In what economy is $1.25 more than $10,000? I mean seriously. For $1.25 you can get a Big Gulp at 7/11; for $10,000 you can get a used car. For $1.25 you cannot even buy a single issue of a newspaper; for $10,000 you can buy a printing press! For $1.25 you can get three packages of ramen noodles; for $10,000 you can feed a family for a year. How can these two sums ever been seen as equal … much less $1.25 being greater than $10,000! Who would ever say such a thing?
Jesus would. And He did. In Mark 12:41-44.
2,000 years ago at the time of the Passover, when all of Israel came to the Temple to give their financial offerings, Jesus sat opposite the treasury and observed what was collected. No doubt, there would have been many rich people giving large sums of money … the equivalent of $10,000 or more. In their environment, the expensive gifts would have been seen, heard, and celebrated by the passing crowds. Then a poor widow arrives at the Temple. Her offering is not large and showy, makes no noise when placed in the offering chest, and is celebrated by nearly no one … except One. That’s right Jesus sees this woman put two small, thin coins (worth only 1/64th of a days wage … roughly $1.25 in today’s dollars for a person who made $10 per hour) into the offering container and exclaims, “She has given more than all the rest!”
WHAT? Was Jesus really bad at math? Or is He getting at something much deeper about the nature of godly generosity?
This Sunday, March 3, 2024 at Wildwood Community Church, we will be in the 7th and final week of our “Whys of Worship” sermon series … this week talking about why we take up an offering. We will look to the Scripture to see Jesus’ comments about this widow’s gift and what it tells us about our expressions of generosity today, and why we consider giving a part of our time of worship each week.
See you Sunday in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 worship services. We will worship together, have a brief interview with David Robles – one of our Global Ministry partners, and dive into Mark 12. See you then … and bring friends!