Mark 12:41-42
How
would you like an outsider doing an audit of your finances to see how you are
spending your money? How about if they did it without you knowing it and then
making the results public? Some of us might be embarrassed to have others see
exactly where our money was going. We might even be surprised ourselves.
Financial
management is an area that we guard very carefully. We have passwords and
security questions. We have PINS and keys. But as we have learned, nothing is
private. The security we were guaranteed is not secure. Almost every week we
hear of another breach. And let’s not talk about Government information
security, hard drive crashes, or website vulnerabilities.
Ever
notice how most people put money in the offering plate at church. We put it in
an envelope. We fold the checks. We hide the cash in our hand before we drop it
in the plate. We generally don’t want people to know how much or how little we
are giving. We consider it a private matter, something for our eyes only. We
get offended is someone is looking over our shoulder watching us, trying to see
how much we are giving. We would call them rude, or intrusive.
But
this is exactly what Jesus does. He places Himself right by the offering plate
and watches what people put into it. Back then, in the Temple in Jerusalem,
there was a box with a slot in the top, a secure place to place your money.
When it was full, it was the job of certain people to empty the box and account
for what was given. Then the money was to be distributed for the care and maintenance
of the Temple.
So
Jesus stands right by this box and watches people put in their money. It had to
be cash. No paper money, only coins. No checks were allowed, no online giving,
no credit cards accepted. You could see if someone was putting a lot in because
coins make noise and take time to put through the slot.
But
some people wanted everyone to know that they were putting lots in, so they
would figure out ways to emphasize how much they put through the slot. I could
imagine someone standing next to the box and dropping one coin at a time,
delaying the line. Or maybe they released them in a quick succession, dropping
them from their hand, one after another, machine gun style.
Some
people would barely want to be noticed. They would sneak up, sheepishly putting
their hand over the hole, dropping their money, and then quickly rushing away. They
didn’t want to be noticed. Their giving was not about that.
The
same thing happens today. Wings on buildings. Streets and schools named. Money
given with the press conference, cameras flashing, bands playing, just the
right people framing the podium, a few smiles, a few hands shaken, and off they
go. A pittance given for publicity. When was the last time someone gave it all
and didn’t want any recognition? When was the last time someone gave it all
away? Maybe the current Pope’s actions have something to say about wealth.