True Discipleship Has A Cost
Discipleship is a journey of transformation. In a way, it's similar to an apprenticeship because while there's a transfer of knowledge and skill to the junior apprentice, the amount of time it takes for this to occur will be different from one individual to the next. The time it takes to master the skill isn't as important as the devotion to keeping at it to grow and attain that transformation. Financial discipleship, being trained and equipped in God's financial principles to live as a good and faithful steward, is a lifelong journey that requires faithfulness and lifelong devotion.
To help his own disciples understand this, Jesus used a poor widow's action to make his point and reveal a vital truth. While in the temple, Jesus looked up and saw the rich place their offerings into the treasury. He also saw a widow approach and place two mites (small copper coins) into the treasury. Then, Jesus made a statement that indeed must have surprised the disciples. He said, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had."
The disciples saw how much people were giving. There are stories that people in those days would make their giving known by drawing attention to themselves by the methods they used to place the gifts into the treasury. I don't know if that's true, or even what that must have looked like, but what is clear is that Jesus, as well as the disciples, saw how much people were giving, and there was a distinct difference in the way the widow gave, something Jesus called out.
“Through giving, God can transform us into the people he wants us to become.”
God doesn't need your money! It is absurd to think that God needs you to give him the little you have to accomplish what he wants to do. God doesn't NEED us. Instead, he chooses to involve us in what he is doing. This is an important distinction to understand, because giving is primarily about us, not about supporting worthy causes. God can accomplish what he wants to do without us, yet he chooses to give us opportunities to get involved in what he's doing because, through giving, God can transform us into the people he wants us to become.
The motivation of the rich, according to Jesus, was not the same as that of the widow. They gave out of their surplus, which required no real sacrifice, while the widow we're told gave out of her poverty. This means that she gave the very last amount of money she had, not knowing where her next meal was coming from, or if she'd even be able to survive. Her motivation was pure and sacrificial. She wanted with all her heart to honor God by giving to him all she had.
In contrast, the Pharisees, which were among the rich in those days, instructed people to honor God and give sacrificially, something they themselves were unwilling to do. How do we know this is true? Just four verses earlier, Jesus makes this statement about them, "They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely." They were pretending and putting on a show. First, to elevate themselves due to their pride. Second, they did it to motivate people, mostly defenseless widows, to give even to the point that it would rob them of their livelihood.
Was the widow deceived by the manipulative and self-serving teaching of the Pharisees? Is that why she gave so sacrificially? Perhaps, but she was not wrong in doing so because her motivation was pure, and she genuinely wanted to please God and follow his commandments. Regardless of how the message of giving was offered to her, even if it was manipulative, it was true, and she did right to obey it.
Christians could learn a valuable lesson from this widow's behavior. We don't know if she was aware of the Pharisee's wrong motives from which they taught. We know that she acted on the truth of God's word, to be generous. Today, many Christians ignore God's word. They make excuses for rejecting God's instruction to be generous, saying things like, "The Church doesn't need my money.", "That preacher is better off financially than I am." and "Look at the church building they built! Obviously, they must be doing all right, and they don't need more money." These are excuses to justify not following God's word and commandments, something the Pharisees were experts at.
This is the nature of a disciple. If one follows his Master's teaching, it will require sacrifice, surrender, and embracing the Master's way of doing things. This notion seems to have diminished in The Church today. The gospel's message is often portrayed as accepting a way of life that will be filled with blessing and favor, abundance, and comfort. Once saved, God's job is to protect us and bless us. Unfortunately, that's not entirely true. Although God is faithful and will always be by your side, He calls you to a life of surrender and sacrifice. It's a life of service and humility, not position, comfort, and personal glory.
Does your current giving align with God's word?
Are you giving regularly and in proportion to God's provision for you, and sacrificially to break the power of money and wealth over your life?
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