How Much Should I Give. (Luke 21:1-4)
A well-worn 20 pence piece met a similarly distressed £100.00 note in the till of an Aldi Supermarket.
They struck up a conversation the £100.00 back note asked the 20 pence coin how long he had been in circulation. About 20 years he said, me too said the £100 note.
Where have you been during all these years asked the 20 pence coin. I've been having a ball said the £100 note said. I've travelled all over the world been to the finest restaurants and the biggest and most plush hotels casinos and Golf clubs. The most exclusive shops, and boutiques all kinds of amusement parks and golf clubs. I’ve been to several sporting events this year including the FA cup final, the pen Golf Championships and Wimbledon.
In fact, in the last couple of months I've made several trips to Europe including the Euro’s and a special resort spa in Germany I have also been on cruise ships, top notch hair salons in London and Paris, theatres, concert halls, opera houses. I been to Disney World so many times I've lost count. I think I have done it all.
After bragging about his great travels and adventures the £100.00 note then asked the 20 pence piece, how about you, where have you been this year?
The 20 pence piece replied I've been to the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church the week before the United Reform church last month and the Pentecostal church before that. In fact, the more I think about I just go round different churches every Sunday jumping in and out of the basket and then into another basket the following week.
And then the £100 note interrupted and said, wait a minute, what's a church?
Sounds like an introduction to a sermon on giving, doesn't it?
Maybe it sounds like a message that says you should be giving £100 notes and not 20 pence pieces to your church. (Maybe I’m going to say we should be painting a big H on roof of your church hall so you minister can land his helicopter there in future.
Well, not exactly.
Because this is a message where Jesus commends someone for giving the equivalent of a couple of 20 pence pieces.
Now perhaps you’re thinking, that’s more like it, this is the kind of sermon I'd like to hear, well, all I might also say be careful what you wish for.
Well today we going to turn with me to Luke chapter 21 where we will see a story of something that throws some very clear light on this difficult, sometimes even controversial issue of giving.
Welcome to TBPDP.
1: As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2: He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3: “Truly I tell you, “He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4: All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
Okay, the first verse. “As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.”
We’ll stop right there first right at the start for just a minute, because I want you just to look at the opening verses first in order that we can get a handle to exactly what is going on here.
In Luke chapter 21, verse one begins with an intriguing detail: It says, ‘Jesus looked up’.
This seemingly simple action suggests that he was previously occupied with something or perhaps just lost in thought, and then suddenly redirected his gaze towards what was going on right in front of him.
“Jesus looked up and He saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.
(Luke 1-2)
So, what he saw was a familiar scene: the rich making their contributions to the temple treasury. To understand the significance of this moment, it's essential to grasp the context.
Within the temple courtyard, specifically in the Court where the Women were allowed there were 13 trumpet-shaped collection boxes where worshippers could make their offerings.
Each box was designated for specific purposes related to the temple's upkeep and service. The Pharisees, known for their flashy displays of piety, often made a show of their donations by tossing in coins that would clang loudly against the metal, signalling their generosity.
In contrast to this spectacle of wealth, Jesus noticed a poor widow quietly approaching one of the collection boxes. She was in a markedly different position from the more affluent donors around her.
This was because widows in ancient Israel were among the most vulnerable members of society, lacking financial security and dependent on the mercy of others.
For this woman, putting in two small coins, or "mites," was a significant act, because it would have represented a considerable sacrifice out of her meagre resources.
Before looking any further, it's crucial to note the absence of any judgment or commendation in Jesus’ observation of her here described by Luke.
Jesus do not condemn the rich for being rich; rather, it just offers us a contrast and highlights the widow's extraordinary act of faith.
Considering these points, one might naturally assume that the rich gave more substantial amounts than the widow. After all, their resources far exceeded hers, but the text does not provide specifics about their contributions.
However, this assumption underscores a critical aspect of the passage: which is, appearances can be deceiving.
Now, as we move forward to verse three, we continue to unravel some added insights embedded in this encounter between Jesus and the worshippers at the temple.
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“Truly I tell you, “He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others”.
(Luke 21: 3)
Indeed, the teachings of Jesus presented by Luke in this passage is meant to challenge conventional notions of generosity and giving. At first glance, it may seem counterintuitive or even nonsensical to suggest that a small offering could surpass these larger donations in significance.
However, Jesus provides a spiritual perspective that transcends mere cold hard arithmetic.
Jesus flips apparent logic on its head here.
In verse 4, Jesus he explains.
: All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
(Luke 21: 4)
These wealthy individuals gave out of their surplus money. Their contributions, while numerically significant, but did not represent, and her is the key, a ‘sacrificial amount’...
They gave without any real personal cost or sacrifice involved.
On the other hand, the widow, despite her poverty, gave everything she had. Her two small coins (mites), represented not just a percentage of her income, but her entire surplus, the entire amount she had left after paying her bills. In essence, she held nothing back; she offered her entire resources in devotion to God.
It's essential to understand that Jesus is not simply praising the widow's spirit or attitude, although those aspects are undoubtedly praiseworthy and were not meant to ignore them either.
Rather, he is highlighting the sacrificial nature of her gift. She gave not just financially, but with her whole heart and soul. Her offering, though small in monetary value, carried far greater weight in the eyes of God because of the sacrifice it represented.
This passage challenges us to rethink our perspectives on giving. It urges us to consider not just the numerical amount of our gifts, but the proportion of our sacrifice. True giving, according to Jesus, is not measured by the size of the donation, but by the depth of commitment and devotion behind it.
When it come to giving Jesus wants us to give generously, proportionally and the most important one is sacrificially.
As we reflect on this teaching, we are meant to examine our own attitude towards giving. Are we simply offering out of our leftovers, giving what we can spare after we have had or bought everything, we want this week? Aree, we giving without any real personal sacrifice?
Or are we willing to follow the example of the widow, offering ourselves entirely to God, because that costs us a lot more?
The main point I believe being made here is the amount given is sacrificial. Look at verse 3: "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more." Nothing is mentioned about her motive; the emphasis is on the amount she gave, which was more, but not more numerically, more sacrificially.
Now, when I mention giving and discuss the amount, what's the first word that comes to mind? It's likely "tithing," right? To fully address this topic within the biblical framework, we need to look for a moment at the concept of tithing.
We find that before the Mosaic law, it was voluntary. During the period of the law, it became compulsory, amounting to about 23 1/3% annually, with additional offerings. (Not the 10% most people think.)
However, in the New Testament, we are not under the Mosaic law; therefore, we are not commanded to tithe. We are commanded to give, generously, proportionally, and sacrificially. Got it?
If you want to know the detailed discussion of giving in the New Testament, it's in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9. I’m not going to read them now; we w have other matters to attend to today, but I will cover that in detail when we get to the letters to the Corinthians one day soon.
But let me tell you this: the essence of those chapters is that you should not give out of legalism or grudging obligation (2 Corinthians 9:5), but rather you should give three ways, as I said, cheerfully, and generously and ideally sacrificially.
When we get to those passage, we will see that when Paul talks about giving, he sets it up by talking about setting aside money for the poor saints in Jerusalem.
He then speaks highly of the churches in Macedonia, praising their generosity despite their own poverty. They gave beyond their ability he says, they gave willingly and eagerly. They gave of themselves first to the Lord, and then to others, according to the will of God.
This, I believe, encapsulates the New Testament perspective on giving.
You start by giving yourself to the Lord, and if you haven’t done that, what I'm about to say might not have much impact on you.
The essence of what God really wants, and what Jesus illustrated here in Luke 21, is she gave beyond her ability. She gave more than what she had the ability to do, which is exactly what Jesus wants to illustrate here with the widow in Luke chapter 21.
So, the issue is not just the amount on the offering, but rather the priorities on what you spend your money on during the week or the month, and the amount leftover at the end of the month after you've given to the work of the Lord.
God doesn't look at the amount in the offering; He looks at what you’re doing with your financial resources after you've given to the Lord’s work.
By this, He assesses whether you've given according to your ability and sacrificially. What may seem trivial to one person could be a significant sacrificial sum to another, and the Lord knows which it is.
Sometime the gifts of a rich person do not really cost them much. However, the two small coins of the widow was everything she had at that point. She gave with almost reckless generosity, by giving all she had left.
When it comes to giving, God sees not just the portion given, but the proportion alongside the condition of the heart.
For some people tithing is impossible until they get their finances in order. But for others it might be we should start, not stop. I've heard Dr. Charles Ryrie suggest that wealth can mean we can giving even more, demonstrating that because you're not bound by the Mosaic law you are free to with generously.
As an ex financial advisor in my past life, I sometimes advised Christian people financially, and I've seen believers who had got themselves into deep debt, sometimes before they came to faith, sadly some after they became Christians. They found themselves in deep, deep debt, unable to afford to give a lot.
In such cases, I started by recommending you give what you can afford, even if it might be smaller amount, as long as the small amount you are giving represented a sacrifice. Then gradually increase the amount as they paid off their debts.
Sacrifice should not include essentials like mortgage payments, rent or food, but there are other areas where we can re-direct resources to the Lord’s work and that then represents a sacrifice.
For instance, dining out, entertainment or expensive subscriptions for luxury services or just have one less £5 coffee per week.
The principle is God delights in cheerful and joyful giving, and the principle is as Jesus taught, “for it is more blessed to give than to receive”.
If you don't hold that perspective, it might be time to renew your mind through repentance which simple means changing the way in which you do things following God pointing out to you how at the moment what you are doing, or perhaps even spending your money on is not aligned with his will.
We simply need to align our thinking with God's perspective.
One more observation:
What struck me about that passage in Luke when I read it was how Jesus knew she gave 2 mites. The answer, of course, is that He's the Son of God.
Part of the point of that passage is that He not only did He know the amount she gave, but He also knew the proportion she gave.
There was no way a human observer could have known that.
How would an ordinary observer know the widow only had two mites left?
I was struck by the fact that the Lord knows: the amount, the attitude, and the sacrifice. And in some cases, He thinks giving £5 is more sacrificially than giving £20, or even £100.
John Roberts, a very famous 19th Baptist preacher, did something one Sunday morning. As he was about to receive the offering, he stepped down from the pulpit and stood beside one of the ushers. Then, as the ushers moved down the aisle passing the offering plate, he followed one of them, watching what everyone put in the plate.
Can you imagine a pastor doing that? Some people were understandably angry, some were ashamed, and most were just shell -shocked and surprised. (I’m not recommending it)
Anyway, after the offering was brought to the front, he returned to the pulpit and began his sermon. He preached on the widow who gave 2 mites, and he concluded his sermon by saying,
"If you take it to heart that I have seen your offering today, remember, the Lord goes down the aisle not just but more than that he knows the contents of your bank accounts and even more than that he know the content of your heart and sees and is grateful for every sacrifice monetary or otherwise that people make to build the kingdom of God.