READING: MARK 12:35-44

While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, ‘Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: “The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.’” David himself calls him “Lord”. How then can he be his son?’

The large crowd listened to him with delight.

As he taught, Jesus said, ‘Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the market-places, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.’

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few pence.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on.’

REFLECTION

Good morning. A couple of tough questions at the start of the day:

● how much money do you give?

● Or how generous are you?

● How stressed are you about your finances?

● Do you have enough, not enough or more than enough?

● Do you give out of your riches or out of your poverty?

Jesus is going to war with us over our money. His teaching on money is right up there with

the most challenging things that Jesus has to say.

He tells the rich young ruler to sell everything and give it all away. It is easier for a camel to

fit through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Give to

anyone who asks you… The kingdom is like a treasure in a field, the man who found it

buried it, sold everything and bought the field…

What is Jesus talking about? Is this just about keeping the church going? Paying the vicar’s

salary? Is this about the profit and the success of the church? Does Jesus wants to make me feel guilty?

When we feel threatened or under attack, when we are made to feel guilty, many of us will

dig deep into our Christian heritage and play our 'get out of jail free' card. It goes something

like this: We are saved by grace, through faith. So… It’s all about grace, Jesus loves me,

there is nothing that I can do to make him love me more and there is nothing that I can do

that will make him love me less. We justify our position and lack of generosity. I simply push

that uneasy feeling back down inside me until the next time money is mentioned in church.

Or could it be that Jesus loves us? That he isn’t trying to make us feel guilty… Could it be

that he doesn’t want us to suffer, he doesn’t want us to be anxious, he doesn’t want us to

struggle…

Could it be that he is asking us, teaching us, training us to trust him. Here we are back at

Monday’s podcast… He wants us to trust him and money is THE biggest thing that holds us

back. Our reliance, our dependence on money is the single biggest rival for our time, energy

and focus. We seek first to have enough money so that we can afford and add everything

else we need. But this is so stressful...

Jesus knows where we struggle, the things that worry us, the things that make us anxious.

The things that our hearts are drawn to and ultimately the things that will prevent us from

following him with all of our lives… MONEY.

Jesus said “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other,

or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and

money.”

There once was a couple who had moved into a big house. It was a stretch financially but all

the way along they had felt God encouraging them to think bigger. They moved in and the

first few months were manageable… The wife was asked to cover a colleague's maternity

cover and so had 12 months of increased salary. The couple got pregnant and the husband

got worried. They saved some of the increase in salary but that still wasn’t going to be

enough.

And then the baby came.

The savings dropped rapidly. The anxiety rose sharply…

Then the financial projection showed that April the accounts would go from black to red and

the trouble would really begin. Did they get it wrong, had they not heard right. The house…

the baby… Did God want them back? The house they could sell… the baby… not so easy!

Then one day...mother's day, the husband bought flowers… he opened the door, stepped

over an envelope, put some water and the flowers in a vase and went back for the envelope…

£2000… cash… no note, no explanation…

The wife never returned to the high paying job… She didn’t have to. God was teaching them

that he would look after them… that they didn’t need to worry about money… that they

should never make decisions based on money but on what God was saying to them.

It was a lesson that the wife had been taught growing up… giving from her pocket money as

soon as she was given some. It was what the husband was still learning, but the fear was

lifting. The anxiety was shifting and he was beginning to feel free. They had always given to

church but that felt less of a burden now, they had the joy of giving to their friends when they

were in need. They have seen others give and be generous. They’ve witnessed the power of

giving on their non-Christian friends…

Jesus want us to be free… That will start with a small step… God wants your all, your

everything… he will teach you...if you let him.

PRAYER

Father. Thank you that you promise to look after your children. Help us to trust you with

everything that we have. Where we are fearful and anxious about giving over control give us

faith, help us to trust and lead us in your ways. Thank you that you want to set us free from

worry and stress. In Jesus' name. Amen

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