The Message, November 10, 2024: "Giving All," Mark 12:38-44

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
November 12, 2024

 

“Giving All”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Mark 12:38-44

            If you have been participating in the gathered church for any period of time, you are likely familiar with this brief passage of scripture. You have likely heard it offered and opened a number of times during stewardship season. The widow is often lifted up and praised for being the epitome of sacrificial giving.

            If you are new to the gathered church, you may not have had occasion to hear this story before. However, my guess is that you are likely familiar with the notion of decency and the basic human value of caring for the most vulnerable members of our community.

            The reality is that Mark did not include this story in his Gospel message as a stewardship sermon. I mean, there is a component to it that certainly does apply, but the story really is about discipleship and genuine piety.

            You may recall that as we have travelled with Jesus and the disciples the last few weeks, we have heard his teachings about what true discipleship is all about. He told the disciples that those who seek to be great must be willing to be a servant. He told them that those who wish to be first must be willing to be last. He asked them if they were willing … and able … to be completely submerged in the suffering that he would endure. He told the rich, young man that if he wanted to follow, he had to sell all of his property and give it to the poor. He told the disciples that they would have to give up their lives and take up their crosses.

            We saw the rich, young man go away sad because he could not bring himself to sell all that he had.

            And as we continued to see and hear, the disciples struggled to understand what genuine discipleship means. We heard them argue amongst themselves and with Jesus about their place in the Kingdom, as well as their statement that they had already given up a lot to follow.

            As they sat in one of the outer Temple courts, they watched the pilgrims placing their offerings in the “horns” of the treasury. There were thirteen trumpet-shaped horns into which pilgrims placed their gifts. Each horn supported a particular function of the Temple. Many of the wealthy pilgrims dropped their gifts in showy, ostentatious fashion so that all could see.

            Then along came the widow. We might imagine Jesus saying to the disciples, “Pay attention because you are about to see true piety.”

            Widows were the most vulnerable people in first century Palestine. They had no rights. There were not any laws that compelled the people to care for them. There were words from the prophets that said that it was a faithful thing to do, but there was no codified mandate. The widows typically depended upon their grown children to provide for them, if they had any.

            Enter the widow. Perhaps embarrassed by the pittance of her offering, she dropped two tiny copper coins into the horn. The ‘lepta’ was the least valued coin in the currency of the day. It was less than one one-hundredth of a denarius. A denarius was the equivalent of one day’s pay. But it was all that she had.

            Here is the lesson in discipleship. The poor and the impoverished were not required to make an offering at the Temple. Their Temple fees were waived precisely because they were the most vulnerable members of the community and giving would make them even more vulnerable. Be she gave.

            We do not know anything about her. We do not know how old she was. We do not know when she lost her husband. We do not know if she had grown children to care for her. We do not know if she lived in a village that would care for her. What we DO know is that she had faith.

            Her love of God, her devotion to God was what compelled her to drop those two coins into the treasury. She gave what she had so that others’ needs could be met. The Law did not require her to give. Her devotion to God would allow her to do no less.

            Now, let us back up a bit. We skipped over the whole bit about the teachers of the Law. Let us spend some time with them.

            As you heard, Jesus had all sorts of nice things to say about them. “Beware!” was an ancient way of saying, “They are really good guys!”

            Oops. I am not supposed to lie in church. Beware meant the same thing that it does today … beware. They stood in stark contrast to the piety of the faithful widow. They were the prime example of false piety.

            As we heard, the teachers of the law loved to sashay through the marketplace wearing their long, flowing robes with the long tassels. It was an ostentatious display of wealth. The robes and tassels were a sign of leisure because one could not possibly perform any act of labor wearing them. But, here is the thing, rabbis and scribes … the teachers of the Law … were supposed to have a trade to support themselves. They were not supposed to charge a fee for their teaching. Rabbis and teachers of the Law were typically very poor.

            Jesus’ condemnation of the scribes was not a wholesale criticism of those in that role. It was a criticism of those particular scribes. They had used their positions to influence and manipulate. They had used their positions to prey upon the most vulnerable people in their community. They had been able to convince the populace that it was a duty and a privilege to support these experts in such a way that they could enjoy a comfortable and lavish lifestyle.

            They had ingratiated themselves with the wealthy and the powerful so that they found themselves in the seats of honor at the banquets and in the synagogue. They undoubtedly led the people to believe that this would entitle them to some special reward. Maybe their benefactor would be mentioned in their long, showy, extravagant prayers.

            The prayers. Again, Jesus was not criticizing the length of the prayers. He was condemning the motivation behind the prayers. They were not being offered because of the scribes’ faith in and devotion to God. Those prayers were offered because of their love of and devotion to themselves. “In the championship PRAY-offs … I am number one!”

            Jesus was not condemning all scribes. He was condemning those scribes; those scribes that had coopted their faith and took advantage of their positions in the pursuit of power and privilege and comfort. Those who should have been the models of faithful practice, those who should have been the models of piety, were anything but. And they would receive their condemnation.

            As the disciples looked on, they saw the model of piety before their very eyes. Perhaps they recalled blind Bartimaeus just a couple of days earlier casting aside his cloak and rushing to Jesus so that he might be made well. Perhaps they remember that rather than returning home, returning to his old life, he followed Jesus on the road. Perhaps Bartimaeus was beside them at that very moment.

            As Jesus pointed out the widow, he was not teaching a lesson about rich versus poor. He was teaching a lesson about devotion. There was the widow who with the gift of those two copper coins placed all of her trust in God. With those two copper coins she displayed her devotion to and care for those who might have found themselves in even less fortunate circumstances than she experienced. With those two copper coins, she showed that the practice of her faith was more genuine and sincere than that of the teachers … the “experts” in the law.

            She gave everything to God. She gave her passion. She gave her heart. She gave her trust. She placed God at the center of her life.

            Earlier in this chapter, Mark recorded this exchange:

            “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’”

            “'The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.’”

            “'Well said, teacher,’ the man replied. ‘You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.’”

            “When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.” (Mark 12:28-34)

            That is the definition of discipleship. That is the essence and the foundation of piety. Devotion to God. Devotion to neighbor. That teacher of the law understood. The faithful widow understood.

            As we look at our own roles and responsibilities in the world today that is our lesson. Jesus calls us to give all that we are. He does not call us to give all that we HAVE. He desires that our lives will be devoted to God and dedicated to caring for our neighbors. He does not say, “Yeah, go ahead and put God and neighbor on your priority list somewhere. Go ahead and write them in with a pencil so that they can easily be moved or erased.” He says, “Put God at the center. Allow God to speak to you and through you. Allow your heart to beat in rhythm with God’s. Allow your spirit to be moved by God’s Holy Spirit. And if you are able to do that, then loving and serving your neighbors will come naturally. You will not even have to think about it. You will not even count the cost.”

            That is the essence of true faithfulness. That is what Jesus desires of us.

            Can we give God ALL that we are? Can we give our neighbors all that we are? And perhaps the more important question is … WILL we do it? Will we give God all that we are?

            Amen.

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