(Mk 12: 41-44) "While Jesus was sitting before the ark of the offering, he watched as the people poured money into the ark, and many rich people poured in. A poor widow came and threw two white ones, or a quarter Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, this poor widow has cast out more than all those who have thrown into the ark, because all have thrown away what is left over, but this one, out of her poverty, has thrown all that He had, all his sustenance. "
1. The connection with the previous passage
In the previous passage Jesus had just denounced the scribes because "they devoured widows' houses and made long prayers for pretense" (Mr 12:40), and now, in sharp contrast to the greed of the scribes, draws our attention to the devotion of a widow
Most likely, this widow was aware that the scribes were those people who had chosen religion as a profession for dishonest gain (1 Tim. 6: 5), however, this fact did not discourage her in her desire to devote herself to God with everything he had. And without a doubt, this is a good example that all of us must take into account, because often the people around us can discourage us in our desire to serve God.
- The theme of money in the gospels.
On the other hand, it is amazing to see how much Jesus deals with the subject of money and what we do with it. Here are some examples that can be completed with many others in the gospels:
In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15: 11-32) and the unjust steward (Luke 16: 1-15) Jesus presented two men who squandered money that was not theirs.
In the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16: 19-31) he warned of the danger of misusing riches, as an end in themselves.
The rich young man turned away from eternal life because he loved his possessions more (Mark 10: 17-31).
When Zacchaeus became a publican, he immediately decided to give half of his goods to the poor and return whatever he had defrauded (Lk 19: 1-10).
When a man asked Jesus to act as judge so that his brother could share his inheritance with him (Lk 12: 13-21), he warned him of the sin of greed and the folly of trusting in riches. He also explained that material wealth is of minimal importance compared to spiritual wealth.
In the parable of the Pharisee and the publican (Lk 18: 9-14), Jesus condemned the false religiosity of the Pharisee who, praying in the temple, boasted that he gave tithes of all that he earned.
The parable of the ten mines (Lk 19: 11-27) and that of the talents (Mt 25: 14-30) present us some servants who are entrusted with different goods and then are called to account for them . The way they used them determined the reward they received.
He also taught that no one could be his disciple unless he renounced everything he possessed (Lk 14:33).
And he exhorted his disciples to become treasures in heaven because that is the only way not to lose them with death (Lk 12: 32-34) (Mt 6:20).
The importance of the money issue.
The reason why money is so crucial for Jesus is because in all times and cultures it has represented the alternative to God in our hearts. That's why the way we use money says a lot about our spiritual state.
(Lk 16:13) "No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will esteem the one and despise the other: you can not serve God and mammon."
(Lk 12:34) "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"
(2 Tim 6:10) "For the love of money is the root of all evil, which, having coveted some, they have gone astray from the faith, and pierced themselves with many pains."
"Jesus watched the people throw money into the ark"
It seems that after the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians and Scribes had finished with their round of questions, and had been defeated, Jesus sat down tired in a place in the temple from which people could be seen as they cast their offerings.
This reminds us that although our offerings must be secret, to the point that our left hand should not know what the right hand does (Mt 6: 3), however, we should be aware that God is always looking at what we offer.
"Many rich people threw a lot"
The first thing that Jesus observed is that the rich put in a lot of money. Of course, this was reasonable and Jesus did not criticize it. However, he did not arouse his admiration as he later made the offering of a poor widow. The reason was, as Jesus explained, that the offerings of these rich did not represent any sacrifice for them, but that they gave of what was left of their abundance.
"A poor widow"
It was then that a widow came to present her offering. But before we consider what he did, we must remember some details about the lives of these women in the Jewish society of the time of Jesus.
The first thing we notice is that Jesus showed great interest in the situation of the widows. The reason was that once their husbands died, they were left in a difficult situation of abandonment and abandonment. We already know that in the ancient world there were no pensions for widows or any social security, it was also very difficult for them to enter the working world, so, unless they had their own financial means, their life became very complicated. Of course, if they had an older child, or relatives who took care of them, they could have less trouble.
But even supposing that they had some source of income or property, they often fell into the hands of unscrupulous men, willing to steal and deceive them (Mark 12:40). And the judges themselves were not very favorable to attend to their causes (Lk 18: 1-5).
Therefore, the widows depended on the mercy of the people. In this sense, the Old Testament established different commandments for the Israelite to take care of them, something that was repeated in Christianity (1 Tim. 5: 3-10).
In short, the condition of the widows was very hard and worthy of pity. And it is not surprising that as a result of their need and helplessness, many of them were led to greater dependence on God and to a more constant use of prayer than most of us (Luke 2: 36-38).
"A poor widow cast two white ones"
Now the biblical text introduces a widow who threw two whites. These coins would be the equivalent of the smallest fraction of any currency today. Its value as such was insignificant.
But the action of this woman, along with the commentary of Jesus, has inspired thousands of people to follow his example, which has served to multiply that small offering in an incalculable way. This confirms that God always does great things with the small resources that are placed in his hands. This should lead us to give value to the acts of humble service of those simple brothers, and to ignore the false greatness of others.
On the other hand, we must also remember the important principle that the Lord taught us: "He who is faithful in the very little, also in the most is faithful" (Lk 16:10). The good administration of the small resources that God has placed in our hands will enable us to receive greater responsibilities from the Lord.
"This poor widow cast more than all"
What this widow did was so important in the eyes of Jesus that he called his disciples to notice it. Surely for the rest of the people present, the offering of this woman went unnoticed and was unimportant, but not for Jesus.
It is interesting to note that despite the serious abuses committed in the religion of Israel, the Lord saw and valued the genuine devotion that existed among many individuals.
Then Jesus made a surprising statement: "This poor widow cast more than all." How could it be if many rich people had thrown a lot before her? The reason is that the Lord does not look at the amount of the donation, but the heart with which it is given. In this sense, this passage has much to teach us. Let's look at some of the principles we find here that teach us how an acceptable offering to God should be.
- Voluntarily, not by obligation
The first thing we notice about this widow's offering is that she gave everything she had. And nowhere in the Law was such a thing required. Therefore, his offering was voluntary, not by obligation or under pressure. Paul exhorted the believers in Corinth in the same sense:
(2 Cor 9: 5) "As generous, and not as our requirement"
(2 Cor 9: 7) "Each one give as he proposed in his heart: not with sadness, not out of necessity ..." - Surrendering the heart first
We have already said that God looks at the heart of the giver, that is why, if we have not put our whole being on the altar for him, everything else will have no value.
The fact that the widow gave up all her sustenance necessarily implied that she trusted and depended entirely on the Lord.
Paul praised the example of the Macedonians in this same sense:
(2 Cor 8: 5) "They gave themselves first to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God"
When the heart has been given to the Lord, it is no longer necessary to urge the believers by moving stories, calculated to touch their emotions, or by clever tricks designed to get them out as much as possible.
Let's not forget that God does not really want our money, but ourselves. And this was precisely what made this widow's offering special.
In some circles the issue of giving God the tithe is emphasized too much, and it seems that immediately the remaining ninety percent is left for the person to do as he pleases. But we must not forget that either we give our whole life to God or he receives no part. Therefore, we are responsible for making good use of all that God gives us.
3. For the love of the Lord
The woman loved the Lord her God with all her heart, with all her soul, with all her strength and with all her mind, and that is why she gave all her money. What other explanation could we find for his generous offering?
With her offering the woman expressed her conviction that everything she owned belonged to the Lord, and that he is worthy of everything. That's why he offered it with all his love.
The way we offer up demonstrates the kind of believers we are and also what we think about the Lord.
- With sacrifice and self-denial
The widow gave "all her sustenance". She did not give what she had left, as the rich had done before her, but she gave something she needed to live.
King David expressed the same principle:
(2 S 24:24) "... For I will not offer burnt offerings to Jehovah my God that cost me nothing ..."
- We must offer in the midst of riches or poverty
Sometimes we may be tempted to think that only the rich should give, but in this passage Jesus focuses all his attention on the offering of the poor widow.
Very easily this can become the mentality of those countries that in other areas are constantly dependent on foreign subsidies. But in the kingdom of God this has to be different.
God does not deprive the poor of the joy of sharing with others their small portion.
Let us take as an example the Macedonians of whom Paul wrote, who, though under trials and tribulations, were still generous in their offerings.
(2 Cor 8: 2) "... In great trial of tribulation ... and his deep poverty abounded in riches of his generosity"
And the same could be said of the widow of Sarepta of Sidon, who had to scrape the bottom of the jar, but who still gave what she had to the prophet (1 Kings 17:12).
- Giving the best
Undoubtedly, the widow gave the best he had, in fact gave everything he had.
She did not have to listen to the rebuke that the prophet Malachi addressed to the Jews of his time.
(Mal 1: 13-14) "You have also said: Oh, what an annoyance is this, and you despise me, says the LORD of hosts, and you have brought what was stolen, or lame, or sick, and you have presented an offering. The LORD says, Cursed is he who cheats, whoever has males in his flock, promises, and sacrifices the damaged to Jehovah, for I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name is terrible among the nations. "
7. With generosity
There is also no doubt that the widow gave generously. In fact, some of the temple offerings were intended for widows and the poor, therefore, this woman, despite her extreme poverty, was generous with others.
In order to instill in the Corinthians the blessed results of generosity, Paul employed a metaphor drawn from agriculture: that of sowing and reaping. By means of it it shows that the given substance is neither lost nor wasted, but becomes an abundant harvest. It is an immutable law of nature that if a farmer feels reluctant to part with his grain and sows sparingly, he will have to suffer the disappointment of a miserable harvest. On the other hand, an abundant planting will produce an abundant harvest.
(2 Cor 9: 6) "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
On the other hand, we should not give up thinking about the reward, but rather the benefit of the kingdom of God and those who are in need. When we do not do it this way, the offering becomes selfish and ceases to be pleasing to God. In this sense it is important to be careful with the approach that in some parts is done with the tithe as a way to "buy" the favor of God. Let's not forget that the blessings of God are not bought, they are always by grace. Let us meditate well on our true motivations when giving.
8. With faith and trust in the Lord
Some would not hesitate to accuse this woman of not making foresight for the future and that by giving in this way she was seriously endangering her already battered economy.
And it is true that for the rationalist minds it can not be understood in any other way, but she, as a widow, was a woman who trusted and depended absolutely on God and on his divine provision.
But of course, living by faith requires knowing and trusting in God. Only in this way can we become free from the fear that the possibility of losing the security and comforts that we think money offers us.
For this it is necessary to trust in the word of the Lord who has promised to take care of those who seek his kingdom in the first place.
(Mt 6:33) "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Reflections
When we offer properly, this is something excellent and very pleasing in the eyes of God. However, it is easy to admire this woman but not follow her example.
Many believers spend a lot of money when it comes to themselves, but it hurts everything they could use to please God. Without a doubt, this is a disease of the heart against which the Lord warned many times.
In offering we must have Christ and his surrender for us as our supreme example:
(Eph 5: 2) "And walk in love, as Christ also loved us, and gave himself for us, offering and sacrifice to God in fragrant odor"
(2 Cor 8: 9) "For you already know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who for your sakes became poor, being rich, that you might be enriched with his poverty."