Have you ever heard a sermon about the “widow’s mite” and her generosity as a giver or have you ever explored that theme in an exhortation to others about the imperative of “sacrificial” giving?
The story of the widow's gift to the Temple of her last two coins (Mk 12:41-44 & Luke 21:1-4) described a beautiful act in the desert of official devotion and almost universally is seen as some kind of observation on the measuring of gifts, or as an exhortation to “give till it hurts”, or as an example of some virtue to be acquired. Yet, apart from the text, if any one of us were actually to see in real life a poor widow giving the very last of her money to religion, would we not judge the act to be repulsive and to be based on misguided piety because she would be neglecting her own needs? Do we really think that Jesus would have reacted otherwise? Do we really think that he would have enthused over such a donation?
The range of exegetical opinion of the Widow’s mite is amazing. The point of Jesus' commendation is that the true measure of gifts is not how much is given but how much the gift represents and that the true measure of gifts is the self-denial involved and the cost of it for the giver. It is not the amount which one gives that matters but the spirit in which the gift is given specify self-offering, unquestioning surrender, total commitment, loyalty and devotion to God's call, gratitude, generosity, humility and unobtrusiveness, trust in God to provide for one's needs and lastly detachment from possessions.
The moral of the story is that alms and other pious gifts should correspond with one's means. All that Jesus says is: “She gave more . . . for they all contributed out of their abundance but she out of her want has put in everything she had, her whole living.” Presumably Jesus is implying that the widow gave more because her gift was a sacrifice. It is gratuitous to say that it is not the amount but the spirit accompanying the gift which makes the difference. When Jesus tells the story of the widow giving her only two pennies, he never actually praises her. He never actually makes a value judgement over her great sacrifice. Most Christians have always assumed that Jesus is praising this widow for her gift, and that he intends his disciples to take a lesson on Christian giving from her story. He just says, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those contributing to the treasury.” Sure, she gave out of her poverty, they out of their wealth. But Jesus never says “be like her,” he just says don’t be like the scribes. We should remember that men's offerings are not to be reckoned at their outward value but only by the motive of the heart.
Not only today do we find the widow's action painful but are we actually empowered by God to serve the needs of those who most need help? That's the challenge that the story of the widow's mite puts before us. Let us dedicate our offerings to the mission that Christ has set before us which is a people-centered mission. A mission that directs our resources, money as well as time and talents to that which matters the most…people in need!
The story of the widow's gift to the Temple of her last two coins (Mk 12:41-44 & Luke 21:1-4) described a beautiful act in the desert of official devotion and almost universally is seen as some kind of observation on the measuring of gifts, or as an exhortation to “give till it hurts”, or as an example of some virtue to be acquired. Yet, apart from the text, if any one of us were actually to see in real life a poor widow giving the very last of her money to religion, would we not judge the act to be repulsive and to be based on misguided piety because she would be neglecting her own needs? Do we really think that Jesus would have reacted otherwise? Do we really think that he would have enthused over such a donation?
The range of exegetical opinion of the Widow’s mite is amazing. The point of Jesus' commendation is that the true measure of gifts is not how much is given but how much the gift represents and that the true measure of gifts is the self-denial involved and the cost of it for the giver. It is not the amount which one gives that matters but the spirit in which the gift is given specify self-offering, unquestioning surrender, total commitment, loyalty and devotion to God's call, gratitude, generosity, humility and unobtrusiveness, trust in God to provide for one's needs and lastly detachment from possessions.
The moral of the story is that alms and other pious gifts should correspond with one's means. All that Jesus says is: “She gave more . . . for they all contributed out of their abundance but she out of her want has put in everything she had, her whole living.” Presumably Jesus is implying that the widow gave more because her gift was a sacrifice. It is gratuitous to say that it is not the amount but the spirit accompanying the gift which makes the difference. When Jesus tells the story of the widow giving her only two pennies, he never actually praises her. He never actually makes a value judgement over her great sacrifice. Most Christians have always assumed that Jesus is praising this widow for her gift, and that he intends his disciples to take a lesson on Christian giving from her story. He just says, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those contributing to the treasury.” Sure, she gave out of her poverty, they out of their wealth. But Jesus never says “be like her,” he just says don’t be like the scribes. We should remember that men's offerings are not to be reckoned at their outward value but only by the motive of the heart.
Not only today do we find the widow's action painful but are we actually empowered by God to serve the needs of those who most need help? That's the challenge that the story of the widow's mite puts before us. Let us dedicate our offerings to the mission that Christ has set before us which is a people-centered mission. A mission that directs our resources, money as well as time and talents to that which matters the most…people in need!
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