The widow’s offering

Lord Jesus Christ observed the widow who came to the Temple to offer her all. (Mark 12: 41-44 and Luke 21: 1-4)

Status of the widow

The woman who came to the temple was poor. In most cultures, widows are deprived of dignity and privileges. She could have been marginalized and destitute. Superstitious society considers a widow as a demon or demon-possessed that swallowed her husband. Hence, the hapless woman is ostracized, mocked, marginalized, deprived, and even driven out of her home. As a devout widow, she was regular in visiting the Temple. It is also believed the Temple in Jerusalem had a special feeding program for widows. She could have been one of the beneficiaries.

God sees and knows:

Nothing can escape God’s scrutiny. Activities or events inside the Temple are also scrutinized. God knows the people who come to the Temple. God knows their heart, intentions, and motivations. The offering the poor single widow brought was two copper coins – two – the smallest denomination coins. It was worth six minutes wage of an average one-day wage.

God evaluates:

1. Abundance and poverty: While all others could give a part of their possessions, they gave from abundance. Poor widows did not give out of abundance but out of poverty. For her poverty was not an excuse.

2. Proportional giving: The rich had a pre-determined proportion, which is the tithe. However, the poor widow gave one hundred percent.

3. Motive, intention, and heart: The widow was motivated by her love for the Lord. It was not out of compulsion or obligation or fulfillment of the religious duty of paying tithe. Her intention was not to get applause from the audience. God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

4. Cost: God evaluates the cost from the divine perspective. The word mite or tiny gives the understanding that it was of very little value. She could have chosen to keep one for herself but gave both. Value is determined by how much it costs the giver. It is not just money, the labour of love and effort to bring that to the Lord.

God rewards

All can please God, from the poorest to the richest. Lord said that the poor widow gave more than all of them – all of them put together. The widow was not rewarded immediately. Yet, she will harvest eternal rewards. God is neither unjust nor forgetful to ignore the widow’s gift. (Hebrews 6:10)

Challenge

The widow is a great model for giving. Perhaps, Lord Jesus taught his disciples in this context: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”(Acts 20:35) God in His grace, provides us an opportunity to be partners with him in mission. From a human perspective, the widow’s mite was useless, purposeless, and meaningless. However, from God’s perspective, it is important, significant, and meaningful. It is wonderful that God gives us the privilege to be His partners.