Encore Post: One day Jesus sat down to teach in the temple’s Court of the Women where he could watch people putting freewill offerings into the offering box. People of all walks of life put money into the treasury from the wealthiest to the poorest of God’s people. One of those people was a poor widow, who contributed her last two copper coins.
Since this offering was not required, anyone who gave to the Lord in this way showed love for God. The rich people Jesus saw contributing were giving from their wealth and did not miss the money at all. The widow, on the other hand, showed complete trust in God. She literally did not know where her next meal would come from. Yet she gave her last resources so that God could be praised.
In the time of Jesus, widows had a hard life. Very few women had independent means of support. When a widow’s husband died, she was completely at the mercy of her relatives, especially her sons. If they did not care, she would have to scrape by in any way she could. The widow in our story is very likely one of the less fortunate ones.
Jesus commented on this woman’s faith and praised her for her trust that God would care for her. He did not condemn the giving of others. Instead, Jesus taught the disciples that the amount someone gives to God is not as important to him as the faith it demonstrates.
Christians are not commanded to give a specific amount of money or even a particular percentage of our income. We give offerings to our church, to other organizations in the Church and to care for those in need. We love God and want to participate in His mission to seek and save the lost. So we share what we have, praying that God would bless them for the good of others.
Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana
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