What difference can two small coins make?

1 Kings 17:8-16 & Mark 12:38-44

I don't have to tell you that resources are scarce…we never have enough time to do the things we want to do…never have the money to buy all the things that we need…or all the things that…we think we need…never have enough energy to implement all our good ideas.

But however scarce our time…money…and energy might be for us…they were even more scarce for the widow in our text today…she had only two small copper coins…worth hardly anything…still she came to the temple, where she quietly put those two coins in the temple treasury…then she had no money at all…talk about scarce resources!

Jesus had noticed her offering…and He used it to instruct His disciples…He uses it to instruct us as well. In fact…Jesus has been teaching people about discipleship for twenty centuries through the example of this woman…a woman who was poor in money…but rich in faith.

Jesus began by drawing attention to the religious leaders of his day: "Watch out for the teachers of the law…they like to walk around…be greeted in the marketplaces…have the places of honour at banquets…they devour widows' houses and for a show…make lengthy prayers…such individuals will be punished most severely." Jesus never had much use for people who tried to use their religion to gain public favour…in this case…He watched people as they made their offerings to the temple treasury…watched people throw large amounts into the treasury.

He watched people place those offerings in metal…trumpet-shaped receptacles…which announced the gift of a large coin with a loud clang.

I can picture these finely dressed men tossing in handfuls of small and medium-sized coins…imagine the clatter and how much attention it would draw to themselves. Can you picture men standing in line at the temple treasury…throwing in their small coins and listening to the clink…clink as they hit the metal walls of the receptacle…then a finely dressed man would throw in one…large…heavy coin…which would make a satisfying CLANK as it hit the side of the receptacle…how pleased they would have felt as people stopped to see who was so generous. But then…the widow came to the treasury with her two small copper coins…her coins didn't go CLANK…didn't even go clink…her coins…barely made any noise at all as they went into the receptacle…a small…pitiful ping…at best. But Jesus drew attention to her offering, saying: "I tell you the truth…this poor woman has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she… out of her poverty…put in everything…all she had to live on."

What He was saying is that God counts the offerings…not by dollar amount…but by our generosity…God counts the offerings by assessing our hearts…counts the offerings by the faith and commitment that lay behind them. Have you ever felt jealous of this poor widow…because she gained so much credit with God by giving so little…why…she must have found it easy to give everything… because she had so little…but she must have found it hard to give anything…because she had so little. She could easily have said…"This little bit won't make any difference to the temple… but it will make a difference to me."  She could easily have said, "Let the rich people take care of it."  But instead…this woman did something truly remarkable…she reached into her purse… reached down to the very bottom…took everything that her purse had to offer…and dropped it into the temple treasury…and Jesus…seeing her pitiful offering…told his disciples that she had given more than anyone…not more…just because it was a larger percentage. It was more because it reflected her radical faith in God…God always calls us to radical faith…and radical faith always leads to radical action.

God always calls us to radical faith…and that usually means a sacrifice of whatever is nearest and dearest to our hearts.

God told Elijah to go to Zarephath during a great drought. God said, "I have commanded a widow there to feed you." But when Elijah arrived, he found that the poor widow had only a handful of meal and a bit of oil…which she was getting ready to bake into a small cake for her son and herself…then she fully expected that she and her son would die. But Elijah said: "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel:  The jar of meal will not be emptied…and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth."  The widow obeyed…and indeed neither the jar of meal nor the jug of oil ever failed…Elijah…the widow and her son had enough to eat throughout the remaining days of the drought…God was faithful…He kept his promises.

THIS IS RADICAL FAITH.

It would be easy to say…"Well, what did she have to lose…she was going to die anyway… why shouldn't she have given Elijah part of her little cake…she had nothing to lose…everything to gain."  BUT THAT ISN’T HOW IT WORKS.

Drowning people clutch at straws…if there is nothing else to grasp…they grip on a flimsy straw…and they never let go. This widow didn't have much…her little cake of meal was all the stood between life and death…for her and her son. If it would save their lives for a few hours…perhaps a miracle would happen…the fact that her son's life was at stake made it all the more likely that she would refuse to share at all. Most people would have clutched at the straw of life…but this woman shared…God had commanded her to feed Elijah…and God had promised: "The jar of meal will not be emptied…the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth." That was good enough for her…she obeyed God…and God was faithful to his promise… this woman survived the drought because God was faithful to His promise.

What does all this have to do with us?

There are several places where the stories of these two widows connects with our lives… these two widows…who lived thousands of years ago…can teach us something for today.

First up…they teach us that God always calls us to radical faith…which usually means a call to sacrifice something important to us…what we sacrifice is not important to God…except that it must be something important to us. He doesn't need us; we need him…we have nothing in our hands that God wants or needs…except that which demonstrates our devotion to him.

That devotion is the key.

•  God doesn't need our money; but God wants our hearts.

•  God doesn't need our time…He wants our love.

• God doesn't want what we have;  God wants us.

When we bring God our gifts…whether they are two copper coins…a cake of meal…or a million-dollar cheque…we stand before Him as a child stands before a parent. The parent cherishes the child's gift of themselves…and cherishes the gift that demonstrates that love. A good parent honours that devotion…when we offer God our devotion…God honours that devotion.

The Bible contains many stories of people's devotion to God…and God's faithfulness to his people…once they have been faithful to him…God doesn't just let them go home and die. The story of Elijah and the widow is typical…God commanded the widow to feed Elijah from her meagre stores…she did so…and the jar of meal and the jug of oil kept producing throughout the drought. We don't know what happened to the other widow…the widow who gave the two copper coins…but I believe that God found a way to take care of her…perhaps Jesus' disciples got together when Jesus left and took the woman something to eat.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

After all…we are disciples and his hands and  …I'm sure He found a way to take care of her needs.

God calls us to give him that which we love most…when we give God our best…God will give us his best…His generosity will always exceed ours…His faithfulness…will always be greater than ours. As we draw to a close…let me say that God does not call every Christian to do what these people did. God does not call every father to take his son to the top of a mountain with a knife in hand like Abraham did.

God does not call every widow to give her last bit of food to a stranger…and God does not call every Christian to give every last cent to charity…but God does call us to be deeply concerned for those in need…He calls us to give quietly and generously…calls us first to give our hearts…and then…to measure our gifts not just by what we give…but also by what we have left.

Let us pray.