On Collecting the Weekly Offering

Mark 12:44

November 9, 2003

Trustees, deacons, and others that count churches weekly offerings think they know a good Sunday offering and poor Sunday offering. They typically go by a noticeable increase or decrease in the offering. They count enough Sunday offerings that they pretty much know by experience a good from a bad Sunday.

After reading again about the offering that was collected during one of Jesus’ visits to the Temple, I just wonder what trustees, deacons, and others that count would have made of the offering that was collected at that service. Would they have called it a good or a bad Sunday?

Jesus paid close attention to what happened during the offering. Mark informs us that Jesus was in a key location to observe the offering at that service. First, he was seated where he could see where the worshippers put their offerings. He was seated opposite the place where the offerings were put. It’s not clear whether he deliberately sought out this place. It is not clear whether he suspected a problem. Mark just informs us that he was seated opposite the place where the worshippers put their offering.

Second, he watched those that contributed to the offering. Mark is specific about what Jesus was doing. He tells us that Jesus watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasure. I suppose that the worshippers walked around a certain location and deposited their offerings into the temple treasury.

I suspect few people, if any, think that Jesus pays attention to what happens in this part of worship. It seems to me that people think Jesus is interested and involved in all parts of the service but this one. From my experience it seems that people think that Jesus pays attention to prayers, singing, preaching, and so on. But now when it comes to collecting the offering, he is not interested. I make these comments based on a personal observation. In Hawaii, I attended a church service and I could not help but notice that no public offering was collected. The offering tray was located on a table and worshippers were encouraged to make a donation of their way out. In my opinion, it was a message that Jesus is not equally concerned about this part of the worship service.

Yet this passage seems to indicate that he is very concerned about what is put into the offering and spiritual condition of those that put it into the offering tray. In this passage, he sees a number of rich people throwing in large sums of money. Now, I suspect most preachers, including me, would love to behold many rich people throwing large sums of money into the offering tray Sunday after Sunday. The fact is I suppose on any given Sunday most of us (preachers) would love to see just one rich person throwing in large sums of money into the offering tray.

In the crowd of contributors at that service was a poor widow. I often have images of her personal appearance. I sometime think she was old and physically limited in many ways. Really, I have no idea of her physical appearance. We know that the poor can be of any age and in any condition.

Jesus describes her offering. It consisted of two very small copper coins, worth less than a penny. Her giving these two copper coins, got his attention. When he saw what she gave, he called his disciples. He used her contribution of two copper coins to teach his disciples. The lesson he taught them was: “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything –all she had to live on.”

What he said about those that gave out of their wealth is an important lesson for every generation. The Bible says that man looks on the outward appearance. But God looks at the heart. I suppose those in attendance were delighted to see the wealthy give large sums and probably were praising them for doing so. But Jesus did not praise them at all. His comments were that their offering lacked personal commitment. “They gave out of their wealth.” It was not from their hearts.

Now, the unfortunate thing is that the world seems to be going crazy to make this category of the wealthy. A journalist recently wrote that in his neighborhood, someone is building a three-floor “mansion.” He says, that an architect friend of his estimates that the floor area is about 6,600 square feet, roughly triple size of a median new home. The homes around this big house look like shacks.

At one time, he says, becoming a millionaire signified great wealth. No more. Millionaires are too ordinary. From 1989 to 2001, the share of Americans whose net worth (assets minus liabilities) exceeds $1 million rose from 3 percent to 7 percent. You are talking about 7 million households. On television, there is a program that says, “Want to be a millionaire?” Lots of people want to be millionaires.

People want to be more than millionaires. They wont to own stuff no one else owns, he says. They want luxury cars, kitchens in more than one place in the house. In Thursday’s Plain Dealer, there was a home in Strongsville where the family has a kitchen in two areas of the house.

I believe Jesus comments would still apply toward the CEOs of Enron, Dick Grasso, the former head of the New York Stock Exchange, Prudential, and others that give out of their wealth to any offering or need. I believe he would say, “They all gave out of their wealth.”

He took special note of the poor widow. He called his disciples to him. He said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.” She gave out of her poverty.

So again the question for those that count the offerings is this: What’s a good offering and what’s a poor offering? Jesus defines it for us. It’s the offering that comes from a committed giver.