The Definition Of A Fanatic

Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” [Mark 12.41-44] 

It's not the measure of what is given, but the measure of what it costs us that counts in Kingdom terms.

Why?

The more (percentage-wise) we give to God and His Kingdom, the more we trust Him. To give God everything is to trust God implicitly. To give to God sparingly is to trust Him sparingly... and that is where the problem lies because God is unapologetically all-or-nothing in regard to where we place our faith:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.2-7]

Jesus did not come to relieve mankind of the demands of Exodus 20.2-7, but rather to "flesh them out:" 

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

In a world full of "solutions," we must decide today if we trust God implicitly or sparingly. As harsh as it may sound, to trust in man's solutions to any degree is idolatry. Every degree that we trust man's idols is a degree that we do not trust God. It seems though that God (as revealed by Jesus) consistently requires one hundred percent or nothing.

The only thing that proves my devotion to God more than my willingness to give one hundred percent, is to give up my own way, take up my cross and follow Jesus - to actually lay down my life for His Kingdom.

Following His time on earth, Jesus, Who rose from the dead, went back to heaven to be seated at the Father's right hand. So significant is it when a person lays down their life for the Kingdom that Jesus would stand to His feet from His sitting position:

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. [Acts 7.55]

So, we'd better believe Jesus noticed the widow giving all she had... nothing more clearly declares undivided, unreserved, unadulterated, idol-free faith in God ALONE than to give Him everything. 

In conclusion of Jesus' parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18, Jesus asked a pertinent question:

But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” [Luke 18.8]

Could Jesus have already answered this question elsewhere?

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. [Matthew 7.13-14] 

Anyone who takes the Bible seriously (as opposed to religiously) meets all the criteria of a fanatic. It was pure fanaticism for the woman to give her last two coins away. It was pure fanaticism for Stephen to give his life. But, at the end of the day, and, if the Bible is indeed true, there is no question, according to the one hundred percent faith demands of the Bible, about whether or not these two are in heaven with God at this moment. 

Do we dare live to a degree any less than that of a fanatic?

The sad truth is, most people determine for themselves that their faith is sufficient for God's grace. Even among those who profess to be Christ followers, few even give ten percent of their income to God, and even fewer (if any at all) give away all. Any reason however that a person holds back anything from God is an idol.

Of course, religion comes to our rescue with explanations why we should not be fanatics... or, to be more Biblically accurate... religion comes to our damnation...

The ENTIRE story of the Bible is God's desire for fellowship with man. That undeserved gracious call to fellowship with God, defined throughout the Bible, is answered only with pure, undivided, unreserved, unadulterated, idol-free faith in God ALONE by "Way" of Jesus Christ. God said it unapologetically. Jesus said it unapologetically. A fanatic believes it unapologetically. 

Religion however misleadingly says, "God knows your heart" as if that makes adulterous, idolatrous, faithlessness okay, while religious but Bible-ignorant people self-determine that their heart-intentions are "good."

But here is what God says about that:

This is what the LORD says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due  rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” [Jeremiah 17.5-10]

All this fuss over two small coins... that has to be the definition of a fanatic. 

Father, Your Word is no lie. May we be found giving up our own way, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. May we see the widow's example in Mark 12.41-44 as our model. So be it.