18.07 | More Than
Luke 20:27-21:4
‘“Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.”’
Luke 21:3
The giving talk.
If you’ve been around church long enough, you’ll know what this is.
It is the moment that the pastor stands and describes the vision of the church. They will then outline the existing shortcomings of the church finances if the vision is to be achieved. And they will then invite a financial response from the community.
I don’t mean to sound cynical. It’s not necessarily wrong. True vision comes from God, and the contribution of the saints to the work of God-initiated ministry has been a part of the Church since the earliest days. As with the temple, where the resource of the people gave to the material requirements of the house of God, so with the Church.
And yet, it can evoke an unhealthy relationship in the church between vision and money.
It can create an understanding, that giving is primarily a response to ministry need—much as with any other charity out there. It can create a belief around money that focuses on numbers, where wealthier donors are more effective in helping the church reach this figure. It can also feel a little manipulative, leading pastors into the icky work of fundraiser or salesperson, feeling the vision of the church to be dependent upon their performance in giving this talk.
This little story of the widow and her two coins today is beautifully interruptive into such thoughts. It’s one of those small moments, a passing comment of Jesus—unnoticed in the world, and yet captured by Luke as a moment that greatly touched his heart.
Look at what Jesus says:
This poor widow has put in more than all of them.
More than.
What does this mean?
Clearly this isn’t mathematical. She’s actually put far less into the box than the wealthy. She’ll get no awards for her impressive philanthropy. There’ll be no colonnades named after her.
And yet, in some way, in the metrics of the Kingdom, she is honoured as an exemplar of the generous.
Her offering, Jesus says, is more than.
Why?
It needs a reorientation of our values, that interrupts all of our notions of giving. Because Jesus is counting something different.
We count the money. We count the size of the figures. The health of churches has too often been measured by the scale of its budgets. A.W. Tozer once wrote that “Religion has accepted the monstrous heresy that noise, size, activity and bluster make a man dear to God.”1
And yet Jesus is counting differently. Rather than counting the money, He’s counting the devotion.
The devotion that will not acquiesce to the identity of victim or charity case, but remains a contributor to the work of God.
The devotion that does not merely give out of surplus, loose change, or financial margins.
The devotion that makes this stunning act of trust, without knowing where tomorrow’s meal will come from.
The devotion that puts her money on the altar as an act of worship, resolute in the knowledge that the deepest desire of her heart—more than for possessions, material comfort, stability, or even her next meal—she needs and loves her God.
Such devotion. It’s stunning. It moves us. And it moved the heart of Jesus.
For the truer answer about all that we give, and the health of our churches, and the way we use our finances, isn’t counted in pounds or dollars.
But it is found in the measure of our devotion.
For such is the More Than in the Kingdom of God.
Reflect:
Pray over your use of money today.
Don’t get religious here. Don’t start counting amounts.
But ask yourself, how might what you have be used to express your devotion in this season?
Pray:
Father,
So often, my choices around money have revolved around
Me:
My fears of lack,
My desires for stuff,
My intentions for religious accolades.
And yet, Father,
I see in this widow a way more free:
It despised the fear of lack,
It simplified her desires,
It ignored the lunacies of religious hierachy.
And so,
Good Father,
I devote what I have again today.
Help me to live generously,
Freely,
And worshipfully—
Aligning all that I have,
In sacrifice and in celebration,
Towards You.
That in this I may nurture a
Devoted heart.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Old Testament:
For those also reading the Old Testament this year, your additional readings are here:
Jeremiah 3-4 | Psalm 89:1-8
A.W. Tozer: The Pursuit of God