Widows Mites

How its typically preached

Luke 21:1–4“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.””

This is often verses that are used to encourage christian giving. Some preach it as giving your all for Christ, some may preach to congregations to insinuate they should give more or maybe they don’t think some are giving at all. The emphasis is usually put on her giving her entire livelyhood and so should we

I cant disagree she gave out of her poverty. Do we not say we should give from the heart. Is this to say some others there who gave where not cheerful givers as 2 Cor 9:7

Look at context

Before this text. This is Wed the final week of His life.

We’ve seen The Trimphal entry

He has wept over Jerusalem

He has cleansed the temple

All day Hes been teaching the multitudes and been confronted by the false leaders of Judism

They’ve tried to trap him so that they may execute Him.

He has silenced them everytime so now they will have to lie in order to have Him executed.

There is no more to say to the crowd or the false leaders and has given them His last invitation

His ministry has ended after three years, no more gospel invitation or clarification

Hes not the messiah they wanted

People and Leaders have rejected Him

End of Chapter 20 He warns “beware of the scribes”

Mathew 23:1-39 gives a longer discourse of the dangers of the scribes

Luke 21:5 starts the long announcement of Judgement and destruction on the nation and the temple that will take place in 70 A.D. and last all the way to the coming of Christ.

Between the warning of the scribes and the dangers of following these leaders and the judgement that has now lasted for two thousand years is this brief account of this widow dropping 2 copper coins into an offering in the temple.

How does this fit

Deut 26:12 When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled, 13 then you shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me.

Widows ate to and were FILLED

Exodus 22:22 “You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.”

Psalm 68:5 “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”

Proverbs 15:25 “The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries.”

Mark 7:8 Dishonors father and mother when you take what would have helped them and given it as offering. Instead of using their wealth to support their parents, the Pharisees dedicated that wealth to God (“Corban” = “an offering, a gift”; see Num 30:1-16) and claimed that the wealth could now be used only for “spiritual purposes.” However, they continued to get the benefit of that wealth, even though it technically belonged to God. These men claimed to love God, but they had no love for their parents!

Offering to God what should have been used to support parents was breaking the fifth commandment

Jesus is telling them in Mark that if a man treats his parents this way, Hes in violation of the commandments

who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” Luke 20:47 they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property. Extortionist

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him Lk 16:14.

Luke 21:5 “And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said,” Luke 21:6 ““As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.””