“God Sees All” – Mark 12:38-44 – November 15, 2009

I received a call one time from a man who wanted to give Habitat for Humanity some new doors that could be used for a house. He had ordered them for his house but they were the wrong size. Since he had taken the measurements, they couldn’t be returned. It was a nice gift and Habitat was grateful. On the other hand, the doors will require special order frames in order for them to fit correctly. Also, they had to be picked up and stored until a later date.

Let’s be honest. It’s easy to give away things that we don’t want or need anymore. But to give God the very best we have is very difficult.

We know almost nothing about the widow who deposited her two coins in the temple treasury that day. Her name is not given. We have no idea where she came from or who her family was. She is virtually an unknown person. But, she is not unknown to God. That is because God sees all. God sees everything. More importantly, God sees what we do not see.

One day, a certain old, rich man, who had a miserable disposition, visited his rabbi. The rabbi took the man by the hand and led him to a window. “Look out there,” he said. The rich man looked out. “What do you see?” asked the rabbi. The man saw men, women and children. Again the rabbi took the man by the hand and led him to a mirror. “Now, what do you see?” The man said, “I see myself.” Then the rabbi said, “Behold, in the window there is glass and in the mirror there is glass. But the glass of the mirror is covered with silver. When silver is added you cease to see others and you only see yourself.” (from Homiletics – November, 2009)

Notice that in this story, Jesus was intentional about seeing each person that made a donation to the temple treasury. “He sat down and watched the people put money in the treasury.” In other words, he saw clearly each one’s gift. We are very aware of what we give, be it time, talents or treasures. Generally, our gifts are anonymous, not published or listed to the inquiring eye. God however is keenly aware of all our giving.

Jesus acknowledged the widow and made her the focus of his message to those who were gathered in the temple: “Truly I say to 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.” The widow was one of society’s most vulnerable people. And yet, she made a huge sacrifice with no thought to her future financial needs.

It is impressive when someone like Bill Gates, gives millions of dollars to a charitable organization. On the other hand there are millions of people who donate generous amounts of their time and resources but their names never appear in print. Jesus is illustrating that no gift goes unnoticed, especially those who are willing to go the second mile. What the widow gave that day was huge, “she gave all she had to live on.”

In the November issue of our church newsletter I included a little story that I found in the Newsletter Newsletter, entitled “Thankfulness Comes from the Heart.” A young girl sat at the counter of an ice cream store. “How much is an ice cream Sunday?” she asked. “Fifty cents,” the waitress said with hardly a glance at the child. The girl opened her fist and looked at her coins. She asked, “How much is a dish of just plain ice cream?” Annoyed, the waitress snapped, “Thirty-five cents!” The girl counted out 35 cents and handed it to the waitress. “I’ll take the plain ice cream.” The waitress took the money without a word and gave the ice cream to the little girl. After the small customer had eaten and left, the waitress, cleaning up, suddenly flushed with shame. There, placed neatly beside the dish were two nickels and five pennies. It was her tip.

Jesus selected the widow as a model person of faith. She was extremely generous and devoted to a gracious God. She was dependent upon God for her future rather than her personal bank account. While everyone else gave leftovers, she gave her all. She gave with a grateful and loving heart. She was thankful to God and responded out of gratitude. She joyfully shared in the goodness of life that God had given to her.

This past week my wife received a lovely bouquet of flowers at her workplace. She was so excited she sent me a picture via her cell phone. It wasn’t her birthday or any special day. The flowers were sent to her by her mother. Her mother, who has cancer, was showing my wife her appreciation for the care she has been receiving from her only daughter. She gave because she wanted to give and it gave her great joy.

I share this story because it reminds me that when we give to others out of a sense of appreciation we too can experience joy. Too often we hold back on our giving because we worry about the cost. We think, “Perhaps this will put be over my budget.” Or, we think, “This isn’t practical.”

The widow’s gift of her only two coins was anything but practical. She gave because she recognized that all she had came from God. Those who gave out of their surplus will never know the joy of giving. For them it was an obligation, kind of like the dues that are paid to a particular club or organization. The widow’s gift was not logical. Some might think her gift was irresponsible. And yet, this is who Jesus saw.

Does Jesus really expect us to give our all? It seems unrealistic to give everything when we have to survive. Basic to our needs are security, shelter and food. Perhaps it is more about seeing “others” just as God sees us.

What did Jesus see? Jesus saw a poor widow, a woman with no privileges and no hope of ever being prosperous. He saw devotion, a selfless soul who simply loved God. He saw irony. While the wealthy gave great sums and experienced no joy, the poorest person in the temple received great joy because she gave everything.

I happened to discover this story told by Pastor Vince Gerhardy, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Australia. One time there was an old, glassy eyed man who came to the back door of a house some university kids were renting. He clutched a basket holding a few unappealing vegetables. He bid the students a good morning and offered his produce for sale. They made a quick purchase out of pity for the old man and also out of fear for what else he might ask or do. To their annoyance, he returned the next week, introducing himself as Mr. Roth, the man who lived in the shack down the road. As their fears subsided, they got close enough to realize it wasn't alcohol but cataracts that made his eyes look like marble. On subsequent visits, he would shuffle in, wearing two mismatched right shoes, and pull out a harmonica. With glazed eyes set on the future glory of heaven, he'd puff out old gospel tunes between conversations about vegetables and religion.On one visit, he exclaimed, "The Lord is so good! I came out of my shack this morning and found a bag full of shoes and clothing on my porch." "That's wonderful, Mr. Roth!" the students said, "We're happy for you." "You know what's even more wonderful?" he asked. "Just yesterday I met some people that could use them."

God sees all. What do you see? Is your vision clouded by silver like the man who went to see the rabbi? Do you consider the needs of others like the little girl who tipped the waitress? Are you experiencing the joy of giving? Remember, God sees all.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio