The title of my message today is: “The Sermon on the Amount.” You can probably guess the subject of the message from the title. This sermon answers a question people often ask: “How much money should I give at church?”
Money is a sensitive subject—especially when a preacher is
the one talking about it.
But I hope you will listen closely, because this is important.
Jesus talked about money a lot, because He understood how
people handle money is one of the main things that reveals the inward and
unseen state of their hearts.
Since Jesus cares deeply about us and how we handle money, we should too.
In the Old Testament, the guideline for giving was called the tithe. A tithe is a tenth of a person’s income. The tradition of giving 10% of your income to God through the church goes all the way back to the patriarch Abraham in Genesis 14.
Abraham gave God 10% of all the assets he recovered from a battle with an
invading army. Abraham knew God was the
one who gave him victory in battle.
The tithe was a way for Abraham to honor God for the victory.
Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, also practiced tithing. God promised in a dream to bless Jacob with land and many descendants. In gratitude, Jacob promised in Gen. 28:22, “I will give God a tenth of everything he gives me.”
The tithe became the standard for giving throughout the Old Testament and was codified in Jewish law. Leviticus 27:30 – “A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy.” And verse 32 – “The Lord also owns every tenth animal counted off from your herds and flocks. They are set apart to him as holy.”
Besides showing gratitude to God, the tithe was also a way to support people who had no other means of support—priests, refugees, widows, and orphans (see Deuteronomy 14:28-29). The Bible says tithing also teaches people to trust and revere God (see Deuteronomy 14:23).
Tithing continued in the New Testament and is still the standard for giving in churches today. So, to the question: “What amount should I give the church?” the answer for many Christians is: “10% of your income.” The average annual income for Butts County, GA is about $48,000 per year. So, for example, a person who earns $48,000 per year would give $4,800 per year to the church (or about $92 per week).
Now, I could spend the next 10 minutes trying to convince
you why you should give a full tithe to the church; I could quote Bible
verses and speak of my own personal experience with tithing and what a blessing
it’s been. And such a sermon would be
challenging, because most people in the church don’t tithe and it’s not
easy to give away 10% of your income.
Mark 12:41-44
41 Jesus sat down near the
collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money.
Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a
poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.
43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell
you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are
making contributions. 44 For they gave a tiny part
of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live
on.”
In the Temple in Jesus day, the collection boxes kind of looked like a trumpet on top of a box. The “horn” was made of brass. So, as you dropped coins into it, the metal coins would rattle against the brass horn as they went into the box (and back then all money was coins; there was no paper money). So as people entered the Temple, it was all designed to show off how much money people gave (and by implication, how wealthy and important they were).
You can imagine the scene: Maybe one person drops a small bag of coins into the collection box and you can hear the sound of numerous coins rattling down the horn. And everyone hears it and thinks: “Hmmm…” Then, a wealthier person empties a larger bag of coins into the box and it really makes a lot of noise. And people think, “Wow!” And the family that dropped that money in can stand a little taller—proud of their wealth and the fact that everyone knows it. And the Bible says Jesus was sitting there near the collection box watching people drop in their money. That’s an interesting thought. Jesus was interested in what people did with their money.
In our day, we are very private about what we give to the church. We are very careful at Stark to keep your financial giving confidential. But Jesus knows what you give. Jesus knows not only what you give, but what you can give and why you do or don’t give. Jesus knows your heart. Just as Jesus watched as the crowds giving their money to the Temple, Jesus watches as people give money to the church today.
Jesus wasn’t impressed by all the rich people giving their money. He knew most of them had so much extra that they could give and it didn’t even hurt. It might sound impressive to hear such a loud jingling as a sack full of money rattled down into the collection box, but Jesus knew it was money a rich man would never even miss.
And Jesus knew their hearts. Maybe Jesus
wasn’t impressed because He knew many of the richest givers cared more about
what people thought about them than what God thought. Maybe Jesus knew the richest givers really didn’t care about the poor or the
needy, they just wanted to be admired. Jesus
knew their hearts.
And then a poor widow came to the collection box. She dropped in two small coins. These coins were called Lepta. They were the smallest Greek copper coin, about 1/128 of a laborer’s daily wage--insignificant to most people of the day. We might think of them as a couple pennies.
Yet Jesus admired the widow because He knew it was all she had. Jesus said: “This
poor widow has given more than everyone else. They only gave a tiny part
of their great income; but she gave everything she had to live on, even though
she is very poor.” The law only
required 10%, but the widow gave everything she had.
Psalm 24:1 says, “The
earth is the Lord’s, and
everything in it. The world and all its
people belong to him.” God already
owns everything. (God is the only person in existence is truly “independently wealthy.”) God doesn’t need your money or my money or anyone’s money.
And He certainly doesn’t need a poor widow’s two
cents. But the widow’s gift is remarkable because it shows she is content with her
life and she trusts God will take care of her.
She had incredible faith. She
trusted in God rather than her money. And so, God had from her what He wanted most of all—her heart.
Now I want to be careful. Jesus isn’t asking poor people to give the
church their grocery money. One verse before this story of the widow’s offering, in Mark 12:40, Jesus has condemned religious leaders for “shamelessly cheat[ing] widows out of
their property and then pretend[ing] to be pious by making long prayers in
public.” And now here comes a widow who gives everything she has. Jesus isn't praising a religious system that impoverishes vulnerable people. He's watching a woman whose entire life is placed in God's hands. He admires her faith, while simultaneously rebuking rich religious people for their
hypocrisy.
It is far better to give someone your heart than your money. How much better off would we all be if we understood this principle? It is better to give your heart than your money.
Most churchgoers know the number. Ten percent. In fact, a recent Lifeway study found that 77% of Protestant churchgoers believe tithing is still a biblical command. But only about half say they actually give 10% or more to their church. Barna found an even wider gap when looking at Christians more broadly: only 21% of Christians said they give 10% or more of their income to their church. Apparently, knowing the number and trusting God with the amount are two very different things.
Others may feel very proud they do give a full tithe on their income. They’re giving at more than most others. They may feel like they’ve done their duty and they aren’t challenged to do more. “Why, look at me! I’m a tither!” Whether you do or don’t tithe, don’t miss the heart of Christ’s Gospel. In Jesus Christ, God says, “I don’t want what you have; I want you.”[ii]
God didn’t send His son to die on the cross of Calvary so that He could just have 10% of our income. He did it because He wants you—every part of you. God doesn’t just want you 10% of the time; He wants you all the time and for all eternity. God doesn’t want your money. He wants you! And where your heart is, there your treasure will be also.[iii]
What’s more, Jesus didn’t just come to save you; he came to
save the whole world. And he appointed the Church as His Body to carry out His mission. He said, “Go and make disciples of all
the nations…”[iv] We are nothing less than the Body of Christ.
His mission has become our
mission.
His passion has become our
passion. What an awesome responsibility! What an incredible honor—to spend ourselves and
all we have for the souls of our brothers and sisters here in Butts County and to
the ends of the earth.
The Apostle Paul understood the full ramifications of this. He said in all sincerity, “I will gladly spend myself and all I have for your spiritual good…” That is the attitude I pray for us to have. How far are we willing to go for the spiritual good of the person sitting next to us today? Are we willing to expend ourselves and all we have for the people in our community?
You see, the real question is not: “What amount of money should I give to the church?” In light of our purpose as Christians and the tremendous need around the world, the question is: “How much dare I spend on myself?” The question is not: “Can I afford to give 10% of my income to the church?” The question is, “Can I justify the lifestyle that consumes 90% of my income?”
A lot of people would say the problem with the church today is not enough Christians actually tithe. I disagree. The problem isn’t whether or not we tithe. The problem is we haven’t followed the example of the widow. We haven’t given everything to God.
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