Alex Tang
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Medical Students /Paediatric notes
Let’s Talk about Giving
Dr Alex Tang
Text: Mark 12:41–44
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were
put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many
rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very
small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow
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."
Introduction
This passage in the gospels commonly known as the “widow’s offering” illustrate
the importance of giving. In the gospel of Mark, the account follows the account
of Jesus teaching of the Great Commandment: love God and love your neighbours,
answering the question about David’s son and the denouncing of the scribes.
Jesus was using this incident to teach His disciples about true offering or
giving to the Lord.
From the passage (v.41-44) we can derive 6 principles of giving.
1. Our giving matters to God.
It is interesting to note that Jesus actually sat Himself opposite the treasury
so that He can observe what each person is putting into the treasury as
offerings to the Lord. This is an unusual place to sit and obviously Jesus
wanted to teach His disciples an object lesson about offering.
The act of our giving matters to God. It is not because God needs our giving.
Everything in the universe belongs to Him. It is the fact that we make the
effort to give pleases Him and gives Him pleasure. The fact that we are obeying
Him and giving to Him means that we are not so self centered.
There was a story about Abba Isaac. He was one of the Desert fathers in the
desert of Egypt in the 2nd Century. In the desert, the nights are very cold and
because of his frail condition, his followers gave him a piece of old blanket.
Abba Isaac was pleased but he felt that Abba John needed the blanket more than
him. So he gave it to Abba John. Abba John in turn felt that Abba Abraham needed
the blanket more than him. So he gave it to Abba Abraham who in turn gave it to
someone else. One day, someone presented Abba Isaac with the same blanket! I am
sure God is pleased that His people are so concerned about each other and less
about themselves. This is the basis of true giving. A love for God and a love
for our neighbours.
Our giving does matter to God. God is observing us and watching to see how we
are handling all the great blessings he has given us. God has blessed us with
financial wealth, talents and gifts, skills and health. He is good to us. And He
watches to see how we respond to this. Our giving does matter to God.
2. The amount of our giving matters to God.
Where Jesus was sitting, He can see exactly what has been placed in the treasury
as offerings. He saw the rich who deposited large amount of money but He was not
impressed because they gave out of their abundance. God has blessed them but the
amount they gave, even though it was much did not affect them at all. There was
no prick of uneasiness, no hesitancy or worry about security. They gave out of
their abundance. They have much more in reserve. Jesus was not impressed. Then
along came a poor widow. She deposited her only two copper coins and Jesus was
impressed. The widow did not have much and she gave it all to the Lord. The
amount of our giving matters to God.
One of the spiritual lessons we learn as we deepen our spiritual walk with the
Lord is that our detachment to worldly things and the need for security lessens.
God becomes our all in all. I have a very good friend who is a Christian and a
successful businessman. He built a very large furniture business. One day he
suffered a heart attack. After he has recovered from his bypass surgery, he
changed his lifestyle. He told me that he realized that a lot of things are not
essential. He sold off his big bungalow and moved into a smaller house. He sold
off his BMW and Mercedes and bought a smaller car. He adopted a simpler
lifestyle so that he has more to give away. He found that as he deepens his
prayer life and his relationship with God, he found that he needed less and less
the false security of things. He became less attached to them. He found it is
easier to give things away including large amount of money. The amount of money
we can give away is inversely proportional to the depth of our spiritual life.
3. The love for God makes giving a pleasure rather than a chore.
No one forced this widow to make this offering. It was completely voluntary. She
wanted to give her everything. Even though it must have hurt, she must have felt
joy. There was no compulsion.
Recently, the father of one of my friends passed away. He ran a mini market.
With this business he has sent seven of his children for college education in
the United States. They have all graduated and now hold responsible positions.
To earn enough money, this man has literally worked himself to death. He refused
to close the shop for holidays. His shop is open for business 24/7. When he was
dying from cancer, his daughter asked him whether he regretted working hard. No,
he said, He loved his children. He felt that his children are a great gift for
him. Hence it was a joy to work for their future. What a powerful testimony of a
father’s love.
God showed His love for us by giving us His Son. God has given us so much. Hence
it should be a joy for us to give something back to Him. Giving should be
joyful. Here is an opportunity to give something back to God who has given us so
much. It should not be regarded as a duty. We should not be reluctant to give
back to God.
If we are reluctant to give, then we should review our spiritual life. There
must be some reason why we are unwilling to give.
4. Anyone can give much.
Jesus teaches that generous giving can be given by anyone. He is not impressed
by the amount but by the sacrifice in the giving. In God's sight, the poorest
person in the world can be the most generous giver in the world!
There is a story about a village in the mountain in France during the German
occupation in the Second World War. A woman from a rich noble family brought a
bowl of porridge for a poor family in the village. The poor family received the
porridge gratefully. It was a large family and the porridge would not be enough
for all. The rich lady noticed that the poor woman was pouring some of the
porridge into another small bowl. When asked why she did this, she said it is
for her neighbours and their children who are also starving. Even the poorest
and starving can give.
I am active in an online discussion group. Someone posted that he is earning
$1,300 a month. After debt repayment and money for his parents, he has only $300
to live on for the whole month. “Does God expect him to give 10% or $130?” My
response post was that God does not expect him to do that. I reminded him that
giving is not only about money. We can give of our time, our skills, our talents
and our commitments.
5. The love for God will increase our desire to give more.
In the same post, I challenged his idea of tithing. Where do we get the idea
that tithe is 10% of our earnings?
Ø Gen.14:18-20 Abraham gave one tenth of the spoils of war to Melchizedek, the
priest-king of Salem. The writer of Hebrews (Hebs.7:4, 9) implied that there is
a priesthood greater than that of Aaron.
Ø Gen. 28:22 Jacob promised to bring a tenth of his earning to God if he returns
safely home.
Ø Exodus require giving only first-fruits (23:16)
Ø Tithes were given to Levites for their priestly service and they in turn are
required to give one-tenth.(Num. 18:19-21,26)
Ø If a person does not want to give a tenth of what he produced, he can give
120% of its value.
Ø Tithes were required to be brought to the temple. If it is too far, can be
sold and money brought to the temple.
Ø Every third year, the tithe remains in the hometown and the tithe given to the
Levite, widows, poor or aliens.
Ø Withholding tithes is likened to robbing God (Mal.3:8-12)
Ø How often do they pay their tithes? Once a year.
10% is a requirement under the Law. In fact, some people like the Pharisees do
give more. But it does not apply to us because we are under the New Covenant-
the Covenant of Grace. There is no requirement that we must give 10% of our
income. This idea of 10% is a carry over from the Old Testament. In fact, I
think this 10% level is bondage on our thinking. Most of us think that if we
give 10%, we have done our duty and God is happy. I am not too sure of that.
Instead of religiously checking our annual income and calculate 10%, why not
give more? This year you give 10% of your income. Next year, maybe 15%, then 20%
or more.
In the United States where 93 million people profess to be Christian, George
Barna, A Christian pollster recorded that the average giving of a Christian is
3%! And I feel it is the same here. We are not even reaching the 10% mark.
6. The Love for God may cause us to occasionally make an offering that is
risky or impractical.
This woman gave everything she had to live on. This was not practical. If God
did not provide for her in a special way, she would go hungry for a period of
time. Yet I think that the widow is not stupid. She knew the risk, but she also
knew her God. In all relationships, love and trust are completely intertwined.
Love is trust, and trust is love. She loves her God and she trust in her God.
God may provide for her needs for the next few days or she may starve. Either
way, she love and trusted her God. That is the lesson Jesus would have us learn.
Francis of Assisi comes to mind when we talk of sacrificial giving. Son of a
prosperous cloth, he had everything. Yet he gave away everything so that he can
be free. He trusted the Lord to take care of him as He has taken care of the
birds in the field and lilies in the valley. Anytime, a well wisher gave him
something, he would give it away to the next beggar or poor man or woman he met.
Please note that sacrificial giving isn't something you have to do to be a
Christian or to prove you love God or to gain God's favor. In fact, you do not
have to give at all and God still loves you the same.
Rather, sacrificial giving is something you want to do. You see it as an
opportunity to express your feelings for God. The giver trusts God with whatever
God allows to happen.
Conclusion
The widow's relationship with God was based on trust and dependence, not her
offering.
So it is with any of us. Our relationship with God is based not on what we give
to God but on what he gives to us. The 6 principles of giving are:
1. Our giving matters to God.
2. The amount of our giving matters to God.
3. The love for God makes giving a pleasure rather than a chore.
4. Anyone can give much.
5. The love for God will increase our desire to give more.
6. The Love for God may cause us to occasionally will make an offering that is
risky or impractical.
Let us rethink our giving to the Lord. It should be done with joy. It should
also challenge us. Rethink the figure of 10%. Why not give more? Why not give
until it hurts?
Soli Deo Gloria
|posted 9 July 2006|
