THE WOMAN WHO GAVE THE MOST WHEN SHE GAVE THE LEAST
TEXT - Mark 12: 41 - 44
INTRO. - The woman in our text is never named in the Bible.
There are only two accounts of her act given in the New
Testament. She is mentioned here and in Luke 21 and both
chapters give her story in only four verses. The scene is at
the Temple where Jesus made it his custom to go. He went and
even though the services were quite cold and dead, he never
took the position many take today that he could worship God
outside the church just as well as he could inside the
church. Jesus went to God’s house in spite of the failures of
its leadership and the people who attended. Many today blame
their lack of attendance on hypocrites and backsliders in the
church. I have always felt that if you are going to
successfully hide behind something, you have got to be
smaller than thing which you hide behind. Anyway, Jesus went
to the Temple to worship and since he is the same yesterday,
today, and forever, he has the same attitude about worship at
God’s house now as then. Jesus is interested in people who
attend God’s house. He is also interested in their giving. He
was interested then and he is interested now.
LET US LOOK FOR A FEW MINUTES AT THIS PASSAGE AND NOTICE
SEVERAL THINGS. FIRST, ABOUT GOD, SECOND, ABOUT THE
ATTENDERS, AND THIRD, ABOUT THE WOMAN.
I. NOTICE A FEW THINGS ABOUT GOD - vs. 41 - 44
1. God is interested in our giving. He is very
interested. God has given us so much in time, talents, and
money and he wants to see what we do with what he has given
us. He is interested in our giving because when it is done
right, it is an act of worship. It also shows the extent of
our generosity or our selfishness.
2. God is also interested in our failure to give. The
law of the harvest, the law of sowing and reaping is seen in
our giving and in our failure to give. We are looking in our
text primarily at giving money but this text also has
application to giving our time and talents too. He realizes
that there is eternal reward and eternal loss connected to
our giving as well as other areas of our lives.
3. God is more interested in the attitudes and motives
than he is in the gift itself. You really cannot give God
anything because he owns it all but we can give in the sense
of returning to God what he has given to us.
God is interested in our sacrifice to him. Vs. 43-44
says this woman gave two mites. A mite was the smallest of
the Jewish coins and worth about 1/5 of a cent in our money
today. Two mites was equal in worth to a farthing, the
smallest of the Roman coins and worth about 2/5 of a cent in
our money today. This woman gave 2/5 of a cent and was
praised by the Lord for her gift over the others who came and
gave much more. Why? Because God saw in her gift something
that he did not see in the others gifts. He saw real
sacrifice and selflessness. God is not interested so much in
what we give as he is in what we keep back for ourselves. She
held back none. God is interested in our sacrifice to him.
Most of us know nothing of real sacrifice in giving. We give
God in a year about what we give to feed our pets and bad
habits.
Giving is not the only things we can sacrifice in. We
can sacrifice in prayer, time, attendance, and service. I
have known of some with cancer and arthritis who really
struggled in pain and effort to attend God’s house. One
person had to take over three hours just to get dressed to
come to church but she was there every service.
4. God does not expect all to give the same. God does
not expect the poor and the rich to give the same. The woman
in our text did not give as much as the others who came. God
never gave us an amount to give, only a percent. That way a
man who gives 10% of $100,000 and a man who gives 10% of a
$100 both give equally in the eyes of God though the man who
makes the $100 may be sacrificing more to do it.
5. God praised her for the generous offering - vs.43
He praised her to her back but not to her face. She went away
never knowing that the Savior had seen her deed, made the
comment about it, and would put it in the Scriptures for all
to see. God praises most people to their back while they are
still here on earth. Remember John the Baptist in Matt. 11:
2 -11.
II. NOTICE A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE PEOPLE - vs. 41
1. The rich were very generous and gave much. They were
not rebuked for their giving. He did not put them down for
what they gave so much as put the woman up for what she gave.
It was as if he praised their offering but praised her
offering more. It seems all brought an offering too which is
commendable.
2. The rich were not too busy to attend the Temple. They
did not use business as an excuse to stay away from church.
They were not so keyed up from a week of anxious work that
they needed a weekend away from God’s house. They were not so
lazy that they felt they needed to stay home and sleep in.
In spite of their busy lives, they were at the right place at
the right time for the right purpose.
3. They were givers and not just getters. In America we
have taught our children the thrill of getting. We do this
at Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, and for good grades. Many
have never grown away from the thrill of getting and never
experienced the thrill of giving. The idea of getting and not
giving lies behind stealing, gambling, and much commercial
advertising.
III. NOTICE A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE WOMAN - vs. 42 and 44
1. She is more interested in God and others than
herself. This was very rare then and is very rare now. She
knew that most of the money given in that Temple offering
would be given to the poor. She could have said as many do,
"I need it as much as they do".
2. She is completely unselfish in that she had two mites
to give and could have kept one for herself. If she had only
one coin then the decision would have been simple. she could
have given it or kept it. But she had two coins and the
choice was greater. she could have kept them. she could have
given one and kept one, or she could have given both. she
gave both.
3. She demonstrated great faith in God. She trusted God
to stand by her and meet her every need.
4. She gave her all and in so doing, her deed has in it
the spirit of the cross. Jesus gave his all and so did this
woman. He gave his life and in a way she did too.
5. She might have given the way that she did because she
knew of no other was to serve God. Maybe it was her only way.
Her health, station in life, education, and opportunities may
have hindered her from other forms of service and she
concluded this was her only way to help. She could give.
IN CONCLUSION --
God blessed this woman. In this one act she showed herself to
be more of a disciple of the Lord than many of the great men
of the faith who have had their names blazed across the pages
of history. God took note of what she did and God takes note
of us. Of one thing I am sure, I do not believe this woman
starved. God takes care of his own.
