Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: Mark 12: 41-44; 14: 1-9 Aug. 31, 2025

Message: “Gifts for the Lord!”

By Pastor George Gnade

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Introduction:

1. In Matt. 6: 20, Jesus said: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust can not consume and thieves can not break through and steal. Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.”

2. Jesus taught us to examine our hearts and make sure our treasures are in the right place. The two stories we are considering today beautifully illustrate that truth.

3. I am sure most of you have heard these stories before but they are worthy of our time.

a. The first story concerns a widow who loved the Lord and wanted to show the Lord how much she loved Him. The Gospel of Mark is the only place where we will find this story, which is why I’d like to consider it as part of this series of sermons..

b. The second story is found Matthew, Mark and John. But both stories illustrate the same principle. This second story concerns Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who anointed Jesus with a very expensive oil.

A. Let us consider the story of the poor widow first.

1. In Mark 12:41, we are told how Jesus “sat opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd as they put their money into the temple treasury. And many rich people threw in large amounts.”

a. In many churches, we pass a plate each week to receive the offering for the work of the Lord.

b. More recently, many churches place offering plates in convenient places in the sanctuary where no one can see what you are giving.

2. But Jesus deliberately sat where He could  see what people were giving. And many rich people probably wanted people like Jesus to see what they were doing. It could be a subtle way of bragging.

a. Or maybe it was a way of encouraging others to give generously too.

b. But Jesus was not as impressed as some others would be because He knew they were simply giving out of their wealth.

3. That is when a widow came and dropped two small copper coins into the collection plate. I doubt she even realized that Jesus was watching. These were among the least valuable coins of that day.  No one would be impressed.  I doubt she was even trying to impress anyone. 

4. But Jesus knew what she had to live on and He knew her heart. He knew she gave all she had.  

a. As Jesus put it in vs. 44, “The rest all gave out of their wealth, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all that she had to live on.”

b. I doubt He said this in front of others. It says He called His disciples to Him. I think that implies He told them after the fact. But clearly He was impressed because He knew she did it out of her love for the Lord. God would reward her in His own time      and way.

5. I doubt this passage was criticizing those who gave generously out of their wealth. This was not about them. But it clearly teaches us that it is not necessarily about how much you give as it is about how much you love the Lord.

6. This woman was laying up a treasure in heaven. At the same time, I am sure Jesus found a way to help her down here too.

B.  Keeping this in the back of our minds, let us now consider what Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, did.

1. Our passage does not even give her name. This may be because Mark was the first Gospel, and Mark was probably protecting her. For the same reason, sometimes he didn’t tell us all that Peter did.  The other gospels would fill in the blanks.

2. In John 12: 1-11, we are specifically told it was done by Mary, the sister of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead.

a. Following his resurrection, a celebration was held in Bethany in the home of Simon, who at one time had been a leper. But Jesus had healed him.

b. During this celebration, Mary came with a very expensive ointment called “nard” worth a year’s wages. She anointed the feet and body of Jesus with this ointment and wiped His feet with her hair.

3. We learn even more about Mary and Martha in Luke 10:39-42. In this passage, we learn how Martha liked to serve and make the meals. But Mary enjoyed sitting at Jesus’ feet. 

a. On this occasion, Martha got mad at Mary and wanted Jesus to tell Mary to help her. 

b. Jesus said: “Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken from her.” 

c. This teaches us two important details.

4. Later on, at the dinner in honor of Jesus and Lazarus, once again we find Martha serving the food.  But this time we find Mary bringing and anointing Jesus’ body with this expensive ointment. 

a. Again Mary was criticized for showing her deep love for the Lord. Some like Judas said the money for the nard would have helped a lot of poor people. (He really wanted to steal some of it for himself).

b. And once again, Jesus defended her. He said the poor you will have with you always.  Then He added: “This ointment” was meant to prepare me “for the day of my burial” (John 12:7; Mark 14:8).

5. Do you understand why Mary did what she did? She listened at Jesus’ feet. She believed the day of His death was approaching.  This was her way of honoring Him and preparing Him. We learn the same truths in Mark 14:1-9. May God help us to be more like Mary and take more time to sit at Jesus’ feet by studying and believing what He taught us. 

In conclusion:  I doubt Mary even realized that she was laying up treasures in heaven. But her gift, like the gift of the widow, was a sign of her love for the Lord. The moral is it is not about how much you give as it is about how much you love Jesus. Amen!