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What can we give to God today? In this Sunday sermon entitled The Widow's Two Cents, we see that Jesus measures generosity not by the amount given, but by the sacrifice and surrender in our hearts.

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Mark chapter 12, verses 38 to 44. Verse 38. And in his teaching he said, Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long ropes, and like greetings in the marketplaces, and have the best seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at feast, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation. Verse 41. And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And 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. 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. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

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In Mark chapter 12, verse 38 to 44, Jesus sets the religious pretense of the scribes and the humble faith of a widow in stark contrast. The widow's offering, despite its inconsequent monetary value, is for Mark the most fitting response to the greed and arrogance of the scribes, for rather than seeking to arrest Jesus, which was what the scribes and the Pharisees were trying to do to catch him, to arrest him, she, the poor widow, gave her whole life all she had to live on. Let us pray. Father, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. So Jesus here is teaching in the temple and he observes two types of people. One group are the scribes, they were commanding and ostentatious. The other is the poor widow. And Jesus began, and we note that he begins by teaching. So it's a discipleship lesson. In his teaching to his disciples or to those present, he said, Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces, and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation. The scribes first appeared in Mark chapter 1, verse 22, and they commanded unrivaled authority in first century Palestine. They were the people of authority. Their flowing robes were full-length prayer shawls made with wool or linen with tassels attached to the four corners. It distinguished them, rabbis and scholars, as men of wealth and eminence. The best seats in the synagogues refer to the benches along the walls of the synagogues. They were reserved for teachers and persons of rank and afforded the best positions from which to address those present at the synagogue. But most interestingly or most poignantly, whenever you see a scribe walking down the street or passing through a marketplace, everyone was expected to rise before him. Such position and privilege fostered the desire for scribes to make an impression, to be greeted in the marketplaces and have places of honor at banquets. So it's also mentioned that the scribes devour widows' houses. What reference point can we understand this statement? Josephus, the first century historian, writes about a story and account of a Jewish scribe who persuaded a high-standing woman by the name of Fulvia to make substantial gifts to the temple in Jerusalem. However, he embezzled the gifts and caused an outrage from the Roman emperor and common citizens on the streets. Such incidents historically may lie behind the charge of Jesus of devouring widows' houses. It also would give Mark's readers who hear the words of Jesus a reference point to this scandal, what we call the Fuvia scandal that happened, as a frame of reference to refer to the extreme, aggressive greed of the scribes. So the scribes also had a pretense to make long prayers. The judgment of Jesus of those who practice religion for the purpose of self-advancement is blunt and stern. Jesus said that they will receive the greater condemnation. So in Mark 12, 41 to 44, the scene now changes from a teaching about the scribes and what not to follow. It now shifts to the temple treasury where Jesus began to observe the crowds. Mark 12, verse 41 to 42 says Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box or to the treasury box. Many rich people put in large sums, and a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which makes a penny. The temple treasury was located in what was known at that time as the court of women, and it was the main entrance, the first enclosure of the sanctuary in which Jewish women and children were allowed to be present to worship. The text of that day reports that there were actually 13 shofar chests in the temple, each dedicated to a special offering. These trumpet-like receptacles, often shaped like a shofar or a ram's horn, is positioned with a tapered end upwards in order to prevent theft. Into one of these receptacles, a poor widow deposits two small copper coins, the smallest coinage in circulation at that time. Jesus could have known the amount of the woman's offering because when a contribution is made, the attending priest would examine the currency for genuineness, inquired of the purpose of the gift, and verified that the contribution corresponded to the prescribed sacrifice. The priest then directed the worshiper to deposit the amount in the appropriate receptacle. And all this was spoken aloud and would perhaps be audible to bystanders and likely to Jesus too. In addition to worship, one of the most important functions of the temple in Jerusalem was as a depository for vast amounts of wealth. The Levites were in charge of the temple, which accrued great quantities of wealth in the form of dues, taxes, and donations of valuable objects and money. These included vessels made of gold or silver that were used for sacrificial worship, warehouses, stockpiles of flour, oil, grain, wine, incense, and other valuable products. Individuals also deposited money there in the Jerusalem temple in the belief that a sacred place was a safe place. So Mark's description of the sin accentuates the poverty and insignificance of the widow and her gift. Mark tells us that many rich people, wealthy people were there, and they put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins. The scribes, as described earlier, were ostentatious and impressionable. Like they they lived to make an impression for others, and they were greedy for wealth. The crowds are rich and extravagant. By contrast, this one poor widow contributes two of the smallest coins in circulation. In purely financial terms, the value of the poor widow's offering is negligible and unworthy of comparison to the sums of the wealthy donors. But in the divine exchange, in the eyes of God, things look very different. Because, and this is the key, it says that which makes no difference in the books of the temple is immortalized in the book of life and record for us in scripture. That which makes no difference at all in comparison to the great wealth of the temple in the books of the temple is immortalized in the book of life. And therefore, Jesus continues his pronouncement on the widow's offering with solemn authority. He was teaching the disciples something, a lesson. And Mark 12 43 to 44 tells us there's a lesson Jesus wants his disciples to know. He called them. The word called is better translated as summon them. So it's not just calling, but uh it's a resting call. Summon them, come here and listen. And Jesus 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. For they all contributed out of their abundance, out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had, all she had to live on. I like us to notice the word more in verse 43. Jesus said, This poor widow has put in more than all who are contributing to the offering box. It's powerful in Mark's uh language here, in his description of the giving of the widow. It's much more. However, in reality, as we look at it, uh in reality, we see that everything about this woman has been described in terms of less. In particular, her status as a widow, you know, she would, in the time of Jesus, she would not be able to uh defend herself because uh she needed a man or a son to defend herself. So she's probably seen as defenseless and uh not important in the age of the day. And what's more in terms of her giving two small copper coins, the smallest amount possible to give. So everything seems to be less in the world's eyes. Yet Jesus said she had put in more. Why is this so? Why did Jesus commend the widow for her offering? I believe this is the heart of the lesson. I believe Jesus is teaching his disciples in discipleship. Because for Jesus, the value of a gift is not equated to the amount that you give, but the cost it takes to give the cost to the giver. It's not the value or the amount, but the cost to the person that is commendable in this instance. We see this illustrated further in Mark chapter 14, verse 3 to 9. If you read on a few uh chapters following uh Mark chapter 12, you will be led to a story of a woman who, a woman, sorry, who gives an extravagant gift of perfume. She came to Jesus with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nut, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who were indignant and thought that the costly ointment was wasted in such a way. In fact, they said it could have been sold for more than a hundred denarii and given to the poor. In fact, they scolded her. Why are you wasting such a sacrifice, such costly ointment for the burial of Jesus? But Jesus said she has done she had done a beautiful thing that whenever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her. So, what's the similarities between this story, uh, our story today, and also the story of the woman who broke an alabaster flask of ointment of pionard on Jesus? It shows us, even though that the value of a gift is far greater than the two copper coins of the poor widow, yet remarkably, each is equally praised by Jesus based on a costly sacrifice. Both contributed out of a heart that gives, that cost, that the willingness to sacrifice, to give sacrificially. So their generosity to God and lavishness on Jesus were commended. In the temple, others gave what they could spare, but the poor widows spared nothing. Others gave from their surpluses, she gave from her need all she had to live on. The sacrifice of everything she had is the keystone in Mark's portrayal of her faith. It reminds us of the initial call of the disciples right at the beginning of Mark's narrative in Mark 1.17. He said, Come, Jesus said, Come, follow me. Is perfectly fulfilled in the giving of here two copper coins, which symbolizes an undivided heart to Jesus. Just as how the widow gave everything she had without holding anything back, the disciples are called to give up everything as they follow Jesus. So, what can we learn from this story? I believe the lesson in this story is to show the disciples a true model of discipleship. What does following Jesus really mean? At the heart of this story, it's not about you give more, I give less, or you know, it's not about a monetary value imputed to the gift, but it's about a costly sacrifice. Following Jesus will require a costly sacrifice. Following Jesus requires a wholehearted commitment concretized, we see here by the example of the poor widow who gave to Jesus everything she had. She didn't hold anything back but gave out of her need. So, in other words, if we paraphrase, the poor widow lays down her whole life to follow Jesus. Discipleship is about laying down our whole life to follow Jesus, and it will cost us everything. Let me repeat again. Discipleship is about laying down our whole life to follow Jesus, and it will cost us everything. Jesus spoke in Luke 14, verse 33 on the cost of discipleship. He says, So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. So what is acceptable to God is a whole sacrifice. Our whole hearts must be in it. Someone says, All in. We are all in for Jesus. That's another way of saying that. We are not holding anything back. What determines what is commendable to Jesus is whether there is a cost in following Jesus. Whether we count the cost of following Jesus, whether we give to God our whole heart or our leftovers. So no gift, whether of money, time or talent, is too insignificant to give if it is given to God with a whole heart. And what is truly given to God with a whole heart, regardless how small and insignificant, is transformed into a pearl of great price. On the contrary, what may look like a great gift, conversely, may in reality be little in comparison with what one could give, if one simply gives out of one's abundance rather than what it costs to the person. So my challenge for us today is this question: what can we give to God today? A gift from our whole heart that will cost us everything. What can we give to God today? A gift from our whole heart that will cost us everything. Another way of phrasing this question is to ask, what do we deem as most valuable or precious? What is most precious or valuable to us? Following Jesus or following our pet hobby or our own interests or our own pursuits? What is of greatest worth to us that we are willing to give up everything to gain the one thing we cannot lose? As I reflected on this and and I asked the Lord, how can I rein in a kind of application for us that will kind of bring us through this sermon? I sense the Lord leading me to uh reminding me and perhaps all of us together how our inner restlessness within us points us ultimately to God. And uh a lot oftentimes we are restless deep within us because we are searching for something, a longing, a fulfillment, and all of us are driven one way or another. I believe uh in some way we all have different motivating factors to be here in church, but more importantly, in our life, what drives us in life? What motivates us in life. And I believe we we all have different reasons. But until our hearts find rest in God, until we orientate ourselves to God and find out our purpose in Him, then will our lives be fulfilled. So Augustine in the first book of his confessions writes and are paraphrased. He says, Great are you, O Lord, and greatly to be praised. Great is your power and your wisdom infinite. And man would praise you, man, a particle of your creation, man that bears about him his mortality, the weakness, weakness, the weakness of his sin, the weakness that you resist the proud. Yet man would praise you, he but a particle of your creation. You awake us to delight in your praise, for you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. So before his conversion, uh Augustine of Hippo he writes that he was restless and wanting love. As he puts it, for there was a hunger within me from a lack of the inner food, which is yourself my God, but was without desire for incorruptible food. He says this in uh Book 3, chapter 1 of his confessions. So all of us have this inner restlessness that drives us, that motivates us. And until we find our footing in God, in following Jesus in discipleship, then it will always be a swing to pursue our own cause, our own interest, our own purpose, until we center our lives in God. From nature we learn that a deer pans for water to cool his body down after intense exertion, such as when escaping from a predator. So a deer pans because of his the body uh biological system that naturally he needs water to cool down after running from a predator or after a uh a period of exertion. So it needs water to replenish strength and for survival. When it finds water, an observer of uh a deer once noted that he saw a deer rushing out of the forest, tearing across the grass to get to water, immersing its head in the water, it sucks and blows, it drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks. In Psalm 42, the physical thirst and heavy panting of an exhausted deer seeking survival is used as a powerful metaphor for a person's deep, desperate spiritual longing for God. In Psalm 42, verse 1 to 5, the sons of Korah cried out, As a deer pens for flowing streams, so pens my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night when they say to me all day long, Where is your God? These things I remember as I pour out my soul, how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude-keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God. So all of us have a deep longing within us that can only be fulfilled when our lives are fully yielded to Jesus. So at this point, I'd like to invite the worship team to come and lead us in a song that may not be familiar to us because it's a song in the song of the 1980s, but it's a familiar chorus that has been translated into, I think, Bahasa, Indonesia, to Chinese, and I'm not sure to some other languages. Right? So the title of the song is As the Deer Pants for the Water. I like to use this song as a reflection for us and as a way for us to make a response to God this morning. Just as how a deer pans desperately after water for after water for it needs that for strength and survival, our hearts are desperately restless until it finds its rest in God. Like the poor widow, we are called to lay down our whole life, our whole life to follow Jesus.

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So let this be the pride of our hearts.com. Have a blessed day.