When Jesus Saw a Poor Widow Give More Than the Rich
What would Jesus say about you?
It doesn’t quite make sense, does it? How could a poor widow give more than rich people?
Well, let’s notice what happened and then think about what Jesus said.
Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” (Luke 20:45-21:4)
First, Jesus warned His disciples about the scribes (experts in the law). Why? Because they were hypocrites (Matthew 23:27-28) - they put on a front for people to see while they were doing sinful things like “devouring widow’s houses.”
After warning His disciples about the scribes, Jesus looks up and notices all the gifts the rich were placing into the temple treasury. However, Jesus also notices a woman few other people would have noticed.
This “certain poor widow” put in two mites worth a few minutes of pay. In our money today, it would be something like $1 or $2.
Jesus said this poor widow gave more than all the rest of the rich. Why? Because they gave out of their abundance while she gave everything she had.
What the rich gave was not truly a sacrifice - they would never miss what they gave out of their abundance. Do you miss the water that spills out of your cup when you fill it to overflowing? Of course not, all we have to do is wipe it up and turn on the sink, and we have more.
How much do you think someone would miss that spilled water if they were dying of thirst and it was all they had?
This all goes back to - do we give back to God simply to keep up appearances, like the scribes?
Or, do we give back to God because He is our everything? Are we willing to make sacrifices for the one who sacrificed Himself for us?