Good morning. I would like to consider this morning something that happened that truly impressed our Lord Jesus. I will get to that scripture, but first I’d like to talk about Milton Petrie. He was born in 1902 and died in 1994. He was born into a Jewish family and worshipped with the Temple Emmanuel of the Jewish Reformed branch.
In his early teens he worked at a local pharmacy in Indianapolis for $10 a week. By the time he was a young adult he had started a few different businesses, which all failed. In time, he began a chain of stores featuring lady’s apparel, and that coupled with shrewd investments made him a multi-billionaire by the time of his death. At his funeral service it was said that he had given over 123 million dollars to charity. This brought gasps from some and smiles from others. He had been known for his philanthropy towards charities like cancer research and the Metropolitan Institute of Art, but that was an amount of money that few could imagine let alone give away.
During the fellowship after the funeral service several people were talking about that staggering figure of 123 million dollars. They knew that he had been generous, but that was a total none had imagined. One of those talking made the comment that “someone should tell the newspapers” because such news would go a long way to dismiss the idea that Jewish people are “miserly.”
At this, Milton Petrie’s wife spoke up and said that they didn’t have a clue as to the reality of Milton Petrie’s generosity. She explained that for every dollar that had been donated to known charities, several more had been given to individuals anonymously. He used to read the papers looking for stories about people in need. “For instance,” she told them, “there was recently a sizable anonymous gift given to the family of a fallen policeman. There was a child diagnosed with leukemia whose treatment was paid for, and he took care of children who were on the streets because their parents were addicts.’ She said that he always had an interest in helping people who had lost their homes to fires, and the list of the kinds of people he had helped went on. The one stipulation for each of those acts of charity is that his name would remain unknown.
Coming back to that moment when Jesus was impressed: We read about it in Mark 12.41-44: 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 cents.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.”
It wasn’t the amount that impressed Jesus, it was her trust in God. This poor widow was willing to honor God even when it meant that she would not have what she needed to live on. That is an impressive faith!
It is not my intention to diminish the charity of persons like Milton Petrie. I applaud his generosity, his heart for the poor and unfortunate. It is especially interesting that much of his charitable giving was done anonymously. But let’s be clear, he died a billionaire!
We could say that this is an example of the old truth that you cannot out-give God. I wouldn’t argue with that, and I would even say that his life was a good example of that truth.
However, Jesus identifies the faith of the poor widow as the greatest example of a faithful heart. She did not give from her excess, she gave from her heart with a trust that God would provide.
Do you think that the poor widow whom we read about in Mark 12 was cared for by God? I am sure that she was. We don’t read about it, but I am quite certain that God smiled upon her and honored her faith.
It is when we reach out in love to one another not from abundance but from faithfulness that we are truly giving and truly blessed. God is always faithful, and His blessings are sure.
God bless you today with a generous heart as you give of your time, your talents, your love, your forgiveness, your resources of every kind.
Vern