Today, we're looking at Luke chapter 21, but we need toremember how chapter 20 ends. Jesus had just asked the Pharisees and scribesabout who is the son of David in Psalm 110, and they refused to answer becausethey would have had to acknowledge that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is indeedthe son of David. The people had already recognized that. Then he gave ascathing rebuke to the disciples in front of these Pharisees, scribes,Sadducees, elders, and leaders of Israel about their religious hypocrisy. Hefinished chapter 20 by saying, "Beware of the scribes who desire to goaround in long robes, love the greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats inthe synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses andfor a pretense make long prayers. These will receive the greatercondemnation."
Thenchapter 21 starts. As he makes this statement about the scribes and Phariseesbeing devourers of widows' tables, he looks up and sees the rich putting theirgifts into the treasury. Here are the elite, the people with money who ownvineyards, orchards, and businesses, sometimes even the tax collectors, tryingto be religious now, putting their money and gifts into the treasury. At thesame time, Jesus saw a certain poor widow putting in two mites, hardly anythingat all, a couple of pennies. He said, "Truly I say to you, this poorwidow has put in more than all, for all these out of their abundance have putin their offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all thelivelihood that she had." Jesus is making the statement that sheoutgave them all because God is not looking at the portion, how much we give,but the proportion, not only how much we give but how much we keep forourselves.
He'salso teaching that everything is the Lord's. The earth is the Lord's and thefullness thereof. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the wealth in everymine, and we are his stewards of his resources that he has given us. He givesus the breath we breathe. The book of Deuteronomy says it is God who gives uspower to get wealth. In the book of Malachi, the last book of the OldTestament, there’s a stinging rebuke of the people of God who were back in theland, yet they were bringing offerings that were not the kind God wantedbecause they were just practicing outward religion while inwardly robbing God.He says, "You have robbed God." They respond, "Well, where havewe robbed you?" In Malachi 3:7-12, God says, "You've robbed me inyour tithes and in your offerings." Again, he's teaching that he owns itall, and your offerings are beyond the tenth, the tithe, that you give off thetop as an act of worship to remind yourself, as the Old Testament teaches, thatGod gave you everything you have, and the least you can give is a tenth back tohim.
Somepeople say, "Well, the tithe is under the law, we're under grace, we don'thave to tithe." But I remind you that Abraham paid tithes before the lawwas given, and Jacob said, "I'll give you a tenth," before the lawwas given. Tithing is a spiritual principle in the scripture that teaches us weare worshiping God when we recognize and set aside the first fruits at thebeginning of every week of all that God has given us the previous week, showinghim that we honor him.
Jesussaid of this widow, "She gave more than them all because they gave out oftheir abundance, but she gave all her living." God doesn't want just apart of our lives; he wants 100% of our lives. Men see what is given, but Godsees what is left, and by that He measures the gift and the condition of ourhearts. Winston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we get, but wemake a life by what we give." He may have learned that from Jesus (Luke6:38) or perhaps from Paul in 2 Corinthians 8:1-15.
Let'sstart off chapter 21 of Luke by knowing God is the Lord, it's all his, andlet's keep him first in every area of our life.
Godbless.
