When Less Is More - April 6

Read Mark 12:41-44

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And 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. For they all contribute out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Reflect

Prayerfully consider your giving habits. Do you tend to give sacrificially or out of your excess?

When it comes to giving offerings, people have all kinds of opinions. Some people think the church asks for too much money and the offertory is the worst part of the service. Some people think passing the plate during the service is a waste of time and everyone should just give online or mail in a check instead. Others want to pass the plate because they want to make sure people notice that they are giving. Some feel very strongly about tithing—you must give at least 10% of your pre tax income, they say. Others say, it isn’t about the amount given but the heart behind the offering.

With all of these conflicting opinions about giving gifts to the Lord, how do we know what is right? Well, we go back to the Bible, of course. This month, we are going to focus on living and giving generously and we’ll turn to Scripture to guide and instruct us.

In today’s passage, Jesus was in Jerusalem at the temple. It was the week that he was going to die. He was teaching about many things and he was being questioned by the Jewish religious leaders who were trying to trap Him in His responses. At one point, Jesus was sitting down across from the treasury and he watched people put money in the offering box. As expected, rich people put in a lot of money. But one poor widow caught his eye. She dropped in 2 small copper coins which most commentators agree is about 1/64 of a denarius. One denarius was approximately a day’s wage, so she gave far less than that.

He called his disciples over to teach them a lesson about giving. He said this poor woman had actually given more than all the others put together even though she gave just a tiny fraction of one day’s wage. In Jesus’ economy, somehow, less was more! How?

Jesus explained that she had two small copper coins and gave them both even though those two coins were all she had. In his Enduring Word online commentary, David Guzik pointed out that she could have given one coin and kept the other for herself and no one would blame her. Everyone else putting money in the box that day was going to go home still having more than enough to live on. They gave out of their leftovers. She gave everything she had to God.

David Guzik explained: “Jesus’ principle here shows us that before God, the spirit of giving determines the value of the gift more than the amount. God doesn’t want grudgingly given money or guilt money. God loves the cheerful giver. The widow’s gift and Jesus’ comment on it also shows us that the value of a gift is determined by what it costs the giver. This is what made the widow’s gift so valuable…Jesus’ principle here shows us that God does not need our money. If God needed our money, then how much we give would be more important than our heart in giving. Instead, it is our privilege to give to Him, and we need to give because it is good for us, not because it is good for God.”

In the case of this poor widow, she out gave everyone else with just two small copper coins. Less was actually more because her sacrifice was greater than the amount she was able to give. This woman serves as an example to us to give sacrificially, not just out of our excess.

Respond

Lord, thank You for the example of this woman. I know that You don’t need my money but because of everything You’ve done for me, I want to give sacrificially to You. Amen.

Reveal

Giving sacrificially is a loud testimony that you trust in the Lord to provide for you, not your money.