Richer in Faith – Mark 12:38-44
How many stewardship campaigns have used the story of poor widow who gave her last two coins, and then said to the congregation, “Go and do likewise.”
Even though God wants our total commitment, Jesus isn’t telling us that we have to give everything we have in order to earn his approval. Here’s why.
In the New Testament, Jesus commands only one person to give away all his possessions. That one person was, “The Rich, Young Ruler.” Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us about him. In that story we see Jesus telling the young man he needs to sell all his possessions in order to gain eternal life because his possessions were what was preventing him from following Jesus.
Now let’s look at that as it relates to the bigger picture. Jesus had a number of wealthy followers – like Martha, Mary, & Lazarus – but he didn’t command those wealthy people to sell all their possessions. Why? The difference was that for the Rich, Young Ruler his possessions were a stumbling block to attaining eternal life. As long as he prized them more than he prized his relationship with Jesus, he could never truly follow the Lord.
So, what does that mean for us? It means that if our possessions aren’t preventing us from following Jesus, then he probably won’t call on us to sell everything we own at some gigantic yard sale. But there’s also another reason why I think that the lesson of widow’s story isn’t that Jesus wants you to give up everything you have. When we look at the story in Mark it seems completely clear that Jesus is doing two very different things. He’s praising the sacrificial generosity of the poor widow and he’s condemning the corrupt religious system that would encourage a poor woman to put in her last two coins.
In both the Mark and Luke accounts of the widow’s story Jesus condemns the Scribes for devouring widows’ houses. Beginning in verse 38 Jesus says: “Watch out for the teachers of the law [the Scribes] … They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.” And immediately after Jesus says those words, He sees the poor widow come and contribute her last two coins.
When we read that story in context, the poor widow seems to be a tragic example of someone who has had her house devoured by corrupt Scribes! It was the same problem that led to the reformation when Luther saw how the church of his time was pushing the poor to contribute money they didn’t have so the church could build cathedrals and monuments.
All this means that you and I don’t need to empty our bank accounts to please God. The richness of faith is about much more than just dollars and cents. It’s about stepping out unafraid in faith and generosity in order to follow Jesus.