In for a Penny, in for a Pound
- Terry Sweeney
- Nov 8, 2009
“In For a Penny, in For a Pound”
Veteran’s Day
November 8, 2009
Mark 12.38-44 (The Widow’s Mite)
The Rev. W. Terry Sweeney
Let us begin this morning by taking a moment of silence to remember the soldiers and civilians who were murdered and wounded at Fort Hood this past Thursday.
Remember thy fallen servants, O Lord, according to thy favour which thou bearest unto thy people, and grant that, increasing in knowledge and love of thee, they may go from strength to strength, in the life of perfect service, in thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of comfort: Deal graciously, we pray, with the families and soldiers, who mourn the death of their loved ones and fellow soldiers at Ft. Hood; that casting all their care on you, they may know the consolation of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort, relieve and heal in body, mind and spirit the pain and sorrow of the wounded soldiers and civilians from this attack and give your healing grace to those who minister to their needs; strengthen them in their weakness and pour out your loving care and build up a renewed confidence and faith in You; through Jesus Christ our Great Physician, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
I was to preface my message this morning with a few words about our veterans and veterans across the nation.
Many of you have made significant sacrifices to serve our country.
I think it is fair to say that many veterans of the Vietnam War were often unappreciated – even ridiculed and called names – criticized and marginalized for their heroism and devotion to this country.
I think of the veterans from WWII who die by the hundreds each day – men and women who were part of the Greatest Generation who fought tyranny on two fronts.
You were often young men and women who were hardly old enough to shave, you could not legally drink or vote but many of you volunteered before being drafted. Some fought and served in far off places like Iwo Jima, Guam, Vietnam, France, Belgium, and Germany.
You sacrificed much and all too many of you did not return home but were buried in far off places.
I can’t help but think of my father, his brothers, and my uncles through marriage: they all enlisted right after Pearl Harbor . . . most went to Europe to fight; one was a Ranger in Burma – one stayed in the US as a tank destroyer instructor . . . two were in the first wave on D-Day. . . . both survived . . . one had nightmares the rest of his life.
My grandfather fought in the trenches of France in WWI as a 17 year old from Virginia.
My Uncle Jack went to Korea – he too came home safe. . . . I remember as a little boy waving good by to him and noticing the men who had been in WWII seemed to drink a little more that day, seemed a little quieter, a little more subdued. . . some had tears in their eyes. . . . they had some sense of what Uncle Jack was headed in to.
Some of you have served well in peace time – if there ever has been such a thing. The Cold War era was a often tense and required a military that was fully ready to engage the reality of nuclear war. You served in Europe and Asia as well as places like Texas, Colorado and Alaska . . . a few of you served locally.
Some of our veterans made a career out of the military – I’m thinking of Mike, Kit, Herb and Don . . . . some were in for a short time.
Many of you have slept in extremely poor conditions: rain, cold, heat, etc. You’ve eaten way too many K-rations or MRE’s – some of you have been shot at – many of you have had tough moments – but again, to each of you we say thank you!
Whether you served in the Army, or the Navy or the Air Force or the Marines, or the Merchant Marines – you could have enlisted or been drafted – you could have served in times of war or times of peace – you could have been a pilot or drove a boat or walked the ground – you served this country and in a direct way have kept us a free nation.
If our veterans would stand up please!
Gentlemen – thank you for your service. Thank for the sacrifice. Thank you that what ever little or large you contributed to this nation – it all counts, it all keeps us free, it all gives us the ability to assemble without fear of oppression or tyranny.
Thank You!
In reflecting upon the sacrifices made by so many during the American Revolution, the wife of the second President of the United States, Abigail Adams wrote in part, "posterity who are to reap the blessings will scarcely be able to conceive the hardships and sufferings of their ancestors."
Because of you and generations of men and women who came before you and those who came after you we continue to reap the blessings of liberty.
God bless you and God bless America!
In the Name of God: + Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
It’s been said that great necessities call out great virtues; that hard times demand our best and in sports lingo - we are to leave it all on the field of play.
In his now famous speech given on October 29, 1941, at Harrow School, then Prime Minister Winston Churchill said “Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense”
Charles Dickens said in his book “The Old Curiosity Shop”, “In for a penny, in for a pound.” . . . . commitment to an end or ideal requires sacrifice and dedication.
I want to reflect this morning on the great sacrifice shown by the poor woman who gave a sacrificial tithe at the Temple and the sacrifice and commitment of our military veterans – some of whom are with us this morning.
We’ll begin by looking at Mark 12.38-44.
Jesus is at the Temple in Jerusalem – he’s resting by sitting somewhere near the Beautiful Gate in the Court of the Women, the place which marks the limit in which women could enter the Temple, in view of an area Mark calls the “treasury”.
He stopped here to rest – He’d just finished denouncing both the teaching and practice of the scribes – their appetite for recognition and acclaim is seen in their parading about – Mark says they “like to be greeted in marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers – such men will be punished severely.” Mark 12.38-40
What he’s about to do is as opposed to the scribes “who devour widow’ homes’ Jesus is going to offer praise to a poor widow for her sacrificial giving.
Mark gives a bit more detail in saying Jesus sat opposite the place where people dropped their money into the thirteen trumpet shaped receptacles for the treasury.
Each receptacle was marked to indicate what the money would be used for: Temple tribute, for sacrifices, incense, wood and so forth.
Mark doesn’t say this but it’s possible this was the place where a donor would come forward and audibly state how much the donation was and for what purpose it was given.
If that’s true it could account for Jesus knowing that some donations were large and the widow’s donation very small.
It may be also that large donations resulted in a physically large bag or handful of coins cast into the receptacle as opposed to two small coins.
He’s watching the people come and go – and he noticed that some gave large amounts and one woman in particular gave what would be considered very little.
The point I want to home in on is that she gave two coins – Leptas – a very small, thin copper coin worth about one four-hundredth of a shekel or about 1/8 of a cent.
The poor widow gave much all of what she had – her sacrifice caused Jesus to place her as the antithesis of the Scribes.
Jesus knowing her situation called his disciples to Himself as a teaching moment.
The rich gave out of their abundance but the poor widow gave out of her poverty and Jesus went on to say – she gave all she had – she in for a penny and in for the pound.
She gave it all away. . . . without fanfare, not seeking a pat on the back –
Now I can’t say for sure – but this impresses me as a thought out intentional act.
What do I mean? First, Mark does not say she’s a beggar . . . she’s poor but not necessarily poor in the sense of begging . . . . poor in the sense that she doesn’t have much money or material possessions.
She’s a widow and either relies on extended family or her own ability to earn.
Given what we know she’s at the temple for some reason – Mark doesn’t say in which receptacle she placed the money so we don’t know what the purpose of the donation was.
If it was for a burnt offering that would be the cost of a dove or pigeon for the poor.
Matthew 10.29 asks, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?” If this is literally true – sparrows were traditionally seen as the smallest clean part of creation and a penny as the smallest Roman coin.
The English Standard Version Bible translates v. 42 this way: she put in to small copper coins, which made a penny. . . . this highlights Mark’s effort to tell his Roman readers that her gift was a small as it gets . . . the penny being the smallest Roman monetary unit.
The NIV says: she put in two very small coins (physically small) worth only a fraction of a penny (they had very little worth).
The Lepta was physically very small – it was thin and made of copper. . . it was so small it was very hard to stamp any type of signet on it . it was first minted during the time of the Maccabees from around 167 to 63 BC
These, therefore, are old coins – not widely used – and worth very little.
Which brings me to conclude that her donation of 1/8 of a cent could not have bought a dove or pigeon.
This wasn’t a grain offering, or peace offering because instead of wheat, flour and oil she gave two copper coins to the treasury.
This wasn’t a sin offering because that required enough money to purchase either two doves or pigeons or since she was so poor two pounds of fine flour.
This wasn’t a guilt offering because she would have to purchase a ram that has nothing wrong with it, or the price of the ram in addition to paying back what was stolen or destroyed plus twenty percent.
Bottom line she didn’t have enough money for any of the prescribed offering other than a general, discretionary offering that came out of her own heart.
She gave because she could!
The type of coin she gave and their value tells us how little she had and how great her sacrifice really was.
No wonder Jesus gathered his disciples – the woman gave when she didn’t need to and she gave all she had. - she did not hold back one of the coins for herself – she gave it all.
It was all she had to live on – yet she gave it away – freely.
Amen.
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