This is a sermon preached in September and it really ministered to me. I believe it speaks to a lot of issues that we as believers face on a day to day basis. Things that hinder our ministry and our personal walk with Christ. Please read, take in, and reflect–be blessed!
The Value of Pocket Change
By Tera Moses
St. Mark 12:38-44
Right about now most Americans are cringing from the increasing pinch and pull of record-breaking gas prices. Along with the rising cost of food, stagnate wages, and an altogether uncertain economy, most people have been forced to make major adjustments in their lifestyles. The biggest adjustment, I’m sure, is how they spend their money. In times like these, every dime counts. Some people have the old pickle jar, where they empty their pockets at the end of the day of all the loose change and save it for use at a later time. Some have cut back on restaurant meals, or don’t always buy the name brand item. Others, no matter how hard times get, will always reserve that $1.00 for their daily lottery ticket. Eventually, they’re going to hit it big, so they don’t have to worry about that $1.00. They’re gonna get it back and then some. It’s all about values. The widow in our text didn’t have much, the equivalent of $.50, but she valued her service to God enough to sacrifice her last to Him. Today, I want to present a case to you – not in order to make you feel guilty about your church offering or how you spend your money, but to show the true value of YOUR pocket change. There are three major characters in this scene that I want to focus on: the widow, other worshippers, and Jesus.
The English word, widow, takes its original roots from a Latin word meaning “deprived.” Widow is used to translate the Hebrew word in the Bible, “al-maw-naw”, which literally means, “an empty house.” And certainly this would be the case both literally and figuratively for this woman. In ancient times a widow woman could be deprived or go lacking without a male to take care of her, as men were the primary breadwinners and protectors. In I Kings 17:12, the widow said that she was going to use her handful of meal, a little oil in her cruse, dress it for herself and her son, eat it and die.” In another incident, this time in II Kings 4:1,2, the prophet’s widow said that her husband’s creditors were coming to take her sons as slaves to repay his debts. The Bible says nothing of the widow in our text other than her temple offering that day, but I’m more than sure that she could identify with the two widows in I & II Kings. Widows were often taken advantage of because of their “empty house.” St. Luke 18:2-4 tells the story of the widow who had to continuously petition the unjust judge for her case to be heard. And considering the social and political corruption of her day, she may well have never been heard. Jesus even accused the scribes and the Pharisees of “devouring widows’ homes.”
However ill-treated by members of society, though, widows were special to God, and He made special provisions for them under the Mosaic law. When it was time to gather the harvest, and something was left or dropped in the field, it was not supposed to be picked up. It was to be left for the stranger, the orphan and the widow. There was a special tithe of all the harvest taken every 3 years that was specifically set aside for the Levite (because he wasn’t given an inheritance upon the conquest of Canaan), the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. Deut. 24:17 says “thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow’s raiment to pledge.”
Some of us are spiritual widows. The cares of life have robbed or deprived us of our peace of mind and joy. Bad relationships or broken relationships have robbed us of trust in other people. Since we came from “the wrong side of the tracks”, we were always looked down upon and nobody ever gave us a fair chance, so we have been deprived of our self-esteem. Still, others Satan took on a trip in the fast lane, and when the partying was over, the money was spent, and the booze was gone, they found themselves as the prodigal son, destitute and in want. But in spite of our history, God still sees value in our existence and in our sacrifices. As a matter of fact, it is in this brokenness that God can reveal himself the most. Psalm 51:17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” You see, when the prodigal son had it all, or thought he had it all, he had no need for his father’s house. The father realized that nothing he could say would change his son’s mind, so he just gave him what he asked for and let him leave. Unfortunately, for some of us, experience is also the only teacher we’ll listen to, so God removes His hand and lets us do as we please. You see Satan only gives a partial picture – the money, the friends, the house, the car, the influence, the job, the man, the woman. But this is only a means to suck you into his whirlwind, to empty and to destroy your spiritual house. Eventually the prodigal son ran out of money, and as soon as he ran out of money, he ran out of friends. When the famine came, nobody was willing to feed him, or clothe him, or house him. He was so hungry, that he was willing to eat pig slop. The devil will have you to the point where you’re disgusted with your own self. But it was at this low point in his life that the prodigal son was finally ready to return to his father. He had no more money to offer, but he had a repentant heart. And this is exactly what our Heavenly Father desires. You see, an empty house simply leaves plenty of room for God.
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