The Best Giver in the Church: Part 5

Allen Webster

Topic(s): Blessings, Faith, Priorities

Links to this entire series:

• The Best Giver in the Church: Part 1
• The Best Giver in the Church: Part 2
• The Best Giver in the Church: Part 3
• The Best Giver in the Church: Part 4
• The Best Giver in the Church: Part 5

Classes in Jesus’ School of Preaching most often took place on field trips. One day, He had the Twelve in the Temple watching people make their offerings. In what some would have called a breach of etiquette, he divulged how much an individual gave! He did so not to criticize or gossip, but to compliment and teach.

“And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living" (Mark 12:43-44).

What Did the Disciples Learn from the Head Master that Day?

Earthly Offerings Are Heavenly Investments.

By complimenting her, Jesus showed approval of her “foolish” action. She was not throwing money away; she was investing it. Someone correctly said, “What we keep, we lose; and what we give away, we keep.” We can’t take it with us anyway. As the grim Spanish proverb goes, “There are no pockets in a shroud.” When Pierpont Morgan died, a reporter asked, “How much did he leave?” Someone replied, “He left it all.” On the other hand, George Pepperdine once said, “The only thing I have is what I gave away.” The only thing a man can take out of this world into the next is himself; the finer the self he brings, the greater his treasure in heaven will be. Investments, by nature, take self-discipline and faith. An investor is willing to delay gratification on the belief that the gratification will be greater by waiting.

Wise investors want safe investments. Whether we buy a new suit, car, carpet, or furniture, we insist on good craftmanship. We want to examine a stock’s track record before we invest in it. Millions work day after day, year in and out, to “have it made” in retirement. Some—with a downturn in the economy or failing health—then lose all in a matter of days. Even if an individual invests every dime and strikes it rich in every investment, he will still leave every penny behind when he makes his exit to the next life. A wise person, then, invests in the land to which he is going. Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

Jesus, our financial advisor, warned His followers against investing heavily in unsecured commodities. He counseled that clothing is not a wise long-term investment. (Moths might ruin it.)¹ Next Jesus warned against investing in things that might “erode.”² Since many tied their fortunes to corn and grain and stored them in barns, men feared the worms and rats that might pollute and destroy. Jesus also recommended not putting money in anything thieves could steal by “digging through.” Many houses in Palestine had walls made of baked clay. Burglars often broke in by—literally—digging through the wall! A man could come home to find someone has kicked through his flimsy walls and taken his stash of gold. Our world is little different from theirs. Houses burn, stock markets plunge, and ultimately death separates us from our riches, and our heirs fight over it. There is no permanence here. Jesus knew that if everything a man sets his heart upon is on earth, then he will have little interest in leaving earth to go to heaven. A man ended a tour of a noble castle and turned to a companion to say, “These are the things that make it difficult to die.” Investing in heaven makes death a “profitable” experience (“to die is gain³,” Philippians 1:21).

Many a Christian has been told by an unbelieving spouse, “You are wasting our money by putting that check in the collection.” But we know better. We have the assurance that it is an investment that no one can take from us. No cunning “shyster” can beat us out of it; no wasteful spouse can “blow it” on pleasures. No war, famine, flood, disease, or even death can take it from us. Every dollar we give to support the Gospel or to feed an orphan is a heavenly investment. Someone said it this way: “Only one life ‘twill soon be passed; only what’s done for Christ will last.”

A preacher from the Deep South once jolted a famous contemporary preacher. This bold minister told him, “Bill, you’re going to be dead a whole lot longer than you're going to be alive.” Since this fact is true, which side of the grave are you giving greater attention and energy?

“Religion is giving God what he wants.” Peter Lord’s definition of religion invokes a sobering question: “Am I giving God what He wants?” If not, my religion needs adjustments.⁴

We Can't Take It With Us.

Imagine a couple coming to the end of life’s journey lugging their baggage—money, stocks, jewels, and furs. At the gate at New Jerusalem, they saw a pile of such things. “Throw all that in the heap,” an angel ordered. “They’re worth nothing here.” Reluctantly, they parted with their dearly loved treasures. Another couple approached carrying little. They looked expectantly toward the gate that swung outward as songs of praise rang within. A group they had never seen happily greeted them. The angel explained, “These are those you won to Christ in distant lands through the money you gave to missions.” What will it be worth to have the Lord call our names and say, “I want you to meet some people who are here because of your generous giving?” The rich man lost everything at death; Lazarus gained everything (Luke 16:19-31).

It Is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive.

We do not know when Jesus made this statement. It is not recorded a single time in His Biographies. We do know He said it because an inspired Paul mentioned it (Acts 20:35). It may have been said this day in the Temple. If not, it was certainly a lesson the disciples took away from the scene. We do not know what the priests used the two mites for. Perhaps this was given to another poor person or bought some item to be used in worship. It is safe to say that whoever benefited from it was not as blessed as the one who gave it. She had a heavenly reward; she had the inward satisfaction; she is still famous among God’s people.

The early church was known for its care of the poor, sick, distressed, and helpless. In the days of the terrible Decian persecution in Rome, the authorities came into a church service. They were out to loot the treasures they believed the church possessed. The Roman prefect demanded from Laurentius, a deacon: “Show me your treasures at once.” Laurentius pointed at the widows and orphans who were being fed, the sick who were being nursed, the poor whose needs were being supplied, “These,” he said, “are the treasures of the church.” It will be wonderful on judgment day for a faithful Christian to hear Christ say, “These are your treasures.”

Jerome was a church father who translated the Greek manuscripts into Latin and put the Bible in the language of the people. He purposefully lived in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. One night, Jerome had a dream that Jesus visited him. In the dream, he collected all of his money and offered it to Jesus as a gift. The Lord said, "I don't want your money." So Jerome rounded up all of his possessions and tried to give them to Jesus. The Lord said, "I don't want your possessions." Jerome then recalled the moment in his dream when he turned to Christ and asked, "What can I give you? What do you want?" Jesus simply replied, "Give me your sin. That's what I came for; I came to take away your sin. Give me your sin." Jesus wants to give you the gift of eternal life in exchange for you giving him your sin. What an exchange of gifts!

Are you willing to give Christ the gift he wants most?

Works used in Preparing this Series:

• Barclay, William. The Daily Study Bible. Vol. 1,3,4 (Matthew 1-10; Mark; Luke). Westminster Press. 1956, 1975.
• Black, V.P. Rust as a Witness. 1968.
• Chappell, Clovis. Sermons on New Testament Characters.
• Chappell, Clovis. Special Day Sermons.

Endnotes:

¹ In those days a man’s wealth often consisted of elaborate clothes (cf. 2 Kings 5:22; Joshua 7:21), so moths were greatly feared.

² Rust comes from a word (brosis) meaning, “an eating away.” It is no where else translated “rust.”

³ kerdos, lucre.

⁴ “God Is First a Father,” Peter Lord, Agape Ministries, Jan. 6, 1991