy person gives his chalet or Ferrari money
to the Church.
As I see it, that wealthy person has given SACRIFICIALLY.
Specifically, that person has sacrificed the chalet or Ferrari
which he could have bought,
if he had not given generously to God’s work.
For me… and maybe for you, SACRIFICIAL giving
includes things like giving up a fancy dinner
so that we can give more to God’s work.
For me… and maybe for you, SACRIFICIAL giving
includes wearing old clothes and living with less…
so that we can give more.
God calls ALL Christians to give SACRIFICIALLY…
and our SACRIFICIAL giving
shows God… how much God means to us.
The TRUE measure of stewardship
is NOT how much we GIVE to God;
the TRUE measure of stewardship
is how much we KEEP for ourselves!
My dear friends…
2010 will probably be a lean, tight year for most of us.
I know my family will need to make
some cut backs in 2010.
Please listen very carefully…
in 2010, some people may need to cut the amount of money
that they give to God.
But… if our giving to God is the only thing we cut,
then we have a serious spiritual problem!
If we cut what we give to God…
but we do not also cut our vacations,
then we have a serious spiritual problem.
If we cut what we give to God…
but we do not also cut
what we spend on hobbies and entertainment,
then we have a serious spiritual problem.
Christian Stewardship is a matter of the HEART,
a matter of LOVE and COMMITMENT.
If we LOVE God…
then we can make SACRIFICES joyfully,
joyful sacrifices of BOTH time… and money.
As you consider what you will give to God,
please ask God to guide you…
and remember,
if you’re only giving what you will not miss,
then according to God,
YOU PROBABLY ARE NOT GIVING ENOUGH.
As you consider what you will give to God,
please ask yourself these questions:
• Are the time and money I give to God
an adequate expression of GRATITUDE
for all that God gives to me?
• Do the time and money I give to God
accurately represent
my LOVE for my Lord and Savior?
Please pray with me…
Appendix: What Is The Modern Equivalent of the Widow’s Offering?
Wessel (Expositor’s, Mk., p. 741), Garland (NIVAC, Mk., p. 481), and Brooks (NAC, Mk., p. 203) state that the lepton was the smallest coin used in the Palestine at the time and that 1 lepton = 1/64 of a denarius (a denarius was the effective minimum daily wage in 1st century Palestine; see Mt. 20.2). Thus, it would seem that 2 lepta = 1/32 of a laborer’s daily wage.
However, Nolland (WBC, Lk., p. 714) writes, “a lepton = half a quadrans and 1/128 of a denarius” (hence, 2 lepta = 1/64 of a denarius). Likewise, Hooker, (Black’s NTC, Mk., p. 296) writes, “the two lepta together were therefore worth 1/64 of the amount that a laborer might expect to earn in a day.” Vinson (Smyth & Helwys, Lk. p. 438) also agrees that 2 lepta would equal 1/64 of a denarius; he writes, “a lepton was 1/128th of a denarius.”
Bock (NIVAC, Lk., p. 526) says a lepton was worth “1/100 of a denarius (about 5 minutes of labor at minimum wage).” In a comment similar to Bock’s, Nolland, p. 980 writes, “The amount she gives would not buy a quarter of an hour (15 minutes) of a day laborer’s time.”
According to http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/minimumwage.htm, a link that comes from the USA’s Department of Labor’s website, “The federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees is $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009.”
With minimum wage at $7.25, a denarius would have a modern equivalent of $58.
• If 2 lepta = 1/32 of a denarius ($58), then the widow’s offering = $1.81.
• If 2 lepta = 1/64 of a denarius ($58), then the widow’s offering = $.91.
• If 2 lepta = 1/50 of a denarius ($58), then the widow’s offering = $1.16.
• If we figure based on Bock’s 10 minutes’ wages, the figure is $1.21.
In conclusion, scholars are divided on the exact value of the widow’s offering; however, in terms of modern monetary equivalent, the difference between 1/32 and 1/64 of a denarius is only 90 cents. What is important to recognize is that the widow’s offering was not a meaningless pair of coins that would have bought her nothing. For this woman food was hard to come by, and those 2 coins would have bought her a small meal! Her gift was genuine, sacrificial giving.
ODDS and ENDS:
Basic Principles of Christian Stewardship
See: 1 Cor. 16.1-4; 2 Cor. 8-9
• give because of gratitude and with joy
• give on a regular basis
• plan your giving
• give God first fruits, not leftovers
• In Mt. 6.21 // Lk. 12.34, Jesus teaches that the heart actually follows the money. Thus, giving can change our hearts!
Ultimately, each of us must ask God
to tell us how much God wants us to give.
And even after we’ve agreed to give what God asks,
we still need to have open eyes and open hearts…
and when our open eyes and our open hearts see a need,
we then need to open our wallets to help.
Culpepper and Stein both see Jesus’ words as commendation (not lament). Like others, Stein says the main message is that God measures gifts based on what remains, i.e. it’s the size of the sacrifice, not the size of the gift that matters to God.
Hooker notes that the story shows that even the poorest of people can offer to God a gift that God approves as a worthy self-offering.
Eduard Schweizer (Mk.) notes that she had 2; could have kept 1, but gave both.
Craddock, Interpretation, Lk., p. 242, states, “[Jesus] weighed all the gifts not by sentiment but by a standard that was the same for all: How much does one have remaining after the offering is made? Thus measured, the widow’s gift was by far the greatest, because she had nothing left.”
Fitzmyer (AB, Lk., pp. 1320-1321)
similar stories are preserved in Buddhist tradition and in Gk. lit. from at least the 6th cen. BC.
Four Possible Messages (my paraphrases); included within the sermon.
Notes that all the explanations apart from the first have no basis in this passage!
Fitzmyer, p. 1321 (quoting A. G. Wright, p. 262, with whom Evans, WBC, Mk. also agrees) writes, “In the preceding episode Jesus was displeased with what the Scribes were doing to widows’ estates; here he is no more pleased with what he sees. He heaps no praise on the widow, but rather laments the tragedy of the day: ‘She has been taught and encouraged by religious leaders to donate as she does, and Jesus condemns the value system that motivates her action.’ In short, Jesus’ comment contains words of lament, not praise.” I think Wright, Fitzmyer, and Evans are partially correct, but that they overstate their case.
I think Jesus did commend the woman’s sacrificial giving, and He also condemned the religious establishment that caused people to believe that they had to give themselves into poverty. Jesus wants us to give all of ourselves, but we still need to eat!
Jesus does demand that we surrender our own wills and that we seek to do God’s will.
God does demand that we put God first! In Matthew 6, Jesus says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Copyright 2010, Vaughan Smith. Used by permission.