41 And He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And He called His disciples to Him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” ~ Mark 12:41–44
One day Jesus was sitting across from the treasury at the Temple in Jerusalem. As He sat, He watched the people putting money into the offering box. This was a voluntary offering, not a forced and compelling government proclamation. Jesus was sitting close enough to see how much money the people were putting into the offering box, and this is what He observed. Many rich people came and put large sums of money into the box, but they didn’t even notice it was gone, so little in comparison with the amount God had blessed them with. But then along comes a poor widow and put two small copper coins, which were only worth a half penny each. This caught Jesus’ attention.
Here is Jesus’ opinion about the whole matter. All of those people who came before may have put fifty, sixty, or maybe one hundred dollars into the offering box, but this woman, and not just a woman, but a widow woman, which means she lost her primary income when her husband died. She was now forced to make ends meet with the meager income she made from doing odd and ends work for probably those same people who were putting in huge amounts of money. She, on the other hand, put in all she had. It was not the amount that impressed Jesus; it was the amount relative to what she had to live on. The rich gave out of their wealth, while she gave out of her poverty. The story doesn’t tell us what happened, but I would assume she received a special blessing from the LORD for her faithfulness.
So, the next time you are moved to give, but you feel that it isn’t enough or it is too small, don’t worry; small is large in the hands of our LORD, and you will receive a large blessing in return.
Father, help us to give according to our blessing and not be concerned about the amount. Thank You, Father, that You do not judge us according to man’s standards, for he looks at the outside while you look at the heart. Thank You for Your faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
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