Flints, Sponges And Honeycombs
Givers can be divided into three types: the flint, the SPONGE and the honeycomb.
Some givers are like a piece of flint. To get anything out of it you've got to hammer it, and even then you get only chips and sparks.
Some givers are like a sponge. To get anything out of it you've got to squeeze, and squeeze it hard, because the more you squeeze a sponge, the more you get.
But other givers are like a honeycomb. A honeycomb simply overflows with its own sweetness. This is how God gives to us. And this is how we should give in return.
Today's Gospel includes the well-known story of the "Widow's Mite" which takes place in the area of the Temple Treasury. The Temple in the Jerusalem of Jesus' day was divided into a number of different areas to which access was increasingly restricted. Outside was the "Court of the Gentiles." This area was open to all. The first area inside was the "Women's Court," open only to Jews. Next was the "Men's Court," open only to Jewish males. Then came the Court of Priests, open only to the temple priests. Finally, there was the most sacred area of all: the "Holy of Holies," which could be entered only by the High Priest of the Temple, and by him only once a year. Around the walls of the "Women's Court" were thirteen urns shaped like trumpets for the receipt of the Temple tax and other offerings. Visitors to the Temple did not place their contributions in these urns themselves, however. The contributors handed the money to the priest on duty stating the amount and what it was for. The pries then announced the offering and placed it into the urn. This explains how Jesus could know the amount given by the poor widow in today's lesson.1
Why was Jesus seated outside the Temple Treasury watching people making contributions? Obviously Jesus knew that watching people putting their money into the Church treasury is a surefire way of learning a lot about who they really area. Perhaps He was there for that reason. We can only speculate. In any case He saw that the people who were depositing large sums did so in a rather haughty, arrogant, detached manner. The problem with these people, as Jesus saw it, was that they were giving only out of their abundance. Instead of giving some of the cream to God, they were giving only the leftovers. They were flint givers. Their gifts were spiritless. There was no spirit of personal sacrifice. They weren't putting anything of themselves into the gift. They were giving out of obligation. Their gifts were being extracted from them. They were sponge givers. Surely the Temple benefitted from the flint-givers' and the sponge-givers' gifts but, in giving only in a non-sacrificial way, just as surely they lost still another opportunity for their own life-enrichment. And so it is even today with those of us who are flint-givers and sponge-givers.
As jesus watched these goings on at the Temple Treasury, a poor widow came and offered but two copper coins. Her gift could not have benefitted the Temple very much financially. By today's measure, it came to about sixty cents. One can almost see the rich pulling their fine robes around them so they wouldn't come in contact with such a poor creature. ("And look at that pitiable offering compared to ours!") But that poor creature was the very one Jesus was waiting for. Turning to His disciples, He said, "I want you to observe that this poor widow contributed more than all the others who donated to the Treasury. They gave from their surplus wealth, but she gave from her want, all that she had to live on" (Mk. 12:43-44). That poor widow had less than enough for herself, yet she gave all she possessed. The widow's mite impressed Jesus more than the large contributions of the wealthy because of the spirit in which it was given. Insofar as the upkeep of the Temple was concerned, those two little coins were practically worthless. But the widow's purity of intention was priceless!
In the fifth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, members of the early Church, sold a piece of property and the proceeds were to be turned over to the Apostles for the benefit of the early Christian Church. But when they turned over only part of the proceeds and tried to keep the rest for themselves, the apostle Peter said, "Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to me but to God." (Acts 5:3,4). Hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And thus, in the year 34 A.D., the disease "Cirrhosis of the Giver" was discovered by the husband-and-wife team of Ananias and Sapphira.
"Cirrhosis of the Giver" is an acute condition that renders the patient's hands immobile when he or she is called upon to move them in the direction of his wallet or her purse, and from thence to the collection basket. Curiously, this strange malady is not clinically observable in such surroundings as supermarkets, shopping malls, entertainment centers, sports arenas or plush restaurants. Moreover, statistics do show that a high percentage of the afflicted can be categorized as "regular Church-goers." Although a remedy is often prescribed which informs the patient that income tax deductions may be claimed for giving, nevertheless the best therapy -- and that which leads to a lasting cure -- is to get the patient's heart right with God. Thus, it has been determined that "Cirrhosis of the Giver" is actually a symptom of a basic need of the soul. Prescribed Medication:
Frequent doses of Second Corinthians 9:6 ("He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver"). This medication will become quite pleasant to take when followed by a dose of Philippians 4:19 ("God will supply you with every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus").
There was a time in the life of the Church that whole armies were baptized in one ceremony. When this occurred, many of the warriors went into the waters with their right hands held high, so that they did not get wet. Then they could say, "This hand has never been baptized," and they would go back into battle swinging their battle axes as freely as ever. The modern counterpart of that ancient "partial baptism" is seen in the many people who have been baptized -- all except their pocketbooks which, figuratively, are held high out of the water.
John Bunyan, author of "The Pilgrim's Progress," wrote:
A man there was,
and they called him mad;
the more he gave,
the more he had.
To the world, such a principle of giving is nonsense. To the Christian who know the true worth of spiritual returns, it not only makes sense, it makes life ever more meaningful.
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