Sunday 15 May, 2016

21 He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; 2 he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; 4 for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

This is a short passage, but one of the most profound verses and teaching on giving. In summary, Jesus is teaching that giving is not about how much is given, but how much sacrifice in the giving.

The rich were easily seen by Jesus, in what they were putting into the temple treasury. Were they doing it to be seen? Did they do this to attract the praise and admiration of the fellow men? I think yes!

And yet the woman would have been almost unnoticed, and disregarded. You can almost hear the people saying “what could she possibly contribute?”

Being a widow, she would not have a husband who would earn an income for her and the family, and so is described as very poor. She would be living a very tightly budgeted lifestyle, where only two small copper coins is described as all she had to live on. She gave them away. Nothing left to live on! Yet she put in “more than all the others”.

Does God look at the amount? No.

Does God need the amount? No.

In her poverty, her sacrifice made her more “wealthy” than all those that were rich. Her wealth was her faith, for this woman knew her Father would provide.

I am humbled, and challenged by this faithful woman.

Father, I pray that I may have even an ounce of the heart of this poor widow, to give generously, sacrificially, and faithfully, as she did.

Written by Steve Fell