Why would Jesus be so impressed with a widow who gave only two mites, which is less than a cent? He was so impressed that He called His disciples together and singled her out of the crowd. Why did He honour her minute gift so proudly and publicly?
The woman is nameless. We have no record of any word she uttered. As far as we know Jesus did not speak to her. Most likely, she never knew what Jesus said concerning her. She simply walked in, carefully placed her two mites into the horn shaped vessel and passed on by out the courtyard of the Temple, and most likely without saying a word to anyone. She went her way in acute poverty and loneliness, and in real danger of starvation.
Only one person sees her – Jesus, the One who is able to see all. No one notices her. After all, what difference would her two tiny coins make? Jesus saw something in her that no one else sees. It wasn’t something outward, it was something within.
Jesus was so impressed that He couldn’t let this opportunity pass. He has to call His disciples and tell them (v.43). The disciples need to know and we need to learn today too.
Many are impressed by the rich – the generosity of those who come with big bags of money. If we were there, I think we would too. They were probably dressed for the occasion, so that they would be noticed. Everyone loves the rich.
This poor widow walked up and offer two rather insignificant coins (Greek: lepta) – the smallest coin used in those times (probably 1/5 of a cent). Jesus was not moved because she gave. It was HOW she gave.
On God’s scales, the woman’s gift outweighed the rest. Jesus said, "…this poor widow has put MORE into the treasury than all the others." (v.43)
In order words, she has given more than the rich, even though she dropped in only two coins. To God, it is not the size of the gift that matters, it is your heart. Jesus explains, “They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on.” (v.44)
She gave sacrificially, and she gave it willingly.
It is not how much you can give. It doesn’t matter if you can only offer a little – maybe a little time, a little talent, or a small token. God doesn’t judge the gift by its size, but its sincerity and generosity of heart.
Anyway, what difference can two small coins made to the treasury of the Temple. In fact, the widow need not have to come to the Temple in the first place. She is too poor even to give the tithe. How do you tithe off two-cents?
Yet she came. Why? She has the heart to give. She wants to contribute to the work of God. She believes in God’s work. And she came offering ALL she had, literally. Jesus saw her heart. Today God is looking at your heart, not the size of your gift.
No one would be bothered about her offering, but she is. She wanted very much to offer it to God. She has little, but she wasn’t ashamed of her gift. In the midst of those carrying big bags of coins, it may be embarrassing for her to be there. Yet she wasn’t bothered.
No one knows she had in fact given up everything. It was a great sacrifice but she did not brag about it.
No gift is too small a gift to God. We have to learn from her – to give from our heart, and believe that every small gift matters to God and every small gift can make a difference in the Kingdom of God.
Never mind if that is only two smallest coins. Put it in the hands of God and we’ll be surprised what God can do. This widow believed that, if not she wouldn’t have bothered to make the trip to the Temple only to put in two coins. Do we? Do we believe that the little gift I offered, the little talent, the little skills, the small offering, does make a difference to God?
What is important is the sincerity and generosity of our heart. It is the attitude we bring when we come before Him.
The woman not only believed that, she gave in faith. It takes great faith to give all that you have. She has a great need, yet she was not in fear that she would not be able to survive. To be worried is understandable, given her situation. She has nothing left stepping out of the Temple. Yet amazingly she did not. Her offering is an act of faith.
Do we really believe God that way? Now we understand why Jesus needs to draw our attention – not to see WHAT she has given, but to learn HOW she has given them. Her seemingly insignificant act became an important lesson for His disciples, and for all followers of Jesus Christ down through the Centuries, reading this account in the Gospel.
The widow believes God – her faith is obvious. In giving her gift, she placed her life in God’s hands. Apparently there wasn’t other means of support – she is a Jewish widow and without a husband to help her. She was left with nothing.
This is what makes her action so significant – not what she gave, but what was left. Now we can understand how important those two coins are to her. Many of us would not even bend over to pick up a 5-cent coin on the ground. We have many one-cent coins around but we usually ignore them. Yet to this woman, those two coins were the sum total of her livelihood!
With that giving, she became totally dependant upon God!
The principle behind her giving – have faith in God. This woman was rich in faith in God. Her walk to the Temple was a walk of faith. No provision was made for tomorrow. Human wisdom would have demanded that she, certainly under these conditions, had better keep everything she had. She might starve to death if she gives these last two small coins to God.
God will provide. David said in Psalm 37:25b ‘…I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.’
2 Cor 9:6, 10
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness
Have you ever been absolutely, totally dependent upon God? We need to be.
It’s good to go through experiences in life that makes us feel bankrupt, because then we understand what it means to depend fully on God.
I wish the Bible gave us the rest of the story. There is so much we do not know about this lady. We don’t even know her name. And we certainly know nothing about the final outcome.
HOWEVER since Jesus noticed her, we can be assured that God took care of her. Jesus did say in Matt 6:33 ‘Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’
You and I need to catch hold of that same attitude she had. We need to start holding our offerings up to the Lord in confidence, investing it boldly into the work of His Kingdom, expecting His blessings in return. I’m not talking about just money, but all of us – our life, our time, our talents, our skills, our knowledge…
Frances Ridley Havergale caught the heart of this event with the words in his hymn:
Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold.
