Anxious Sundays - Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

No Need For Repeats - Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

A Penny in a Pile - Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Mark 12:38-44

 

³⁸ As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, ³⁹ and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. ⁴⁰ They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

⁴¹ 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. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

 

Growing up that my grandparents would tell me nifty little catchphrases that explained their philosophy about something. My grandfather used to say, "you have to catch up to keep up," meaning that if you were behind on a bill, you need to figure out not just how you are going to pay the account that is behind, but also what decisions you need to make so that you are not in the same situation next week or next month.

 

Another favorite of mine was "a penny in a pile, makes a dollar after a while," meaning that while a penny doesn't seem like that much money, enough of them together can accomplish great work. Video game creators understand the concept; the games have microtransactions in them now. Play a game for free, but if you want some extra lives without waiting, just give them a little bit of money, and you get items to help you win.

 

Retail businesses also understand the concept; that is why they will ask if you want to round up your payment amount when you buy something. The cost might be $9.98, but you can round up two cents to donate to a charity. Those two pennies could be small to you, but enough pennies together will make a difference in someone else's life.

 

We see two pennies in a pile today in Mark chapter 12. The twelfth chapter of Mark begins with Jesus' temple teaching on the Vineyard parable and then moves to paying taxes to Caesar, the resurrection, the great commandment, and the question about David's son. Jesus then goes in on the scribes. Holding a religious office does not make you immune from hypocrisy.

 

Jesus moves from pointing out hypocrisy to taking advantage of impoverished people. The laws of Moses were designed to protect the least, the last, and the lost. The laws were designed to take care of widows and orphans. Jesus saw that the scribes, those put in authority to protect the others, had instead taken advantage of them. There were protections in place for the people, and the establishment sought to roll those protections back. Jesus said the scribes were exploiting the poor and insulting God with phony prayers. They wore their robes in the synagogue and the marketplace because they wanted people to see them.

 

When Jesus watched the widow fumbling about in her change purse for the last coins she had, he was curious. He called his students over to observe from a distance. Her two coins amounted to a penny. He and the disciples watched her drop them in the collection box. And knowing her situation, they were all amazed. Her bank balance just went from one penny to zero.

 

Jesus was highly impressed, especially since he had watched the Pharisees et al. put money into the treasury and lots of it. But these were the people who had oppressed the poor widows in the first place. It was ill-gotten gain.

 

This woman worshiped God with the coins that she had — all the coins she had. Jesus was inspired, and he said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on" (vv. 43-44). That widow's penny had the power to inspire.

The widow gave out what she had, and it was not much, but a penny in a pile makes a dollar after a while.

Those coins represent more than money. They represent faith and belief and how these must be lived out in our lives in concrete acts and not solely by rituals that no longer hold religious power.

 

We marvel at such figures as Mother Teresa, the families of slain or injured soldiers, and teachers in tough inner-city schools. We lift them high on the pedestal with the poor widow, keeping them distinct and distant from our daily lives. The focus is on their giving and the inadequacy of ours—but nothing changes. We don't have to be Mother Teresa; there are penny-sized projects we can do independently. We don't have to save the world today, but I'm sure we can find something to do with a couple of pennies.