16
The Widows Mite
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.”
Mark 12:41-44
Have you ever been totally and completely broke?
Not just a little short on the rent, but totally broke to where you don’t even have enough money to stop and order something off the dollar menu? You patiently wait for payday, but it’s still a couple of days off. You find some change in the couch cushions to put a whole gallon of gas to get you to work and back home to wait for payday. Most people have been there at least at some point in their lives. It’s interesting in these times how valuable money becomes to you. When you have a lot of money, dropping five bucks on a coffee isn’t a big deal, but when you are feeling financial pressure, all of the sudden every penny is carefully counted.
Often, we’re less likely to be generous or sacrificial in our giving when we feel like we don’t have enough for ourselves. But scripture tells us it’s what we do with the little things, or when we have little, that will determine what we do when we have much. God tests us with the little things in life. How will we handle small responsibilities? How will we react to the little annoyances or trials of life? What will we do with the little that God has entrusted to us?
Todays passage gives us a beautiful picture of the principle of someone being faithful with the little that they have. The first takeaway in the story of the widow’s mite is how the act of the widow to give even though she had so little is also how we should view giving, no matter our current circumstances. Jesus is far more concerned with the position of the heart and the motivations of the one giving rather than the amount given. If one person gives much and another little, God is always more concerned with what is going on behind the scenes and in the heart of the person than what is happening on the outside that everyone else can see.
Another key observation from this passage is that it’s not about equal giving, it’s equal sacrifice. Jesus saw the gift of the poor widow as a greater sacrifice to the much larger gifts of wealthier people. The reason Jesus was so pleased with her small gift was that He saw so much faith, worship, and sacrifice behind it. There is no worship without sacrifice. We see this concept all throughout scripture, and sacrifice comes out of a place of trusting God as the source above even yourself. The place that sacrifice comes from is the same place that worship comes from, and like faith, these are very pleasing to God. This widow was worshipping God through her sacrificial gift and that was pleasing to Jesus.
Jesus didn’t stand up and stop or interfere in the process at all. He didn’t stop the widow from giving or miraculously produce money to reimburse her. Jesus was pleased that the people were continuing to adhere to the law of tithing and first-fruits, bringing their gifts into the temple treasury. Jesus did not come to abolish or stop these practices as some people have hinted at. If Jesus didn’t put a stop to this practice, should we? It is important for each of us to align our own thinking on this matter with how Jesus himself viewed the practice of giving. He always views generosity as something that would increase as the person grew in relationship with God, not something that would decrease based on dogmatic rules or bad theology.
The widow is a brilliant example of how we should come to God. When we are faithful with little, then God knows we can be trusted with much. This kind of faith, trust and obedience are how impactful legacies are built.
Let’s be people who leave a legacy of trusting God and being faithful with what we have, no matter what our circumstances are!
Not just a little short on the rent, but totally broke to where you don’t even have enough money to stop and order something off the dollar menu? You patiently wait for payday, but it’s still a couple of days off. You find some change in the couch cushions to put a whole gallon of gas to get you to work and back home to wait for payday. Most people have been there at least at some point in their lives. It’s interesting in these times how valuable money becomes to you. When you have a lot of money, dropping five bucks on a coffee isn’t a big deal, but when you are feeling financial pressure, all of the sudden every penny is carefully counted.
Often, we’re less likely to be generous or sacrificial in our giving when we feel like we don’t have enough for ourselves. But scripture tells us it’s what we do with the little things, or when we have little, that will determine what we do when we have much. God tests us with the little things in life. How will we handle small responsibilities? How will we react to the little annoyances or trials of life? What will we do with the little that God has entrusted to us?
Todays passage gives us a beautiful picture of the principle of someone being faithful with the little that they have. The first takeaway in the story of the widow’s mite is how the act of the widow to give even though she had so little is also how we should view giving, no matter our current circumstances. Jesus is far more concerned with the position of the heart and the motivations of the one giving rather than the amount given. If one person gives much and another little, God is always more concerned with what is going on behind the scenes and in the heart of the person than what is happening on the outside that everyone else can see.
Another key observation from this passage is that it’s not about equal giving, it’s equal sacrifice. Jesus saw the gift of the poor widow as a greater sacrifice to the much larger gifts of wealthier people. The reason Jesus was so pleased with her small gift was that He saw so much faith, worship, and sacrifice behind it. There is no worship without sacrifice. We see this concept all throughout scripture, and sacrifice comes out of a place of trusting God as the source above even yourself. The place that sacrifice comes from is the same place that worship comes from, and like faith, these are very pleasing to God. This widow was worshipping God through her sacrificial gift and that was pleasing to Jesus.
Jesus didn’t stand up and stop or interfere in the process at all. He didn’t stop the widow from giving or miraculously produce money to reimburse her. Jesus was pleased that the people were continuing to adhere to the law of tithing and first-fruits, bringing their gifts into the temple treasury. Jesus did not come to abolish or stop these practices as some people have hinted at. If Jesus didn’t put a stop to this practice, should we? It is important for each of us to align our own thinking on this matter with how Jesus himself viewed the practice of giving. He always views generosity as something that would increase as the person grew in relationship with God, not something that would decrease based on dogmatic rules or bad theology.
The widow is a brilliant example of how we should come to God. When we are faithful with little, then God knows we can be trusted with much. This kind of faith, trust and obedience are how impactful legacies are built.
Let’s be people who leave a legacy of trusting God and being faithful with what we have, no matter what our circumstances are!