Mark 12:41-44 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
Give Thanks to the Lord with Gifts Sunday, October 11, 2026 “An Unexpected Lesson in Giving”
Now is a terrible time to be preaching about money. It’s terrible because our pastors and other leaders have been trying to alert our members that money is tight right now. We’ve finished several years with a deficit in our spending. We projected that same thing when our voters approved our current spending plan last December. Even though things are going a little bit better than the plan we had, we’re still not expecting to take in as a congregation more than we spend for the year. Not really even close. And the news gets a bit worse from there. We’re trying to project out into future years, and every indication is that we need to make some changes. That makes it a terrible time to preach about money because doing so in those circumstances can make it sound like what we really want to do when we give is meet the needs of our spending plan or the expenses of our congregation. It also feels a little like our congregation playing into a very negative stereotype, the one that says all churches care about is money. If we can afford our buildings and our pastors and our work, then everything is good. If we are struggling in those areas, then we better preach about money and guilt some people into giving more of it. Potentially leaving that sort of impression for people is exactly why this is such a terrible time to do what I am doing anyway this morning, preaching about money. We’re running the risk of leaving that bad impression because we want to talk about money for other reasons. We talk about money because God talks about money. We talk about money because Jesus talks about money. We talk about it because there are valuable lessons for all of us to learn when we do. In the account before us this morning, Jesus had a lesson to teach about money, a lesson to teach about giving. He didn’t call out a crisis or announce a special fundraiser. He didn’t pull out the temple spending plan and guilt his followers into buckling down and supporting it. Here’s what Jesus did: he sat with his disciples near the offering basket. This wasn’t like our service today in which the offering plates will be passed down the aisle row-by-row. There were offering baskets, receptacles, at various places in the temple courts where worshipers would leave their gifts. Jesus and his disciples could sit near one of these and watch what was going on. What went on was rich person after rich person came by and put significant gifts into that offering box. We don’t know a whole lot about these people. Jesus tells us later that they were giving of their surplus. They had lots of money. They were rich. What they gave didn’t change their lives to any great extent. They had enough to spare. These examples become the bad examples in this account when they are put in contrast with the one unique giver. So what were they doing? They were giving lots. It was apparent. It was obvious. Maybe they were even making a bit of a show of it. They could walk tall on their way to the box and with a bit of a flourish drop in their large sums. They didn’t mind if other people saw them. In fact, they kind of hoped other would see them. What these rich givers did not want was for anyone to second-guess what they were doing. They didn’t want to hear any suggestions that their giving was in any way inferior to that of someone else. They would have been willing to make sure that observers could count out their large offerings. The only reaction they were interested in anyone sharing was a bit of awe over just how much they were leaving in that box. That’s an attitude to which we, unfortunately, can probably relate. That doesn’t mean that we are all rich. And it doesn’t need to. People who gather at Grace come from all sorts of circumstances and situations. Some here are well off. Bank accounts and retirement savings are in place. There’s not much day-to-day concern about financial matters. Others are probably a step down financially. They’re still reasonably comfortable, just not to the same extent. If you’re in that category, you probably still feel you’re working
pretty hard to stay on top of finances, but you, too, have saved up some money and only a pretty significant emergency is going to present a major challenge. If you haven’t heard a description that resonates with you, maybe you would consider yourself someone struggling to get ahead. You’re looking for traction. You’d like to save some money, but everything costs so much these days, and you can’t get to work without gas in the car. Groceries add up, and sometimes you buy food that’s a bit more expensive because you need something that is quick and easy and ready for you. Maybe you would love to find yourself in any of the situations I’ve already described because you feel you are at your limit. Your credit cards are maxed out. It feels like every paycheck is gone before you even get it because there are so many payments on everything. Out of all those circumstances and situations, though, and whatever minor tweaks would need to be made to find your specific situation, we all have some things in common. We all have sinful natures. Part of us will always insist that nobody else should judge me. No one should ask questions about the offering that I give. We resent any suggestion that someone else has the right to tell us what to do or to insinuate that we might be wrong about how we handle things. No wonder when people feel so strongly about money that they accuse the church of being interested in nothing else and trying to grab every dollar that it can. That’s not what was going on between Jesus and his disciples. They were simply observers, and Jesus pointed out a spiritual truth that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Here was a surprise. Here was something unexpected. Here was something different. Among all the rich people placing large amounts into the temple offerings came a poor widow. Her clothes gave her away. Her demeanor gave her away. She stood out from all the other people. Jesus noticed her and so did the disciples as they watched her drop two small coins into the box. And she just walked away. If Jesus and his disciples had not been watching, nobody else would have, either. This might have been the least significant thing that happened at the temple from any other perspective that day. But on that day it was a lesson, an unexpected lesson, that has never been forgotten. Here’s what happened: the widow woman was not like the others. She wasn’t seeking attention. She wasn’t rich. But she had a love for her Lord and a genuine trust in his promises. She knew how richly he had blessed her, and she had a desire to respond. She knew his promise to never leave or forsake his people. And she took the last two small coins that she had to her name and quietly dropped them into the offering box. Can you even imagine emptying your bank account, emptying your purse or your wallet, and putting every bit of money that you have into the offering plate? It’s shocking generosity. It’s incredible trust. Jesus shares this surprising and unexpected lesson with his disciples and with us. And as he does, he encourages us to consider what must be true of this woman. Jesus has nothing but praise for her. She had a deep faith that she put into action. She must have heard God’s promises and held on to them, rejoiced in them. She must have been moved by God’s Word to give thanks in this tangible way. She may be the most famous example in Scripture of generous giving. So she stands as an encouragement to us, too. It’s not about the amount that we give. It’s about an attitude of thankfulness that overflows with generosity toward God. And that starts by hearing God’s promises. It starts from hearing the good news of sins forgiveness, life with God restored, and eternal life as his amazing promise. It starts with Jesus, who gave his very life for you. And he gives you the opportunity to give gifts in the service of his kingdom. This is a terrible time to preach about offerings because it might come off as a desperate begging by the church and its pastors. Of course, that means there may never be a good time to preach about this. But Jesus teaches us much about giving. God has so much to say about the topic. God is always generous to us with his gifts and his promises. So there is never a bad time to be reminded of these truths. There is never a bad time to give generous gifts to God. Thanks be to him forever.
The Text: Mark 12:41–44 (EHV) 41Jesus sat down opposite the offering box and was watching how the crowd put money into it.
Many rich people put in large amounts. 42One poor widow came and put in two small bronze coins, worth less than a penny. 43He called his disciples together and said to them, “Amen I tell you: This poor widow put more into the offering box than all the others. 44For they all gave out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all that she had to live on.”