More Than All of Them
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. And he said, “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 21:1-4)
As Jesus sat watching the temple treasury, His heart must have been lifted by the sight of a poor widow offering her last two coins. He had just endured relentless questioning from the scribes, chief priests, and Sadducees with deceitful motivation, yet here was an act of pure devotion by a poor widow giving all she had. Her small offering spoke louder than the wealth of the rich.
Jesus sees us when we give. He notices the amount, but what He is really looking at is our heart and motive in giving. The widow’s two coins, worth only about 1% of a day’s wage, could have easily been divided—one for God, one for herself. Yet, she gave it all to God. And God wasn’t measuring her gift by its size but instead He measured it by the depth of her trust in God.
Jesus declared that she gave more than all the others combined, not because of the amount, but because of the cost to her. True generosity is not about abundance but rather it’s about sacrifice. King David understood this when he said, “I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24). God does not seek for us to give out of guilt or obligation. Paul told the church in Corinth that each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). God wants us to have a heart that delights in trusting Him and therefore gives cheerfully.
I have experienced not knowing where the next paycheck will come from, and maybe you have too, but I’ve never experienced being literally down to my last 2 cents. Yet regardless of what financial situations we’ve faced in our lives, this widow’s offering is a challenge to us. Do we wait to give to God until we have more to give from? Or do we give in faith, trusting that God sees and provides? Jesus’ observation and comment about the widow’s gift shows us that the heart behind the giving is what determines the value of the gift more than the financial amount.
Our giving – whether time, talent, money, or any other resource – never goes unnoticed by God. Our genuine faith is more precious than gold that perishes (1 Peter 1:7). Whatever you surrender and sacrifice to God in faith, no matter how small, is precious in His sight. As we determine what to give God, let’s not measure our gift by the value the world may place on it, but instead let’s focus on giving from a right heart before our Lord.