When Jesus Wept

November 8, 2009
Be Generous
Kalamazoo Mennonite Fellowship
Will Fitzgerald
Mark 12:38-42

38 As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40 They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

The Problem

What is the problem with the scribes? Jesus wants people to be generous as an end in itself, or, at least, not as a means to be honored and recognized. He has a similar problem with their prayers: they are insincere, because they have long prayers so that they might be heard, not because they want to interact with God. But, furthermore, the scribes “devour widows’ houses,” which I take to mean that they participate in the System which oppresses women, the poor and those who are without protection.

The scribes and “the rich” of verse 41 are both condemned; the rich also put in large sums in order to be seen. It is very significant that it is a widow—one whose house has been devoured—who gets Jesus’s commendation. After all, she has only “a penny” to her name—she is practically destitute.

The good example

The widow is an exemplar to us because she is so generous—“she out of her poverty has put in everything she had.” When Bill Gates declares he wants to give 99% of his money away before he dies—something for which I have a great respect—we must remember that this would still leave him with millions and millions of dollars. The widow’s gift was both greater as a percentage as well as how it left her in the end. On the other hand, of course, having only a penny and having nothing is practically the same thing.

What do we learn about generosity?

1. Be generous. It should be obvious, but God really likes it when we are generous; generosity is in God’s will; generosity is God’s plan for our lives.
2. Don’t rob someone to be generous. The scribes and the rich of their day were robbing poor people and returning some of their ill-gotten abundance back to God. But this is not generosity.
3. It is hard to be generous. Although the scribes and the rich gave away a lot (and were in this sense, generous) they are condemned. The widow’s 2 coins went into a collection taken and given to a System that favored the rich.
4. God seems pleased with generosity, even when it is a bit ill-conceived. As in everything, we have to learn to be generous; we will fail at times and do the wrong thing. But God still loves that we do it; God “loves a cheerful giver.” We are to be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.

An opportunity to be generous next week!

We are taking an offering for the [Agape Bible School][1] next week. CarolSue has just come back from visiting her friends who work there. They have a mission to provide on-site training, resources for ministry and encouragement for Ghanian pastors. They are associated with the Agape Gospel Mission, which has a medical outreach, an orphanage and does evangelism. They are a tax exempt (501(c)3) organization.

Or be generous in other ways. Since we don’t have much in the way of expenses as a church, please give generously for other concerns and ministries.