The Widow’s Offering

Luke 21:1–4 NIV

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

This passage has plagued me a little bit because two things are happening simultaneously that we only understand if we have the whole context.

It’s easy to read this and even preach this as some LAVISH praise of INSANE generosity. And as a model for us to follow.

Which is the shallow end of the pool. It’s still the pool and is one of the two things happening simultaneously but it’s not the only thing.

If we read around this passage we start to see the deep end of the pool. BOTH the shallow end and the deep end will help us better understand “WHAT JESUS HAS TO SAY ABOUT MONEY”

-How to follow Jesus with our money.

Right before this passage we have this one: Luk 20:45-47

Luke 20:45–47 NIV

While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

Who do these teachers devour? Widows. They devour their whole house. THEIR WHOLE HOUSE.

Why? By creating a system in which this woman has to give up ALL to even meet the requirements of the temple.

Jesus is not pleased with this at all.

How do they devour? Look, here’s a widow now… and watch… that’s all she has.

Then the passage after is this…

Luke 21:5–6 NIV

Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

The lavishness of the temple is noticed. Jesus said this building is coming down. It’s a prophetic statement. Similar to how we talked about Jesus coming and over turning the money changers. It’s prophetic and it’s coming because of how they ABUSE money. How GREED has become the foundation instead of prayer and worship.

The place will be pulled down.

Jesus is telling us this story and the Bible is recording it because it showcases the dichotomy of GIVING: -Greed on one end

-Generosity on the other

The Widow’s Offering showcases the sad reality of Greed

But we first need to be startled by what’s happening as you would be if you were reading through this text or if you were a first century reader. Recognize the wrongness of what’s happening, not just the rightness. It’s both.

Here’s the background… when the tithe was set up:

Deuteronomy 14:22–29 NIV

Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

Two cultural things I need to address as we unpack all this:

Tithe - in the Old Testament still to this day there is a practice of giving called the tithe. The tithe is the idea that you give 10% of your income back to God. Live on 90 and give 10. It was a practice that God established to help not only provide for the temple and the services of the temple, priests, and such. But to also help those in need. That the people at the temple would use that tithe that comes in throughout the years to help those who need help.

-Provide temple services

-Help those in need

Still to this day, this is how the tithe is considered. Thousands of years.

Widows (patricentrism society) - We live now in a society where widows can often provide for themselves. Thanks to life insurance from their husbands, retirement accounts, maybe even still working. But in those days, widows and orphans were the most vulnerable members of their society. They couldn’t provide for themselves and had to depend on the kindness of others to make it through life. If they were young, the hope to remarry. If they were old, they knew they would live out their days in poverty.

In the old testament, when God is setting up and establishing the practice of the tithe.

What is the role of the tithe? To provide for the essential services of the temple, provide for the Levites (the religious leaders, whose jobs were at the temple), and to help the needy.

Jesus comes along and what’s he see… a widow giving everything she had… and no one coming to her aid. The temple had lost it’s way. It began to make the teachers of the law rich and the widows even more poor.

YIKES

So this widow dropping in those final coins could easily be a lament for him. IT SHOULDN’T BE THIS WAY!

Yet- it’s not just that. That’s the deep end for sure of this pool. He’s frustrated in a spiritual institution that would even demand that of a widow.

Similar to today. I believe Jesus has the same lament for churches that also abuse the resources he gives them.

At Praise Covenant it’s a question we ask at the Leadership Team level —- are we using these resources the way God would have us?

Which is the question, I hope each of you ask at the PERSONAL level too — am I using my personal finances the way God would have me?

—-Like Pastor Aubrey asked last week - “Am I spending my money the way Jesus would be if he were me?”

Which leads us back into the shallow end of this story. We discussed a ton of the deep end.

The Widow’s Offering showcases tremendous faith in the God who provides

Jesus is impressed with the faith of this woman. When most of us would go “the demands on me are too high and so I won’t do it.” OR even go “The temple should be supporting people like me, not burdening me.” This woman has a very simple faith.

I will give what I have to give. Even if it’s everything. Luke 21:1-4

Luke 21:1–4 NIV

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Giving isn’t measured by quantity but quality.

It’s not about how much but how much it represents.

Don’t ever think your small amount doesn’t matter. Don’t ever think your little piece of service doesn’t matter.

God wants your trust in him - a showcasing of your ability to trust that he is the great multiplier and can take your small offering and turn it into something that furthers his kingdom.

—Remember the kid that had just the small lunch that Jesus used to feed 5,000?

The cost of our generosity is not monetary but is measured by the FAITH we needed to express in the process.

-I guess you can have my WHOLE coin.

-I guess you can have my WHOLE lunch.

-I guess you can have my WHOLE heart.

God you can have this day. This moment. This space. This act of service. This measure of generosity.

Which is the goal of our entire life… and really the pathway of discipleship. It’s With JESUS and LIKE Jesus.

It’s learning to live in a way where all of your life is in surrender to Jesus.

“I surrender all”

I trust you with everything.

This story is unique because the right answer for this woman isn’t to give all of what she had. Though it could be.

As if following Jesus is always so BLACK and WHITE and RIGHT and WRONG. There’s an element to this story that not giving money to the temple because of their abuse was the right answer. Jesus overturning the tables showcases this.

However, there’s also the showcase of faith but actually GIVING of the coin. All she had.

Sometimes we are so focused on doing what is RIGHT instead of just doing what allows us to surrender all. Often they overlap but the relationship is what matters.

ME—-> If my kids always just did what was right by me.

-Chores

-Clean room

-Homework

But I never saw them or hung out with them or talked with them or walked with them. It would be SUPER lame. Not a good way to be a father.

However, at times even if they stopped doing a chore to sit on my lap and read a book. That would be a win.

And I think there’s something in this story that we need to understand… It’s not just the shallow end and deep end it’s this idea of this woman’s response to God. Of full faith. Trust. Surrender. Love.

WITH JESUS and LIKE JESUS.

Our relationship to money comes from the overflow of our relationship with Jesus

What’s this have to do with - What Jesus says about money? Ultimately, it’s not about HOW MUCH - it’s about our relationship with Jesus. THE OVERFLOW of it.

It comes from selflessness and trust in Jesus.

It comes from understanding the character of God.

It comes from the relationship in the midst of those two things.

Jesus doesn’t condemn her for her gift to the temple knowing full well the temple shouldn’t have required it of her OR made her feel like she HAD TO give it. He applauds her faith.

The frustration towards the teachers of the law is about their stewardship. Not hers.

Do you see the two stewardships at work and how one is condemned and one impresses Jesus.

Her response is one of great faith. She believes in the generosity of God so much she’s without fear.

Or as we talked about a few weeks ago - I LACK NOTHING.

—-

Our giving as Christians comes from our understanding of the generosity of God. If we can realize that God is generous, we become more generous. God’s generosity feels foolish, frivolous, overflowing.

-Overflow

-The generosity of God COSTS him more than any generosity you or I could ever give or do.

-When we live into that in even small ways we are following our great teacher.

Let’s get back to the widow dropping in “all she had to live on”. The cost to her was wild. Lavishly foolish. Very similar to the cost of generosity from God. It’s his own son, his own life…

We are always working to keep up with the generosity of God. There was nothing more generous than the cross.

Let’s pray

What does Jesus’ observation of the widow's offering teach us about the nature of true generosity?

How can we evaluate our own giving in light of the widow’s example?

In what ways might our financial contributions reflect our relationship with Jesus?

How does understanding Jesus' criticism of the teachers of the law influence our perspective on church financial practices today?

What steps can we take to ensure our giving comes from a place of surrender and trust in God's provision?

How can we apply the widow's faith in our daily financial decisions?

What actions can we take to support those in need, similar to the intended purpose of the tithe?

In practical terms, how can we balance our financial responsibilities with generous giving?

How can we reflect on our personal spending habits to ensure they align with our faith and values?

What are some ways we can practice generosity in our communities, based on the lessons from the widow’s offering?