Why we give matters to Jesus. What does he want us to learn from this.
Mark 12:38-44
As Jesus taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
The Cost of Giving
Jesus is confronting our love for status. This passage starts with the Scribes but ends with all of us. All of us have to deal with our desire for status. To put our hope and our trust in how others esteem us. Wealth allows us to build an image and hide behind it. Jesus pulls back the curtain.
Jesus starts by revealing who the scribes really are. Did Jesus just profile them?! I thought stereotyping people is wrong?! Wow Jesus, you’re not being very polite! He reveals what motivates them; a love for status. He exposes that they got to where they are by taking advantage of the poor and powerless all while hiding behind a religious facade.
Here we see this contrast between this widow and the scribes. Scribes made their money by taking advantage of women like her. Scribes were the original prosperity gospel teachers. Yet she offers her money as an act of her trust and love for God.
This passage starts out with “As Jesus taught…” Jesus wants to teach us somethings. What we do with our money, seems to tell Jesus something that isn’t so obvious to us. He raises the question here of why we give. And we are left wondering things. Why did this poor widow give all that she had? What was the point? What is the point of giving God our money? God doesn’t need our money. Why is it important to Jesus? How much am I called to give? Is anything less than all that I have acceptable to God? What does it look like to give properly?
What is Tithing
Tithing is a very common practice among Christians. It is based on OT scripture. The new testament doesn’t quantify but rather describes the posture of giving. It would seem that we are called to individually decide what to give and we have to feel good about it. Are Christians called to tithe or are they called to live a lifestyle of generosity?
The new testament examples of giving were to meet the specific needs of their community. We are reading about an early church with no formal way of doing things yet. Tithing is not mentioned at all in the new testament. I have heard arguments in favor of tithing and arguments against it.
I was once part of a christian organization that held its congregants highly accountable to their definition of what a “disciple” or christian as the rest of the world would call it, should be. Finances were a part of what you were highly accountable for. You were expected to tithe. You were expected to give generously to their benevolent arm called Hope. And you were expected to give 16xs your tithe to give to their foreign missions outreach. Generally a 2 month push was put on that last one called “Special Missions Contribution”. The focus on it was relentless and everyone was accountable to everyone else for helping each other raise the money.
Expected To Give
What I saw develop from that is something that is at the core of this story. What Jesus points out about this woman’s giving is what I wish I could hold onto. She gave generously, not under compulsion, out of her love for God. The danger of tithing is that it sets a required amount. Is giving really giving if it is required? If what you are giving is expected of you from those you are giving it to, then it is not giving. You are paying what you owe.
Giving like she did, I believe, is true giving and it is not easy. She didn’t give because it was expected of her. Nor did she give to impress others. We are not told her motive for why she gave all she had. We don’t know how consistently she gave her last penny. We just know that Jesus recognized something in her giving that surpassed monetary value and transcended to the eternal value.
I don’t see how giving like that can come from a heart that feels guilty or wants to impress others. How do we get our hearts to where we can give from the place that she did? From my experience, it will never get there if we let someone else decides the amount you have to give. Or if we try to set that amount for someone else.
I wish I had ans answer. But that’s the thing. Maybe there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Maybe God leaves it up to each of us to decide. Maybe giving is really a way that we get to say, “I love you God. Thank you for all you have given me.” God certainly doesn’t need anything we give him. I certainly didn’t need a spray painted pasta necklace that my kid made but because she was excited to give it to me, that feel like love to me.
