Scripture Mark 12:37-44
INTRODUCTION
The stain glass window at first Baptist Urbana (describe it) 2 slides Stained Glass 1 & 2
Jesus…After
commending one specific teacher of the law, then denounces the religious
leaders as a class of people who like to walk around in flowing robes. What
they wore was not as important as why they wore them. They used them to flaunt
their education, their financial and their religious status as being above everyone
else. The robe was their visible sign of authority to teach others - It showed
they were right about the law and you receive what they say is right. (This was
nothing new - Joseph and his multi color coat said he was above his brothers)
On the other hand, Jesus' teaching was his authority. [Luke 4:31-32 Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in
Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. They were amazed at his
teaching, because his message had authority.
Matt 7:28-29 When Jesus
had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,
because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the
law.]
Jesus denounced
their desire to show off by their clothing; but they also made a show before
man & God in the synagogue taking the best seats and seeking the place of
honor at banquets. [Jesus another time said: Luke 14:8-11 When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the
place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.
If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this
man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important
place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host
comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will
be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts
himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.]
Worse than all that, these teachers of
the law he is addressing on this day had a total disregard for the poor and
outcast - the lowest of whom would be older women who were widows. "They devour widow's houses." [Isaiah
10:1-2 "Woe to those who make
unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of
their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making
widows their prey and robbing the fatherless."]
Finally, he condemns them for their long prayers that are for show, not to communicate with a holy God.
(Does any of
this happen today? Phil Driscoll & Mars Hill 10 year rise and fall /// Like
Leroy Jenkins who
used to fill arena's and live in mansions and sell healing water - ended up
destitute living in a motor home and half filling a 500-seat hotel ballroom.
The state said his water would not heal but would give you diaria. His lowest
move was marrying an old widow who hit a $6,000,000.00 lottery shortly after
her husband died. The family got that marriage annulled because she was
incompetent to make her own decisions.)
All
of this is setting up a short 4 sentence story that is one of the biggest parts
of HIStory in all of the Bible.
Mark 12:37-44 Luke
20:45-21:4 (less detail)
The large
crowd listened to Jesus with delight.
38 As
he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers
of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the
marketplaces, 39 and have the most
important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40
They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy
prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."
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Widow's
Mite 1 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the
offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple
treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor
widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a
penny.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, Widow's Mite 2 this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything — all she had to live on."
13 chests in the
temple treasury in the court of the women all shaped like a trumpet - 9 were
for the receipt of what was legally due by worshippers (Half shekel tax, Temple
tax, purification offering - sin offering - trespass offering, etc.); the other
4 were free-will offerings.
The rich used these to show off - taking larger, heavier coins and "throwing" them in to make noise - like sounding a trumpet. They were made of metal and made noise. The less valuable a coin - the less metal it was made from and the less noise it would make - a mite was the smallest of all coins.
She didn't have to give it. Why
did she?
Do you have money, or does money have you?
I can’t help at church because I don’t have enough time. Or does time have you?
Give the rest of your life to God - when I go to work, the quality I give is to be more like you. With my family, I give you my best. With my neighbor and the stranger, I give myself totally to God.
When people have hard times they often pull away from God and His church. This widow is the opposite - she was going through hard times - a widow in 1st century Israel had it difficult - she gave ALL she had - she had it rough, but she still gave all she had.
The widow's might was not in her pocketbook, it was in her heart. Her devotion was to the God she loved. (Like the unnamed woman of St. Luke Presbyterian Church) She gave, not a piece of herself, she gave ALL of herself - everything she had and did it voluntarily - not for show, but in confident humility.
CONCLUSION
The Apostle Paul's Thesis
Phil 3:7-14
But whatever
was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I
consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them
rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness
of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ —
the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ
and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his
sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the
resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already
been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took
hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is
ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me
heavenward in Christ Jesus.
John the Baptist's Thesis
John 3:30
He must become greater; I must become less.
INVITATION
Remember HIStory is not just
about you and your response - though that is a part of it - but it is about
showing who God is - One verse shows who God is and how much He notices and
affirms us when we give our all to him:
Mark 12:44 (The MSG) "All the
others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't
afford — she gave her all."
Matt 25:21 Jesus will say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your savior's happiness!'
YOUR RESPONSE
REVEALS YOUR HEART OF WORSHIP
King
of endless worth - No one could express - How much You deserve
Though I'm weak and poor - All I have is Yours - Every single breath
I'll bring You more than a song - For a song in itself - Is not what You have
required
You search much deeper within - Through the way things appear - You're looking
into my heart
I'm coming back to the heart of worship - And it's all about You - It's all about You, Jesus
Sing Song: The Heart of Worship
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