Money Talks
Mark 12:41-44
Message #49
We are so blessed to have a giving church here. We have invested more in the Kingdom of God than many churches much bigger than ours. We have the incredible blessing of having super low overhead and we have Christians who understand that giving is a crucial part of following Christ. And because of those two things we’ve been able to bear fruit far beyond our size and it’s been one of my greatest blessings to watch and be part of.
It’s often said Jesus talked more about your money than about heaven and hell combined. In fact, fifteen percent of everything Jesus said has to do with your money. And, if you go cover-to-cover in the Bible, there are over two thousand verses that address your money. But often, it’s the last thing we want to hear about in church. But the Bible is painfully clear, there is a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and our money.
So, we’re going to look today at just four verses (out of the two thousand verses in the Bible) about our money. This is just a small fraction (one occurrence) of all that Jesus and the New Testament teach about money.
We’ve done quite a few messages on giving.
The Treasure Principle
A Giving Heart in Hard Times
Great, He’s Talking About Money
Approaching Money
The Money Pit
Giving to The Lord
You can search them all on the Word By Mail phone app or the Calvary Chapel Nuevo website.
And, if you’d really like to learn more about giving, if you are willing to read, you can call the church office at 951-928-8582 (get it on the website) and ask us to send you one of the best books I’ve read on giving, and we’ll send it to you free. It’s called, The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. Call us and we’ll send it to you. And if you read it, it will help you understand what God says about how your money talks.
Please don’t be a Christian who avoids this subject, and please don’t hold on to or protect your own opinions, your own approach, and your own ideas about money. Have the courage to find out what God says about how your money talks.
What we are about to read is the last thing that Jesus did before leaving the Temple, for the last time. Jesus started this final “battle to the death” with the religious leaders about money when he physically ran the money-makers out of the Temple courts. And today, Jesus finishes this battle with the same subject – money.
The final words that Jesus Christ speaks in the most significant religious place on earth are about money. And it is not a casual mention of money, it is a predetermined focused commitment to watch people give and to hear their money talk.
Mark 12:41(a) (NLT)
41 Jesus sat down near (across from) the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money . . .
Before Jesus leaves the Temple for the last time, he purposely heads to the area called “The Temple Treasury” and in this area of the Temple courts there were thirteen chests, each with a brass trumpet-shaped “collection receptacle” where people could literally throw their offering coins, and the coins would clang against the brass trumpet as they fell down into the offering chest – unfortunately making for a very public display of giving. And so, Jesus chose a spot across from these chests and he watched as the people dropped (or tossed) their offering coins into the brass trumpets.
And I think the first revelation truth here is Jesus is purposefully watching people give. And Jesus is still today purposefully watching us give. Jesus is watching us give because our money talks.
As we give, our giving is speaking the condition of our heart toward God, the condition of our heart toward money. I know we don’t like to hear that, but that is exactly what the Bible teaches.
And so, (continuing) the end of verse 41 says,
Mark 12:41(b) (NLT)
41 . . . Many rich people put in large amounts.
Now, Jesus is not automatically approving or disapproving of the people putting in large amounts (because Jesus knows each heart individually). He’s really just setting up a contrast between those who threw fistfuls of money into the brass trumpets and a poverty-stricken widow who is about to give a very, very small amount of money.
Remember the Most Important Point (M.I.P.) today is, how we handle our money and our giving speaks loudly about the true condition of our heart. So, we’re going to try to stay focused on that one point for this one message.
So, Jesus is watching the people give and some are giving large amounts. And then, in Mark 12:42,
Mark 12:42 (NLT)
42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.
Everyone knew this widow was poverty-stricken, because her dress and her demeanor gave her away, like a long-time homeless woman walking into the most grandiose church.
And these two small coins, called LEPTA in Greek, were the smallest coins made at the time. We’re used to hearing them called “a mite” and they were worth maybe a penny today.
And you can imagine seeing a poverty-stricken widow looking like what we would describe as a homeless woman slipping into the grandest cathedral church, with thirteen brass “trumpet receptacles” along the wall so people can be clearly seen giving with the clanging of the coins hitting the brass trumpets announcing their giving and the people watching others give out of curiosity like people today watch celebrities.
And so, this poor widow would’ve kept her eyes to the ground wanting to sacrificially give all she had to God, but not wanting to be seen, or judged, by the people. And she would’ve slipped up to one of the brass trumpets hoping to draw no attention to herself and as she released her two mites, they weren’t even heavy enough to make a sound as they slid down into the chest. And the people would’ve either paid her no mind or paid her a judgmental mind.
But Jesus was watching and the widow’s mites were talking. These two “pennies” spoke to Jesus loud and clear as they slid down the brass trumpet without even making a sound.
And so, Mark 12:43,
Mark 12:43 (NLT)
43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions.
Why? What was it that caused Jesus to say she had given more than all the others? Was it her heart? Yeah, it was her heart. But, how did these two pennies speak so loudly to Jesus about this woman’s heart?
Jesus tells us in Mark 12:44,
Mark 12:44 (NLT)
44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”
She has given everything she had to live on. What Jesus is commending here is the level of sacrifice in this gift.
It was Passover (the most important of all Jewish festivals) and this impoverished widow found a way to tangibly say to God, “I love you, Lord, with all that I have, and all that I have is yours.” Those two pennies screamed out that woman’s heart to the Lord.
And we might say, “If these two pennies were all she had to live on, why did she give them both?” She could’ve given just one, that would’ve been a fifty-percent tithe of all that she had, and then she would’ve had one penny left for herself because that’s how we think.
But, the contrast here, is extreme. When Jesus says, (verse 44) some gave a tiny part of their surplus, it means they gave an amount they would never miss. They gave an amount that would have no negative impact on their lives. And I think that is the key to understanding what Jesus is teaching here. Some gave what they would never miss and one gave all she had.
We could put that on a scale today, couldn’t we? On one end of the scale is some gave what they would never miss. On the other end of the scale is one gave all she had.
The question is, where are you on that scale today and where am I? On the scale of giving what we would never miss on one end, and giving all we have on the other end, where do we fit?
And have you ever even considered the question? Because, honestly, most Christians have not.
The truth is, especially in the western church, most Christians give whatever they feel will not really impact their lives. Too often, the question that drives our giving is “What can we afford to give and not have to really sacrifice anything in our lives?”
That is not the approach to giving that Jesus is applauding here, because a sacrifice to God is called a sacrifice because you have to sacrifice something. And you sacrifice it as an offering to God and when you do that, something happens inside of you, and you are drawn so close to God and you are in such awe of God. And what Jesus is pointing to here is sacrificial giving.
Study after study continues to show that the average amount church-going Christians give is around two percent of their income because most of us can “afford” to give one or two percent without really having to sacrifice anything for God.
But this poor widow’s sacrificial giving is what screamed across the Temple courts from her two pennies to the heart of God.
The only difference between this widow and those that Jesus compared her to is the amount of sacrifice.
And her sacrificial giving screamed out to the Lord what (or who) was important to her and exactly where God fits in her life.
Listen, please, I’m not telling you to go sell everything and give your last two pennies to the Lord and be homeless. I’m trying to help you focus on one incredible truth that Jesus is teaching here. This particular lesson is about sacrificial giving. And my prayer is that it will give you the courage to really look at what the Bible says about giving, not just here, but throughout God’s Word.
I really want to encourage you to dig into what the Bible says about giving. Listen to the messages I listed at the beginning and call the church office and ask for “The Treasure Principle” book.
And the one thing that I pray we would really hear and receive today is this: Your money talks. What you do with your money speaks about what’s important to you. And what you do with your money speaks about where God truly fits in your life.
And honestly, we don’t want our money to do our talking on these matters. We want to say what’s important to us. We want to say where God fits in our lives. But the Bible is clear, how we feel about our money, what we do with our money, and how we give our money is what truly reveals our heart about money and God.
So, our money talks, and it is revealing the condition of our heart in this area. But, are we willing to listen? What we do with our money and our giving will tell us
what’s most important in our life
what we actually worship
where our heart is going.
Matthew 6:19–21 (NLT)
19 Don’t store up treasures here on earth . . .
20 Store your treasures in heaven . . .
21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Your money and your giving will tell you where your heart is today and where your heart is going to be. Listen to your money talk, because God is.
It’s often said Jesus talked more about your money than about heaven and hell combined. In fact, fifteen percent of everything Jesus said has to do with your money. And, if you go cover-to-cover in the Bible, there are over two thousand verses that address your money. But often, it’s the last thing we want to hear about in church. But the Bible is painfully clear, there is a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and our money.
So, we’re going to look today at just four verses (out of the two thousand verses in the Bible) about our money. This is just a small fraction (one occurrence) of all that Jesus and the New Testament teach about money.
We’ve done quite a few messages on giving.
The Treasure Principle
A Giving Heart in Hard Times
Great, He’s Talking About Money
Approaching Money
The Money Pit
Giving to The Lord
You can search them all on the Word By Mail phone app or the Calvary Chapel Nuevo website.
And, if you’d really like to learn more about giving, if you are willing to read, you can call the church office at 951-928-8582 (get it on the website) and ask us to send you one of the best books I’ve read on giving, and we’ll send it to you free. It’s called, The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. Call us and we’ll send it to you. And if you read it, it will help you understand what God says about how your money talks.
Please don’t be a Christian who avoids this subject, and please don’t hold on to or protect your own opinions, your own approach, and your own ideas about money. Have the courage to find out what God says about how your money talks.
What we are about to read is the last thing that Jesus did before leaving the Temple, for the last time. Jesus started this final “battle to the death” with the religious leaders about money when he physically ran the money-makers out of the Temple courts. And today, Jesus finishes this battle with the same subject – money.
The final words that Jesus Christ speaks in the most significant religious place on earth are about money. And it is not a casual mention of money, it is a predetermined focused commitment to watch people give and to hear their money talk.
Mark 12:41(a) (NLT)
41 Jesus sat down near (across from) the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money . . .
Before Jesus leaves the Temple for the last time, he purposely heads to the area called “The Temple Treasury” and in this area of the Temple courts there were thirteen chests, each with a brass trumpet-shaped “collection receptacle” where people could literally throw their offering coins, and the coins would clang against the brass trumpet as they fell down into the offering chest – unfortunately making for a very public display of giving. And so, Jesus chose a spot across from these chests and he watched as the people dropped (or tossed) their offering coins into the brass trumpets.
And I think the first revelation truth here is Jesus is purposefully watching people give. And Jesus is still today purposefully watching us give. Jesus is watching us give because our money talks.
As we give, our giving is speaking the condition of our heart toward God, the condition of our heart toward money. I know we don’t like to hear that, but that is exactly what the Bible teaches.
And so, (continuing) the end of verse 41 says,
Mark 12:41(b) (NLT)
41 . . . Many rich people put in large amounts.
Now, Jesus is not automatically approving or disapproving of the people putting in large amounts (because Jesus knows each heart individually). He’s really just setting up a contrast between those who threw fistfuls of money into the brass trumpets and a poverty-stricken widow who is about to give a very, very small amount of money.
Remember the Most Important Point (M.I.P.) today is, how we handle our money and our giving speaks loudly about the true condition of our heart. So, we’re going to try to stay focused on that one point for this one message.
So, Jesus is watching the people give and some are giving large amounts. And then, in Mark 12:42,
Mark 12:42 (NLT)
42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.
Everyone knew this widow was poverty-stricken, because her dress and her demeanor gave her away, like a long-time homeless woman walking into the most grandiose church.
And these two small coins, called LEPTA in Greek, were the smallest coins made at the time. We’re used to hearing them called “a mite” and they were worth maybe a penny today.
And you can imagine seeing a poverty-stricken widow looking like what we would describe as a homeless woman slipping into the grandest cathedral church, with thirteen brass “trumpet receptacles” along the wall so people can be clearly seen giving with the clanging of the coins hitting the brass trumpets announcing their giving and the people watching others give out of curiosity like people today watch celebrities.
And so, this poor widow would’ve kept her eyes to the ground wanting to sacrificially give all she had to God, but not wanting to be seen, or judged, by the people. And she would’ve slipped up to one of the brass trumpets hoping to draw no attention to herself and as she released her two mites, they weren’t even heavy enough to make a sound as they slid down into the chest. And the people would’ve either paid her no mind or paid her a judgmental mind.
But Jesus was watching and the widow’s mites were talking. These two “pennies” spoke to Jesus loud and clear as they slid down the brass trumpet without even making a sound.
And so, Mark 12:43,
Mark 12:43 (NLT)
43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions.
Why? What was it that caused Jesus to say she had given more than all the others? Was it her heart? Yeah, it was her heart. But, how did these two pennies speak so loudly to Jesus about this woman’s heart?
Jesus tells us in Mark 12:44,
Mark 12:44 (NLT)
44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”
She has given everything she had to live on. What Jesus is commending here is the level of sacrifice in this gift.
It was Passover (the most important of all Jewish festivals) and this impoverished widow found a way to tangibly say to God, “I love you, Lord, with all that I have, and all that I have is yours.” Those two pennies screamed out that woman’s heart to the Lord.
And we might say, “If these two pennies were all she had to live on, why did she give them both?” She could’ve given just one, that would’ve been a fifty-percent tithe of all that she had, and then she would’ve had one penny left for herself because that’s how we think.
But, the contrast here, is extreme. When Jesus says, (verse 44) some gave a tiny part of their surplus, it means they gave an amount they would never miss. They gave an amount that would have no negative impact on their lives. And I think that is the key to understanding what Jesus is teaching here. Some gave what they would never miss and one gave all she had.
We could put that on a scale today, couldn’t we? On one end of the scale is some gave what they would never miss. On the other end of the scale is one gave all she had.
The question is, where are you on that scale today and where am I? On the scale of giving what we would never miss on one end, and giving all we have on the other end, where do we fit?
And have you ever even considered the question? Because, honestly, most Christians have not.
The truth is, especially in the western church, most Christians give whatever they feel will not really impact their lives. Too often, the question that drives our giving is “What can we afford to give and not have to really sacrifice anything in our lives?”
That is not the approach to giving that Jesus is applauding here, because a sacrifice to God is called a sacrifice because you have to sacrifice something. And you sacrifice it as an offering to God and when you do that, something happens inside of you, and you are drawn so close to God and you are in such awe of God. And what Jesus is pointing to here is sacrificial giving.
Study after study continues to show that the average amount church-going Christians give is around two percent of their income because most of us can “afford” to give one or two percent without really having to sacrifice anything for God.
But this poor widow’s sacrificial giving is what screamed across the Temple courts from her two pennies to the heart of God.
The only difference between this widow and those that Jesus compared her to is the amount of sacrifice.
And her sacrificial giving screamed out to the Lord what (or who) was important to her and exactly where God fits in her life.
Listen, please, I’m not telling you to go sell everything and give your last two pennies to the Lord and be homeless. I’m trying to help you focus on one incredible truth that Jesus is teaching here. This particular lesson is about sacrificial giving. And my prayer is that it will give you the courage to really look at what the Bible says about giving, not just here, but throughout God’s Word.
I really want to encourage you to dig into what the Bible says about giving. Listen to the messages I listed at the beginning and call the church office and ask for “The Treasure Principle” book.
And the one thing that I pray we would really hear and receive today is this: Your money talks. What you do with your money speaks about what’s important to you. And what you do with your money speaks about where God truly fits in your life.
And honestly, we don’t want our money to do our talking on these matters. We want to say what’s important to us. We want to say where God fits in our lives. But the Bible is clear, how we feel about our money, what we do with our money, and how we give our money is what truly reveals our heart about money and God.
So, our money talks, and it is revealing the condition of our heart in this area. But, are we willing to listen? What we do with our money and our giving will tell us
what’s most important in our life
what we actually worship
where our heart is going.
Matthew 6:19–21 (NLT)
19 Don’t store up treasures here on earth . . .
20 Store your treasures in heaven . . .
21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Your money and your giving will tell you where your heart is today and where your heart is going to be. Listen to your money talk, because God is.