THE WIDOWS
OFFERING
41And he sat
down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the
offering box.
Many rich people
put in large sums. 42And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins,
which make a penny.
43And 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. 44For
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
COMMENTARY
On this occasion,
after preaching in the Temple, Lord Jesus stood watching the pilgrims and
worshippers put their offerings in the coffers placed outside the Temple, especially
with the intent to collect voluntary alms giving (Not tithes or Corban), judging
the hearts of the ones passing by.
Many put large
amounts of Temple money, already exchanged from the Roman currency into
shekels, and probably made a loud noise as the coins fell down the ‘trumpet like’
containers, calling attention to themselves. The louder the noise, the more
they had given, and the more respect and honor they received from those around
them.
Suddenly, an
elderly woman, a widow. Came an made a deposit which made hardly any noise.
Probably nobody
noticed her. Her poverty in a male dominated society, must have been obvious
from her dress. But Lord Jesus did notice her.
Our Lord saw the
hearts of men. And He considered how all the big offerings were given for the
same reason He condemned those who wore large liturgical robes, charged money
for prayers and read long boring written prayers for many things as they were requested
by the worshippers. Vanity.
But while rich men
made loud offerings, either for vanity to be seen by others, or simply out of
generosity; this widow had given out of love.
A poor widow in
those days, could not afford to be ‘generous’, let alone be seen in her
poverty. It brough shame to most. She needed to rely either in the maintenance offered
by her offspring, or from the alms of others. That the evangelist mentions that she was a ‘widow’,
does not only mean that her husband had died, but that she was in need by
missing her material sustainer and moral support, her husband.
Even though she may
have children, she could not afford to ‘give away’ voluntary offerings that the
Law did not request. But she did.
The old lady had,
out of love and devotion, voluntarily given for the maintenance of the House of
God, all she had to live at the moment. She trusted totally in her GOD. She knew
that God would see for her, because she had given not to pleasure or vice, or
greed to collect interest on loan; but she had given happily to the priests what
they needed to continue on with their daily worship of our Heavenly Father.
Lord JESUS
pointed out not the giving, but the heart behind it.
All other men
had given from what they could spare. Mostly to be seen by others, and a
minority out of devotion and generosity, but none of that meant a deprivation
of something, but was money that otherwise they could waste in other things
(v.44), but rightly they gave it to the Temple service.
But that widow,
had given, out of faith and love.
FAITH, because
she fully believed and trusted in GOD. And her action according to her faith,
demonstrated that she totally relied with confidence in the God who can make money
out or stones and fed the prophets in the dessert. She had put her life on the
line, and demonstrated her honest belief.
In LOVE, because
she loved God and his House. She fell love for God’s worship and the place of
divine worship, so much, that she considered the Temple of God more valuable
than her own life. So, she preferred to give every thing she had, with total
detachment in love.
Lord JESUS
wanted to demonstrate his apostles, that it is more valuable in the eyes of God,
the intensions of the heart than actions themselves.
It is not big
offerings, big buildings, big campaigns, or luxurious churches or robes or pomp
that God values, but the intentions behind it all.
If anything is
given by any other reason that is not born from Faith and Love, it is worth no
more than the material worth. Certainly, God is just, and will reward every man
that does anything for Him, even if his heart and intensions are not the best
(Matthew 10:42). But whoever does any thing for Him or his intensions, out of faith
and love, will be rewarded, not only for the material, but for the detachment,
love, faith and trust they have demonstrated in doing what they did, and will
receive the Crown of Glory that await the ones who had given everything for God’s
Glory (1Corinthians 9:25; 2Timothy 4:8).
Omar Flores.
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