247. He's Watching You Know

Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4

Key Verse: "I tell you the truth," Jesus said, "this poor woman has put in more than all the others."

Luke 21:3

Imagine being in a worship service at which everyone's offering is reported to the congregation after the collection has taken place. Does that idea shock you? Today, we hold very dear Jesus' teaching from the Sermon on the Mount, to, "let our giving be made in secret," (Matt. 6:4) so that no one will know whether we generously sacrificed, or were stingy toward God. We hallow this idea of money and secrecy, but it was not a part of Jesus' culture.

In Luke we are told that Jesus, "looked up," making it sound as if He just happened to notice people making contributions, but in Mark it says: "Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury." (Mark 12:41) In other words, Jesus was intentionally watching people and noting their contributions.

The offering wasn't collected as we do today by passing a plate to collect little envelopes as a part of a worship service. No, a container was placed near the area of traffic in the temple courts and people made their contributions as they passed by. For many, who were in Jerusalem only once a year for the Passover, the offering may have been the total annual tithe in one lump sum.  For some, who were wealthy, this gift would be huge, accompanied with much fanfare so that people could admire their generosity and make appreciative sounds of approval.

In the midst of all this lavish giving, along comes a poor, unfortunate widow, probably half starved, bent over from sorrow, possibly poor nutrition and many years of hard work. Jesus watches her place her two small copper coins, less than a penny into the coffer, next to the huge gifts. He knows that this is all she has. He knows that she has given up her bread money, but He does not stop her. He doesn't rush in and say, "Oh no, Mother, that's too much. You keep your penny. You will need it to buy food." No, He lets her make her gift and then, He points out her generosity to His disciples.

"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." (Mark 12:43-44) Have you ever loved God that much?

So often we hold back and make excuses for why we can't be as generous as we tell ourselves we would like to be. Yet, In Malachi, God challenges us when He says: "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test Me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and poor out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." (Malachi 3:10) We don't put God to the test. Instead, we hold back and wait for Him to make the first move.

I will admit that, in the case of this widow woman, we do not know the rest of the story. We don't know if she was blessed, or remained poor. We do know, however, that her giving was seen by Jesus and He made sure that it was noticed and remembered. Her gift and her heart attitude toward her gift was an open book to Him, just as ours is. Our giving may be a secret to our fellow worshipers, but it isn't a secret to God. Just as Jesus sat and watched people place their gifts in the temple treasury, He watches ours. What does He see and what would be His comment to His disciples about what you give? Is it something you would want to hear your master announce, or not?

Hymn: Give of Your Best to the Master