The Widow’s Mite
NOTE: New Light Faith Ministries and Barry Johnson Ministries, founded by Rodney V. Johnson and Barry O. Johnson, respectively, are partnering to offer Bible studies for Christians who are seeking to grow in their relationship with Jesus. This is a Bible study lesson, not a sermon. The Bible studies teach foundational truth that are designed to challenge, encourage and, most importantly, flame the fire of hunger in the Christian who wants to learn more about who they have become in Christ Jesus. The Bible studies you find on this site contains the written version of the lesson. However, these lessons also include a video and an audio file of the study, a PDF version of the lesson and a sheet for note taking. If you would like any of the additional resources for these studies, please email us at newlightfaithministries@gmail.com or bjteachingltr@gmail.com for more information or contact us at the email provided on both of our Sermon Central pages. Please visit our YouTube Channel (Barry Johnson Ministries; New Light Faith Ministries, Inc.) to watch or listen to these lessons as well as other available sermons. Be blessed.
Introduction
Over the years, the story of the “widow's mite” has been used to show Christians what their attitude should be toward giving. As I think about our childhood memories of attending church, I don’t recall hearing a single message about the widow’s mite even though it was brought up from time to time. The point of talking about her was to make her the standard by which all of us were to examine ourselves when it came to giving our tithes and offerings. It was not uncommon for the preacher to say something like, “This poor widow woman came to the altar and gave her last mite. She gave her last dollar. She gave all that she had, and she gave it to the Lord! What an example she is to us! How can we not do the same?”
We grew up in a Baptist church in Tennessee and when the deacons would take up the tithes and offerings, we would sing the song “You Can’t Beat God Giving.” The lyrics went something like this: “You can’t beat God giving. No matter how you try. The more you give, the more He’ll give to you. So, just keep on giving because it’s really true. You can’t beat God giving, no matter how you try.” The playing of the song was a subtle hint for people to dig a little deeper into their wallets and pocketbooks during the collection of the tithes and offering. Give as much as you possibly can because God will match what you give or even give you more. In this month’s Bible study, we are going to challenge how the story of “The Widow’s Mite” has been taught and what “her story” means to the Church today.
But before we talk about the widow giving the last of her money – thus giving her all, we must first examine why she did it and to do that we must discuss what she was taught about giving to God. Also, when you hear the answer as to why she gave her all we are sure the answer might startle you. So, let’s begin with a summary of the first twenty-seven verses of Mark 12, where the record of the widow’s mite is found.
Summary Mark 12:1-27
At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus presents the parable of the man who had planted a vineyard. We read this in verses one through eleven. After planting the vineyard, the man leased it to vinedressers and went away. When it was vintage time – the time to harvest the vines, the owner sent his servant to the vinedressers to receive some of the fruit. But the vinedressers mistreated the servant and sent him away empty handed. The man sent servant after servant, and some were beaten and others were killed. Finally, the owner decided to send his only son. The vinedressers, believing that getting rid of the son would allow them to keep the vines for themselves, killed him. The parable was an indictment against the religious leaders, and they recognized it as such. (verses 1-12) What we want you to keep in mind from this parable is the fact that Jesus was talking about the Jews who were rejecting Him. This will be important later because in their rejection of Him, they also rejected God’s commandment pertaining to their duties as leaders and their responsibilities for widows.
The second situation that is recorded in the chapter was a plot by the religious rulers to present a no-win scenario that would force Jesus to reverse what he had taught concerning their responsibility to the Roman government, thus trying to use His own words to trap Him. You know the story. The no-win scenario they came in the form of a question: “Jesus, is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?” Specifically, they wanted to know if they had to pay taxes at all. Jesus told them to bring Him a coin. He looked at the coin and told them to tell Him whose image and inscription was on it. Of course, they all agreed that it was “Caesar’s image and inscription on the coin. Jesus told them to give to Caesar what was rightfully his and to give God what was rightfully His.” I can just see the utter contempt for Jesus on their faces. (verses 13-17)
But the religious leaders were not done. There was one more attempt to discredit Jesus and this time it came from the Sadducees, religious leaders who did not believe in a resurrection from the dead and were materialist in how they lived. Remember this as we continue with the study. So, they came up with what they believed would be a “gotcha question” that, in their minds, was unanswerable. They said to Jesus, “A man, who had seven brothers, married but died without having any children. According to the Mosaic Law, if a man died without producing offspring and had brothers, one of them was required to marry her and have children with her.” This is recorded in Deuteronomy 25:5. In this scenario, according to the Sadducees, all seven of the brothers fulfilled their duties but died without producing children with the woman.
Now, here’s the Sadducees’ “gotcha question” – “Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife." (verse 23) “All the brothers died without producing children with the woman, so whose wife would she be in the resurrection?” How ironic that the question is coming from a group of religious leaders who do not even believe in the teaching of resurrection. Jesus’ response to their fantastic and unbelievable scenario left them with egg on their faces because it said that they should have known the answer – “(24) Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? (25) For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Mark 12:24-25) (verses 18-27)
The reason we wanted to spend time summarizing the first 27 verses of the chapter was because they provide the context for what Jesus says about the widow. In all three examples, Mark chapter twelve is painting a picture of religious leaders who care more about themselves, their teachings and traditions, their reputations, and the financial benefits that came with being seen and respected as a religious leader than they did the welfare of the people they were supposed to teach and serve. Sadly, in many Churches today, the men and women in leadership positions have a “serve me” attitude regarding their roles than they do a “serve the church”. Now let’s look at some examples of what Jesus said about the Pharisees and their teachings which confirmed what was recorded in Mark 12:1-27. We are going to jump around a little bit but we promise to tie all up with a nice little bow.
Why Jesus Brought The Widow To The Disciples Attention?
What we are going to examine next sets the stage for what Jesus was really talking about when He brings the widow to the disciples’ attention. Let’s begin by reading the record in Mark 12, verses 28 through 31 and concluding with verses 38 through 44.
(28) Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" (29) Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. (30) And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. (31) And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:28-31) In Matthew 22:40, Jesus adds, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Now, keep this in mind as we jump down to verse 38. (38) Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, (39) the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, (40) who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation." (Mark 12:38-40)
The scribes were lawyers who were also Pharisees. Along with other Pharisees, they had convinced the people that they were the final authority concerning how to interpret and implement the Law in their lives. “Yes, we know that you have the Law, but we’re the ones who are trained in understanding it. So, we are going to help you understand what the Law really means and how to apply it in your life.” The phrase that jumped out to us as we read this passage was “devour widows’ houses.” The word devour means “to eat down” and communicates a process that happens over time. The religious leaders, ever so slowly, would convince widows to give the synagogue the money that they would normally use to support themselves or their families. The religious leaders did this under the pretence of counseling them in the knowledge of the Law and in the management of their estates. They took advantage of their ignorance, their trust and the fact that they had no one caring for them, and either extorted large sums for their counsel, or perverted the widow’s property to their own use. And Jesus said that the religious leaders who were doing this would “receive greater damnation.” Translation: they would spend an eternity in hell and the lake of fire.
However, Scripture is clear regarding the Jewish nation’s responsibility concerning widows. Deuteronomy 14:29 says, “And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.” Deuteronomy 24:17 states, “You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow's garment as a pledge.” The Mosaic Law had specific commandments concerning the protection of widows. In this verse we see that it was prohibited to require a widow to use her clothes to pay off a debt. That is what the word pledge is referring to. And yet Jesus said that those who should be taking care of the widows were literally eating them alive – taking all that they had. Keep this image in mind as we continue.
Isaiah 1:17 is another verse we want to draw your attention to. It says, “Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.” The word plead in the Hebrew means “to contend for her rights, aid her by vindicating her cause.” Widows were unable to defend themselves, more open to being oppressed and to having their rights taken away by the crafty. Now turn to Malachi 3:5. We want you to see the warning that awaits those who mistreat widows. “And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien – because they do not fear Me," says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:5)
So, what we see here historically is the responsibility that God outlined for leaders in their care for widows – something the Pharisees and Sadducees were not doing. Their jobs were to protect the widows and care for them. They were also not to extort money from widows or put them in a worse situation knowing that they did not have a husband to take of them. But as we have read, for some of the Jewish leaders, widows were fair game for neglect and authoritarian abuse. Now let’s transition to why the widow gave all her money to the “church.”
Why The Widow Gave Her Mites
Now, let’s pick up Mark chapter twelve with verse 41. “Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much.” (verse 41) Jesus is getting ready to teach the disciples an object lesson about the difference between giving religiously – out of obligation – and giving from the heart. They are standing across from the courtyard and watching the people give their tithes and offerings. “(42) Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. (43) So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; (44) for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." (Mark 12:42-44)
Remember we talked about how the story of the widow and her giving is normally presented to the church? “Do you see this poor widow woman? She only has two little mites. She puts it all in for God! She puts in all she has for God and you’re complaining about the tithe!” The word poor in verse 43 means “a beggar, destitute of wealth, influence, position and honor.” For all practical purposes, this widow was a beggar, but she gave all she had so that God would bless her. Now, we want you to see the comparison between the widow and the other givers. So, let’s read verse 44 again. “for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." The word abundance – folks, that word means “leftovers”. After the rich had paid all their bills, and spent money on the things they wanted, they still had money left over to put into the offering plate. In other words, they gave what they didn’t need. Do you see what’s going here? God wasn’t first. They gave to God out of the money that they had left over after they had bought what they wanted for themselves, and it was still a lot. And then Jesus said the widow was giving out of her poverty – out of money she needed. The word describes “being destitute”. Jesus is telling us that the woman was giving money that she really didn’t have to give.
This is what we want you to understand. The widow believed she had to do this for God to bless her. And not only that, but she put ALL, not SOME, of her money in the offering plate. What are we saying? To put it into today’s language: this widow put her rent money in the offering plate. She put the money she needed to pay her electric bill in the offering plate. She put her grocery money in the offering plate. Do you see the picture? The rich put in money that they had left over after they had paid their rent, after they had paid their electric bill and after they had bought their groceries. The widow put in the money that she needed to live on. And here is the sad part in all of this: the widow did not have enough money to live on before she decided to put in ALL that she had! This is the picture that Jesus is painting for us. The money the widow put into the offering plate wasn’t enough to cover her living expenses and yet, she gave it because she had been taught to do that by the religious leaders.
We must read one more verse, Mark 13:1. It says, “Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!’" Keep this in mind. Now let’s go to Luke 20 and see the same record. We are going to pick it up with verse 45. “(45) Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, (46) ‘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, (47) who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.’" (Luke 20:45-47)
Now, let’s continue with Luke 21. There should not have been a chapter break between Luke 20 and Luke 21. Beginning with verse one we read the following: “(1) And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, (2) and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. (3) So He said, ‘Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; (4) 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.’ (5) Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said ... (Luke 21:1-5) The word poverty is translated “penury” in the King James Version and means “deficiency, less than what her wants required”. As we said earlier, all the money the widow had was not enough to pay her bills, but she gave it to the synagogue anyway. The Amplified Bible renders verse four as follows: “For they all gave out of their abundance (their surplus); but she has contributed out of her lack and her want, putting in all that she had on which to live.” (Luke 21:4, Amplified Bible)
Now, the temple, buildings and stones are part of the context of this record about the widow’s mite. We read about the stones and the temple in Mark 13:1 and we see them again in verse 5. This is very important. We see the record in Mark 12 and Luke 20 and 21 again in Matthew 22:34-40. Now look at verse one of Matthew 23 – “Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples …” (Matthew 23:1) In Mark and Luke the first things Jesus and the disciples talked about were the temple buildings and the stones. We don’t see any reference to the temple, buildings and stones. Now look at Matthew 24:1 – “Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.” Do you see this? Now what is in between Matthew 22:46 and Matthew 24:1? You already know! Matthew 23.
The Real Message of the Widow’s Mite
Matthew 23 is the teaching that Jesus does to expose the doctrine the religious leaders were teaching concerning the giving of tithes and offerings and why the widow believed she had to give her last mite. Let’s begin with verse one. “(1) Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, (2) saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. (3) Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. (Matthew 23:1-3) Jesus said, “When the scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat, they were giving you the Law. Believe them. But when they are not in Moses’ seat beware of what they say and what they do.” Barry White, one of my favorite singers, before he passed away had a hit song called “Practice What You Preach”. Jesus was telling the people that the scribes and Pharisees were not practicing the Law that they were teaching to you.
Let’s pick up the record with verse four. “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” (Matthew 23:4) The heavy burdens were the “oral traditions” that the scribes and Pharisees added to the Mosaic Law called the Mishnah, which they made part of the Talmud. The oral traditions were much more stringent than what the Law prescribed and that is why Jesus said they bind heavy burdens on the people. Let’s continue with verse five. “(5) But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. (6) They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, (7) greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'” (Matthew 23:5-7)
Now, look at the very first word of verse 8. It is “But.” Remember, Jesus and His disciples are looking at the courtyard and they are seeing the rich give out of their abundance, and they see the poor widow give what she cannot afford to give. “(8) ‘But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. (9) Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. (10) And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.’” (Matthew 23:5-10)
In verse 11, Jesus begins to show the disciples what he expects of them. “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” I initially thought the word servant in the Greek was doulos, “bond slave”. But it’s diakonos – “a person who executes the commands of another”. Listen to what Jesus is telling His disciples. “You are not going to be like the scribes and Pharisees. You are going to serve My people. You are not here for My people to serve you.” Remember, the context here is the poor widow. “Unlike the religious leaders, who are seeking to be served, you are my diakonos and you are going to follow My leadership when serving My people like this poor widow.”
Beginning with verse 13 Jesus turns his attention to the religious leaders. Look at verse 14. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.” (Matthew 23:14) Do you see the context? Jesus is not holding up this widow as an example of sacrificial giving. She is not being held up as the model that we are to follow. Jesus is angry, not at the widow, but at the religious leaders. In Jesus’ mind, the widow is the one being sacrificed!
Calling Out Wrong Religious Teaching & Summary
Jesus is pointing a finger at a religious system that makes this widow feel that she had to give her last mite to receive God’s blessing. He is pointing a finger at the religious system that says you have to give “big” in order to be blessed by God. Are we not hearing this today from the preachers who promote the prosperity gospel? Some of them even encourage us to put our “gifts and offerings” on our credit cards if we don’t have the money in our bank accounts. Ladies and gentlemen, the blood of Jesus has already purchased our blessings! And this is the point of this passage. Jesus is showing us what is wrong with a religion that does not preach His gospel. The religious leaders used the rich as models for the poor. “If you want to be rich, you have to give big just like they do.” But all this time we have been taught that if you want God’s blessing, then we need to do what the widow did. And that is not what Jesus was saying at all.
Now jump down to verse 23. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” (Matthew 23:23) Jesus was revealing the hypocrisy of the religious leaders’ teaching about tithing. Their hearts were hardened toward God, and you could see it by their attitude toward giving their tithe. They were careful not to give anything beyond the tithe. Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees their most important role was to show judgment, mercy and faith to those they were responsible for serving. Jesus is referring to Micah 6. Let’s read verses six through eight. “(6) With what shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old? (7) Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? (8) He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:6-8)
When the widow pulled out her two mites, the religious leaders should have been the first to say “No. Stop. You need your money and more to take care of your needs. And we will help you.” God wants our hearts. Ladies and gentlemen, this is true for us today. When it comes to giving, God wants our hearts first. Second Corinthians 8:12 says, “For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” And Second Corinthians 9:7 says, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”
So, what is the real message that we see in the story of the widow’s mite? Jesus was not commending the widow for her giving. No, His heart was aching for her. Jesus was angry at the religious system that the Pharisees and Sadducees had created that made her feel she had to give her last to receive God’s blessings. God didn’t require it then. God doesn’t require it now. Now you know the real story. Learn this lesson. Go back and listen to it again along with your notes. Pray as you do and then tell the people you love the good news!
