Giving 100%

November 8, 2015


GOSPEL LESSON: Mark 12:38–44
38In his teaching [Jesus] said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
41And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43And 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.”

Jesus was very concerned about poor people. He told his disciples and us to be careful of rich hypocrites. They wear fashionable robes, they talk friendly when they meet people in public, and they make a big show of everything they do. They pretend to make long prayers which are just great speeches that everyone can hear about how great they are. They seem to be good people but in reality, Jesus says, they devour widow’s houses, that is, they steal from the poor and helpless. They have no pity or concern for other people. Their religious life is just a show. And so Jesus says, “Beware of the scribes.”

And so in his New Testament letter, James wrote, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (1:27).

And so Martin Luther explained the 7th and 9th Commandments in this way:

The Seventh Commandment You shall not steal.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor's money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income.

The Ninth Commandment You shall not covet your neighbor's house.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbor's inheritance or house, or get it in a way which only appears right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it.

When Jesus said, “Beware of the scribes,” he was speaking to his disciples and to us. He was not speaking to the scribes. In other words, we must be careful not to become like the scribes. We humans want to have something that we can take pride in. We like to boast. We like to raise ourselves up, and put other people down. It is easy to be like the scribes. It even happens in our Christian churches when we do all the work and certain people do nothing. “Beware of the scribes.” “Beware of ourselves!” The only way to overcome this is to look at Jesus. He became the servant of all: the rich and the poor, the eager and the lazy, the wise and the foolish. When we see his humility, it gives us the power to be humble. When we see his service, it gives us the power to serve others.

And in our Gospel reading for today, there is the poor widow who put all her money in the Temple offering box. All she had was two small copper coins, which make a penny. That really is not enough to buy anything. So she put in the last of her money which was all she had. The scribes gave the mandatory 10% tithe. And even if it were a large sum, they still had a lot left over. They gave from the excess of their wealth. But the poor widow gave 100% of all she had to live on.

I think there are at least two lessons that we should learn from this story. One is that we should consider the plight of the poor. We should try to understand their situation and then be generous in our charity.

Another lesson is that we should be generous in what we give to God. How generous? If we are like the poor widow, then we should give all we have to the Lord. I wonder in how many churches this morning where the preacher preaches on this text will the congregation be challenged to do like the widow did? “Take all the money out of your pockets and put it in the offering basket. Empty the cash out of your wallets!” If challenged, I wonder how many people would do that? But we all have money at home or in the bank, so it would not be any great hardship for most of us.

Of course the church needs money to pay the electric bill, the salary of the pastor, and the mission projects. The church treasurer is very grateful for your generosity, “thank you very much!” What percentage of our money should we give to God? Ten percent? From today’s Bible reading, from the example of the poor widow, the answer is 100%. “That is impossible!” you might think. “I have to live and eat and feed my family, etc., etc.” Of course that is right. But God does not just want our money; he wants our whole self, our whole life. He wants us to give 100% of our life.

Why does God give us money, and all the other things we daily need and pray for in the Lord’s Prayer? It is so that we can live 100% for God. When we are using our money in the service of God, it is giving it back to God. Basically, if we are not using our money for something that is either sinful or foolish, then we are using the money in a god-pleasing way. Even if it is for our own personal benefit, we can still live Christian lives. In that way, we can give 100%.

We know that Jesus gave 100%. He gave his life for us. He died as a sacrifice for sin. That sacrifice was the ultimate offering to God. And yet, the benefit of that offering was given 100% to us. Our sin is forgiven, we are reconciled to God, we have eternal life and salvation.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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