9.00am and 10.30am Sunday 14 March 2004
Rev Des Botting
Readings: 1 Kings 17:8-16; Luke 21:1-4
Talking about giving can be a touchy subject with some people, and you can detect their alarm systems going on full alert as soon as the subject is raised. Often its been said of the church is that all it wants is your money. I remember when I went to Dunedin to study for the ministry being horrified to learn from some fellow students that on the first visit from an elder of the church they were attending they were asked about their giving and were encouraged to get offering envelopes. The response from these students was that to them the church seemed to be more interested in their money than in them as persons. If youre reasonably new to this congregation, I hope that hasnt been the impression youve received here. This is one of the reasons why we have an offering box at the early service. We dont want people to think they have to give something when they come to a service, which can be the case when an offering plate is handed to you. Weve put a note in the bulletin to explain what happens here.
In the passage we read from Luke this morning we were given an insight into how they received offerings in Bible times. This incident wouldve taken place in the Court of Women because this was where the Temple Treasury was found. This court covered a space of approximately 65 square metres. All round it ran a colonnade, and within it, against the wall, were the thirteen chests, or trumpets, for charitable contributions. These chests, or offering boxes, were narrow at the mouth and wide at the bottom, shaped like trumpets, which is how they got their name. What each of them was for was marked on them. Nine were for the receipt of what was legally due by all worshippers, the other four were for strictly voluntary gifts. (From this it could be argued that having an offering box at the door is a more biblical way to receive offerings than handing the offering plate around.)
Luke begins by telling us that Jesus looked up and saw some rich people tossing their gifts into the offering box.[1] Jesus had only just finished saying how the teachers of the Law of Moses loved to draw attention to themselves by wearing long robes, saying long prayers and having the front seats in church and the best seats at banquets. These rich people here were doing much the same. They were making a show of putting their gifts into the offering box by tossing them in. This particular Greek word can be translated this way as it means to throw, to cast, or to put, place, or deposit. Here its in the graphic present tense, which makes the Contemporary English Version translation quite legitimate. The way these rich people were tossing in their offerings reminded me of Little Jack Horner when He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum, and said, What a good boy am I. One could imagine these rich people thinking what good boys they were, and how pleased God would be with them for giving so generously.
In the next verse we read that Jesus also saw a poor widow putting in two small coins.[2] To appreciate the significance of what this woman did, we need to understand the precarious status of the widow in ancient Israelite society. A widow had no inheritance rights, and if she didnt have sons to care for her, shed often be in want of the necessities of life, and be exposed to harsh treatment and exploitation. In the last verse of the previous chapter of Luke, Jesus makes reference to the fact that the teachers of the Law of Moses cheated widows out of their homes.[3] Widowhood was also seen by some to be a disgrace.
Israels law did offer some measure of security for the widow. As we saw last week in the far-fetched story of the Sadducees, if a deceased Israelite had brothers, a levirate marriage could be arranged where the brother of the deceased would marry his brothers widow and her first son would become the legitimate heir of the dead man,[4] but this custom had fallen into disuse by New Testament times. (Where the widow was a daughter of a priest, she could return to her fathers house.[5]) Often, however, widows had no respectable option but to rely on public charity. Gods concern for the plight of the widow is clear throughout the Old and New Testaments,[6] and his Law made it very clear to every Israelite that there was a very definite link between their receiving Gods mercies and their care for the foreigners, orphans and widows in their midst.[7] We see Gods concern in how he provided for the widow who looked after Elijah during three years of famine. Jesus likewise showed sensitivity to a widows marginal existence when he restored to life the only son of the widow of Nain.[8] Although widows material needs are largely catered for today, theres still the need for friendship and support where they have no family to look after them.
Luke also tells us that she was poor. The word thats used to describe this womans poverty, and which is only found here in the New Testament, basically means one who is right on the bread line, who earns only a pittance. He uses another word for poor in verse three which is linked with the verb to crouch or cringe, and therefore conveys the idea of utter destitution. Its this same word thats used in Luke 16 to describe Lazarus, the beggar who sat outside the rich mans gate.[9] That this widow was poor is obvious from the money she was able to give, two small coins, or lepta, the smallest Jewish coin, made of very thin copper or bronze, and in todays money value worth about a 60th of a 5 cent coin, or, for those of you who can remember such things, 3/8ths of a farthing. Jesus was trying to convey how desperately poor this woman was. This being her situation, one could imagine her making her offering as unobtrusively as possible.
One couldnt help but notice the rich people tossing in their offerings, but who wouldve noticed this poor widow as she quietly slipped her money into the box? Jesus did. Not only did he see her, he also knew how much she gave. Nothing escapes his attention. He sees far more than what appears on the surface. He discerns the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. Jesus knew the motivations of those who brought their gifts that day, just as he discerns the motivations behind our worship, our gifts and our service to him today. As the Bible says, Nothing is hidden from God! He sees through everything[10] A good question to ask is, whom are we trying to impress?
Jesus then goes on to say, I tell you that this poor woman has put in more than all the others. Everyone else gave what they didnt need. But she is very poor and gave everything she had.[11] In monetary value the gifts of the rich were streets apart from the offering of the widow, but in Gods economy her gift was greater by far than all the rest put together.
William Barclay says that there are two things that determine the value of any gift.
But isnt this how God gives? Can you think of anything else that God could possibly have given us in addition to what he gave when he sent us his Son? One of the things that is shown very graphically in the film The Passion of The Christ is the cost of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. It shows the depth of Gods love for the world.
Giving isnt real giving until it hurts. It shows our love when we have to go without something, or have to work doubly hard in order to give it. If were honest, there are few who give like that. This story leads us to search our own hearts. Have we given all we could? Are we giving all we can?
I was challenged by The Word for Today devotional last Tuesday. It was referring to Jesus words in Matthews Gospel where he says, When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come. [14] It read, Your prayer, Lord, meet all my needs, wont get the job done (of preaching the Gospel of Gods kingdom in the whole world)! Somebodys going to have to believe God for more than just their own needs, step out in faith and say, Lord, your kingdom is my first concern. Ill sign the cheque, you fill in the amount. One day I want to be able to see you face to face and declare, Ive invested every gram of energy, every talent, every cent you entrusted to me to fulfill your purposes on earth. If you cant pray that prayer today, hit your knees, repent, and start changing your priorities.
Thats pretty straight. But its true, isnt it? Our churchs motto is Following Jesus, the Christ. Gods kingdom was Jesus first concern, and if we are following him, it must be our first concern as well. How high a priority does it have in your life? Theres no greater cause to which you can commit your life. As we come to Communion we remember that Jesus gave his life for the salvation of the world, including your salvation and mine. Is it too much for him to ask that we do the same, and learn to give everything we have, like this poor widow did, to see his kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
[1] Luke 21:1
[2] Luke 21:1-2 (All Bible references are from the Contemporary English Version unless otherwise stated.)
[3] cf. Luke 20:47
[4] cf. Deuteronomy 25:5-10
[5] Leviticus 22:13
[6] cf. Deuteronomy 14:29; Jeremiah 49:11; Psalms 68:5; 146:9; 1 Timothy 5: 3ff; James 1:27
[7] cf. Deuteronomy 10:14-19; 24:17-22; 27:19. See also Harpers Bible Dictionary, NY:Harper & Row, 1985, pp. 1132-3.
[8] Luke 7:11-17
[9] Luke 16:20, 22
[10] Hebrews 4:13
[11] Luke 21:3-4
[12] 2 Corinthians 9:7 NRSV
[13] 1 Chronicles 29:9
[14] Matthew