The Widow’s Mites

Today’s Passage – Mark 12 – 13 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here  to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 106 – 110; Proverbs 22

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6

Read a previous post from today’s reading – “I Don’t Want to Render to Caesar“

“41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” – (Mark 12:41–44)

The story of this poor widow giving her last two mites to the Lord is also found in Luke 21:1-4.

In this account, we see that Jesus was geographically positioned in the Court of the Women so that He was able to observe the gifts that people were placing in one of the treasury boxes that was there. According to Phillips, there were thirteen of these boxes located within the Temple grounds – four of which were designated for voluntary offerings and the other nine were for legal dues and temple taxes.^[1]

Jesus saw this poor woman give her two mites (λεπτὰ from λεπτόν – lepton), which were very small copper or brass coins that were worth very little. With human eyes Jesus could see what she placed in that box, but because He is God, He also knew that this woman had given all that she possessed, and that nobody else had contributed proportionally more that she had. This gift was extremely sacrificial because it left this poor widow with nothing to live on. What would she do for food? How would her future needs be taken care of?

The question that I have regarding this woman’s gift was why did she do it? Did she give “all her living” because God wanted her to? Was it because of her love for God or perhaps was it because she was being pressured into giving by the scribes:” which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.” – (Mark 12:40). The main thrust of this Mark 12 involves Jesus’s rebuke of Israel’s religious leaders. Within the immediate context in the preceding verses, Jesus was warning the people about the scribes who demanded a lot for themselves at the expense of others, particularly the widows. 

I believe their are a couple of applications that can be made from this passage of Scripture:

1. It is good for us to give sacrificially back to the Lord. He is the source of all that we have and He is well able to bless us with more than what we give. As one man said, “I shovel it out and God shovels it back in, but God has a bigger shovel.”

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” – (Luke 6:38)

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” – (Matt 6:33)

However, in most cases, God does not expect you to give “all your living.”

“1 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; 2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. 3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; 4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. 6 Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also. 7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. 8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. 9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 10 And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago. 11 Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. 12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.” – (2 Cor 8:1–12)

In the story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11), the problem was not that they did not give all the proceeds of their sale of land, it was that they lied about how much they sold it for.

2. It is not good for ministers to take advantage of people. The real story in Mark twelve was Jesus’s condemnation of these scribes who were taking advantage of poor widows. Preachers need to resist the temptation of “fleecing the flock” while striving to raise funds for the church, or worse, attempting to line their own pockets.

^[1] John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Mark: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Mk 12:41.