Mark 12.41-44

Tailored suits, chauffeured cars

Fine hotels and big cigars

A French maid, foreign chef

A big house with king-size bed

Hey little girl, you want it all

The furs, the diamonds, the painting on the wall,

Come on, come on, listen to the money talk

These lyrics, highlighting a luxury lifestyle that is all up for grabs if you have enough money, come from AC/DC’s 1990 hit song, Money Talks.

In a Westernized world, dominated by capitalism, we all know that money talks.  If you want it or need it, you have to flash the cash.

However, as the Bible warns us several times over, money is an addiction.  We can become so engulfed in wanting that new car or that next vacation, that we are willing to throw away and sacrifice, time with our spouse and kids, time building supportive relationships with our friends, and leisure time for stimulating our brain.

In Biblical terms, money can very, very easily become an idol.  An idol being something that we chase after and trust more than God our Father in Heaven who has created us and promised to provide for our every need.

In this morning’s text, we hear how two different people handled their money when it came to giving a financial gift to the Temple and how their money talked and what it said about their beliefs.

Mark 12:41–44 says this:

[41] 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.” (ESV)

In this story, recorded for us by the disciple Mark, we see that Jesus was in the temple and observed people as they came to put their monetary gifts in the offering box.

If people were giving money at the temple, we have to ask questions like, “why were they giving money at the temple?, and “what was that money being used for at the temple?”

Well, the Jerusalem Temple had 13 trumpet-shaped offering boxes in the Court of Women, where people could place contributions for specific purposes: 

Offering boxes 1 and 2 were where you paid the temple tax. One chest was for the current year and one chest was for the previous year.

Offering boxes 3 through 7 were for turtledoves, pigeons, wood, incense, and golden vessels.

Offering box 8 was for money left over from sin offerings.

Offering boxes 9 through 12 were for money left over from guilt offerings.

And, offering box 13 was for voluntary contributions.  In today’s church language, we would call this a “free-will offering.”

The boxes were shaped liked trumpets so that coins could easily be dropped in while making a noise signifying the act of giving.

To sum all of this up, people would give money at the temple so that the temple had the resources it needed to continue operating and doing the work of God in the world.  

So, with all of that historical context, we can easily transfer the question and answer about financial giving to our monetary gifts at the church today.

Why do we give money at the Church on Sunday Morning?  Why do we bring money and put it in the offering box in the foyer?

We give money at the Church so that the Church has the resources it needs to continue operating and doing the work of God in the world.  To be more specific, the Church uses the money to share the love of God in the Good New of Jesus Christ alive, dead, and resurrected for the forgiveness of sins, the gift of righteousness, and eternal life in Heaven.

To be very specific, to do that work of God here at Bethel, the money given as an offering to God is used to provide Bibles and teaching curriculum to Children’s Church, Women’s Bible Study, Confirmation, Youth Group, Bethel Kids, etc.  

The money given as an offering to God is also used to make donations to people doing the work of God in our community and nation.  We are currently making monthly donations to Helping Hand Rescue Mission (a Huntington Station mission that provides food, clothing, and various other daily resources to those in need) as well as a chaplain at Urban Sky (who brings Bibles and teaches Bible Study at a women’s prison in Denver Colorado).

And, the money given as an offering to God is used to pay the utility bills, maintenance bills, the pastor’s salary, as well as other operating expenses, to ensure that the church is ready daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly to welcome people in to hear the proclamation of the Good News and be comforted by the grace and mercy of God for them in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Our text shows three reasons why people give financial gifts at the Temple and Church. Those three reasons are (1) Showing Off, (2) Obligation, and (3) Thankfulness.  

Let’s begin with giving money at the church to show off and increase our pride.

In our text, Jesus sees the rich putting large sums of money into the offering box.  By comparing them to the giving of the poor widow, Jesus illustrates that they weren’t using their financial donations as an act of thanksgiving and worship, but instead they were using their financial giving to put on a show and gain praise from others for being generous.

Jesus speaks about this wrong way of making a financial offering in His Sermon recorded in Matthew 5-7.  

In Matthew 6:1–4, Jesus says:

[1] “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

[2] “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [3] But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (ESV)

Let’s move on to the idea of giving money to the Church because you feel like you have to and are being forced to.

Over the Christmas break, I was having a conversation about God’s command for us to financially give in the Church.  Those that I was having this conversation with shared that they did not like the part of the Church Service when the offering was taken.

They shared feelings of forced obligation.

The forced obligation would often cause them to scramble in their pockets and purses for something to put in the offering plate or box in order to save themselves from embarrassment.  

My conversation partners are not alone.  I am sure we have all felt those feelings (and maybe still do) when it comes to supporting God’s Church with our money.

However, when God commands financial giving to the church, He does not do so to embarrass us or strong arm us.  

Those feelings only come out of our sins of greed, pride, and showmanship.

We think things like:

“Who is the Church to request my hard earned money?”  

“I work so that I can do the things I want to do and buy the things I want to buy!”

And, “If I am going to give, I am going to make sure people see me give and talk about my giving and generosity to others.”

These selfish and self-centered thoughts, words, and actions, fly directly in the face of God’s design for money.

Deuteronomy 8:18 says:

[18] You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (ESV)

And, since God has given you the means to receive money for your daily needs, Proverbs 3:9 says:

[9] Honor the LORD with your wealth

and with the firstfruits of all your produce; (ESV)

Finally,

[6] The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. [7] Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6–7, ESV)

So, that brings us to the poor widow who gave all that she had to live on.

Several years ago, there was a homeless man who came to Bethel on a regular basis.  Social services had placed him at one of the motels nearby on Jericho Turnpike and he would walk here on Sunday mornings and sit in the front pew.

Back then, before the COVID pandemic when we passed offering plates around, I would watch him every Sunday morning, reach into his pockets and pull out a few coins to place in the offering plate.  At one point, after a service, he said to me, “I don’t have much, but that will never stop me from giving an offering because I am so thankful for what God has given me and I want to make do my best to make sure other people will know that He has given them Jesus too!”

To say I was humbled to the very core of my being would be an understatement.  

Just like the poor widow in this morning’s text, this homeless man was giving money to God’s Church out of pure thanksgiving with joy.

This morning, are you concerned with,

Tailored suits, chauffeured cars

Fine hotels and big cigars

A French maid, foreign chef

A big house with king-size bed

The furs, the diamonds, the painting on the wall,

Or, are you concerned with,

The cross of Christ, forgiven sin

Righteousness, eternal livin’

Being generous, sharing love,

The will of God, in Heaven above?

The poor widow, in our Biblical text, was concerned and consumed by,

The cross of Christ, forgiven sin

Righteousness, eternal livin’

Being generous, sharing love,

The will of God, in Heaven above.

Hearing all of this, we know that we have not been faithful mangers of our money or good stewards of the money that God has given us.  We have been greedy, selfish, and stingy.  So, what do we do?  

We do what we do with every other sin, we confess it, repent of it, and place our faith in Jesus who always treated money in a God honoring way.

When asked about paying taxes by people who didn’t want to pay taxes, Jesus said, 

[21] …render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:2, ESV)

Through faith in Jesus, which fully unites to Jesus, we are given Jesus’ perfect record of always using money for God honoring purposes. 

The poor widow joyfully and thankfully realized that God gave to her more than she could ever give to God.  She realized that she could never out-give God.

The poor widow knew this because her Savior, Jesus, was standing before her in the temple.  She knew that she was wretched and sinful, separated from God.  But, she also new that God’s desire was to reconnect her back to Himself.  So, God gave His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, to forgive her sin, cleanse her of her lifetime of disobedience to God’s commands for life and love, and reconciled her relationship with Him eternally.

You can imagine her singing these words as she was placing her offering in the box:

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

  Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

    “Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

God is the greatest giver.

He doesn’t give you nonsense.  He gives you want you need.

After providing for your ultimate need—forgiveness—God also promises and fulfills his promise to give you what you need on a daily basis.

The poor widow’s generously giving all of what she had financially shows her absolute trust in God’s daily provision as well.  

Continuing on in 2 Corinthians 9.8-15, we are told this:

[8] And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. [9] As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever.”

[10] He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. [11] You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. [12] For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. [13] By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, [14] while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. [15] Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (ESV)

When your God-given money talks, does it say, “Look at me, I am so generous!,” or, does your money say, “I have to pinch and store up and watch every penny because deep down I don’t really trust God to provide for me?”

Or, when your money talks, does it say, “Look at the Grace of God for you in Jesus Christ!”

This morning and this year, put your money where your mouth is.

Joyfully and with thanksgiving, let your money talk and say, “There is Power in the Blood!”

Joyfully and with thanksgiving, let your money talk and say, God’s love for me is so great that it is actually fully, “Indescribable!”

Joyfully and with thanksgiving, let your money talk and say, “To God Be the Glory!”

I exhort you and encourage you, like the poor widow in this morning’s Biblical text, respond in thanksgiving to God’s giving of Jesus to you by honoring God with your money and give generously to His Church and her ministries that allow other people to hear, receive, and believe, the Good News of forgiveness and eternal life that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

January 12, 2025.