“Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.” Luke 21:1-2 ESV
Reflection: what do you give to the kingdom of heaven?
Have you ever felt completely empty? Like as if the world around you have taken everything out of you and there is just nothing left. You have been there for others, for those in need. Yet no one has filled your “tank” back up again. You can even only offer a feeble prayer to God, wondering if He hears it. If He notices your struggle, your desperate heart. One of the most vulnerable, discarded class of citizens in biblical times was the widow. Without a husband, they had no status, no means of income, and therefore had to rely on whatever savings left, help from family; and perhaps some help from the community. Poor and empty handed.
We read today of such a widow, who came to the temple despite her shame being a widow. And despite basically having nothing to give, she gave the little she had. To copper coins. The copper coins might have made some unique sound as they hit the bottom of the offering chest, the sound of poverty. Why even give the two coins, when there were many rich people giving so much? Perhaps even large silver coins which made the sound of wealth as they hit the bottom. You can almost envision the widow, with bowed head taking the lowest place in the temple to pray, to worship God.
Jesus looked at what was going on with the people entering in to the temple. How they were dressed, what and how they were giving, where they sat down in the temple. And he commented to the disciples “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:3b-4 ESV. What he said was that the observable behavior of people is really
a display of what was in their hearts.
The Bible also refers to this as the fruit; what comes out of a person through behavioral actions and spoken words. So Jesus is comparing this poor widow who had really nothing in the eyes of the world versus the wealthy, that had status and position. And the fact that the widow gave the minuscule amount, was in fact everything she had. She trusted that God was bigger than her situation. It is so interesting that Jesus saw that, noticed and commented on this only a few days before he would be crucified. It must have been a very important lesson he wanted to give the disciples, and us.
To give, even from our empty hands.
And I think this story is really not about money. That we are to hand everything we have to the church. Remember how greedy and corrupt the Pharisees and religious leaders were at that time, and in many cases that have not changed much to churches of today. Jesus “said to his disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.””Luke 20:45b-47 ESV
The principle Jesus is teaching us is in humility to give of ourselves, out of a pure heart, to the kingdom of heaven. As we looked at previously, to build up treasures in heaven.