Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.
Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”
Leave it all on th
e courtMarch is one of my favorite times of year due to March madness. The NCAA tournament in March is the best of all the basketball playoffs. Every game counts and if you lose you go home. No second chances. Before each game coaches have a chance to inspire their players with a few last words in the locker room. Often those words include some combination of encouragement to leave everything they have on the court. In other words, don’t save your energy for the next game, play today like it is the last game of your life.
“Come back totally spent.” “Give it all you have.” “Play like there is no tomorrow.” If you don’t there won’t be a tomorrow. Some of the best aspects of the tournament are the upsets. Lower seeded teams defeating teams they should not have beaten according to the stats. This often happens when a highly ranked team overlooks, or looks past a lower ranked team. They play with reserves left in the tank instead of giving it all they have.
I have discovered life in Christ is like playing in the tournament. The days I totally give all I have to God are the days where I experience victory. The days I hold back, and keep something for myself, are the days I struggle. Jesus did not call his disciples to a life of half-hearted living. He told them if they loved their families more than him they were not ready to be his disciples. That’s leaving it all on the court. I confess, I don’t always live this way. At times, I hold back from complete obedience, always to my own detriment. The full blessing, the victor’s crown comes to those who give it all every day.
Jesus, your demand for total surrender is hard for me to follow. I so often think I need to keep something in reserve to ensure I will have enough for tomorrow. Forgive me for this and help me to live every day in total surrender leaving everything out on the court of life as I play for you my coach and my God. - Dan Jones
Unsettled, but open
Wouldn’t it be nice if Jesus left well enough alone, for a change? The rich are obeying God’s instructions about giving. He asked for ten percent of their income. They gave ten percent. This widow foolishly give the last two coins she has to rub together. Rather than commending the wealthy for their obedience, he commends the widow for her poor money management.
Stop and think about it. Would you consider it wise if your aged mother or father gave away every red cent she or he’d saved through the years. Every social security check was cashed and given to the church and charity. Nothing to live on. And no inheritance for you, however meager it may have been. Of course you’d compliment mom on giving it all away. Right?
You know you wouldn’t. Neither would I. Instead we’d suspect another religious charlatan of smooth talking the elderly parent out of a life savings. Only, this time, the charlatan has the name of Jesus!
You can tell me that Jesus never instructs everyone to give every last penny away. But no one can deny that Jesus intended to lift this woman up as an example? Why? And why not let this be one of the many encounters Jesus had that never made it into the Bible? Why include this one. And the one about the rich man Jesus told to sell everything, but didn’t. Why make sure such encounters get recorded for the ages, unless there is something about them that other followers of Jesus should emulate.
The traditional line is also the safe one. God want’s to be lord of everything we have. He’s master of 100% not ten. But there would be other ways to communicate this without admiring a poor widow who gave away everything.
Is it possible that Jesus really does want his followers to give away far more than ten percent of their money and live far simpler - read poorer - than most of us do?
I must confess, I do not yet have an answer. I tithe. And I have given God complete ownership of everything in my middle class life. But underneath, I have a nagging suspicion that Jesus may want more than this from me. And maybe a lot more from my middle class Christian friends.
Lord of all my possessions, questions and cognitive dissonance are the beginnings of obedience. I’m really uncomfortable about how you affirmed this widow’s giving. But I am trusting your Spirit to guide me into your Truth, and give me the strength to follow it, wherever it may lead. - Mike Leamon
1 comment:
It's NOT about the money. It's about the condition of our hearts; the motives in giving. God doesn't need our money; He is the God of all rescources.
The poor widow had a pure heart about giving. Jesus saw the hearts of the rich and knew they were giving with wrong motives.
I think the question to ask, would be : When you are tithing, are you doing it with a pure and joyful heart or out of obligation or even to look good? It seems to me, that many give out of obligation, because they think that's what a good Christian does.
However, isn't that really sad?
Isn't it out of LOVE for our LORD that we should be giving, no matter what the amount is.
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