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The Widow’s Mite: Good or Bad Example of Giving?

11/26/2018

41 Comments

 
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For centuries, Christians have assumed that Jesus wants us to emulate a poor widow’s sacrificial giving of her only 2 coins. As the story goes in Mark 12, Jesus was watching people put money into the Temple treasury. Rich people put in a lot of money. Then, a poor widow put in 2 small copper coins worth about a penny. Jesus saw a lesson here for the disciples so he gathered them together and said:

“this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury; for they gave out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, gave all she owned, all she had to live on.”  - Mark 12:43-44
Jesus’ commentary makes it clear that the widow felt the impact of her contribution much more than all the rich people giving money they didn’t need. She gave the only money she had to buy food to survive. Her sacrifice had painful consequences in her poverty.
 
We have historically assumed Jesus is commending the widow’s example to us. We typically interpret the significance of the story just like Joy Allmond does on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association blog:
What matters to God is our heart toward our money and our possessions. Do we see them as ours, or as His? Regardless of how much we give to Kingdom work–whether it is $10 or $10,000–Jesus makes it obvious to us in Luke 21:1-4 [the story of the Widow’s mite] that He is most pleased with those who had to sacrifice to give that $10. What is your “mite?” Are you sowing sacrificially from your resources?
​Before we can jump to personal application like this article does, we need to make sure we understand Jesus’ original meaning. Is the point of Jesus’ observation to praise the sacrificial heart and actions of the widow?
The only way to answer that question is to examine the context. Each story included in each Gospel is contributing to a larger story about Jesus’ identity and mission. We must interpret each story by how it connects to the material before and after it. In the case of the widow’s offering, that context completely changes our assumptions about what Jesus is communicating.
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​Context Controls Meaning

The question we must ask about the context is: Why does the Gospel of Mark place the story of Jesus watching Temple treasury donations (Mark 12:41-44) between his condemnation of Jewish religious leaders (Mark 12:38-40) and his prediction of the Temple’s demolition (Mark 13)? When you read the story in this context, you find verbal connections between the widow’s gift to the Temple and Jesus’ predictions of judgment. Jesus is not talking about generosity or self-sacrificial love before or after the story of the widow. He is talking about how corrupt the religious leaders are who control the Temple and how the Temple is going to be completely destroyed in a future act of divine judgment.

Here is what Jesus says immediately before the widow’s story in Mark 12:41-44:

“Beware of the scribes who like walking around in long robes and respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”
Do you see the verbal connection in his reference to widows? Another verbal connection occurs in the following passage when Jesus predicts the Temple’s destruction:
As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, behold what wonderful stones andwhat wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”  – Mark 13:1-2
​If you read carefully, you recognize that Jesus talks about widows in the preceding context and the Temple in his subsequent remarks to the disciples. That context is how we should understand the story about the widow giving her last penny to the Temple. 
 
Jesus is angry at other Jewish teachers who are persuading widows to give all their money to the Temple bank account. He sees a corrupt religious system that no longer honors God’s heart to care for the needy. Teachers of the Law no longer honor the intent of the Law. Instead, the system has created wealthy religious celebrities who construct lavish buildings and pray in long robes to puff up their public reputation, while the poor go bankrupt. That’s why he isn’t impressed by the “wonderful stones” and “wonderful buildings” in the Temple complex.
 
Jesus is intentionally highlighting the widow’s gift to the Temple as an illustration of how messed up Jerusalem is. He is condemning Jerusalem’s leaders just like Amos and Isaiah and Ezekiel did before him. The widow’s gift is evidence of what Ezekiel saw in the Temple over 600 years earlier: “The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice” (Ezekiel 22:29). In that context of prophetic judgment against Jerusalem, the widow’s offering takes on a much different meaning than we first suspect.
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The Real Meaning of the Widow’s Mite

The widow is a victim of oppression not an example to follow. We typically assume Jesus said or implied, “Go and do likewise.” But he didn’t. What did he say? He emphasized that the widow “out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” The repetitive “all she owned, all she had to live on” draws the observant reader to Jesus’ message. This widow no longer had anything left to live on because Temple teachers had convinced her to donate it to their extravagant slush fund.

The widow’s offering is an illustration of injustice not generosity. The widow’s livelihood was being devoured by wealthy religious teachers just like some TV evangelists today convince poor people to send in their money so they can use it to buy private airplanes. The widow may have had an obedient heart, but Jesus cared more about correcting the corruption. God’s people were supposed to be caring for the poor not taking from them. As Kirk MacGregor writes in his critique of how Word-Faith Movement prosperity preachers abuse this text,
“there are many passages in the Bible which, in context, teach that Christians should give, and give sacrificially, to meet the financial needs of poor members of the body of Christ, the poor in general, people who serve in vocational ministry, the local church, and the global church (e.g.2 Cor. 8–9; Rom. 15:25-33; Matt. 25:31-46; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; Acts 2:44-45; 4:32–5:11). However, the account of the widow’s mite is simply not one of them. Rather, this text stands in the prophetic tradition of condemning unscrupulous religious leaders who steal from the poor under the guise of their giving to God (e.g. Amos 5:11-12; 8:3-10; Isa. 3:14-15; 10:1-2; Jer. 23:1-2; Ezek. 22:26-31; Psa. 10:1-9; Prov. 22:16, 22; 1 Tim. 6:3-10; 2 Peter 2:2-3, 14-15; Jude 11).”
​Jesus was on a mission to end this corrupt system. That’s why he promised to do for people what religious leaders said only the Temple priests could provide. He offered forgiveness of sins without having to pay inflated prices to underhanded Temple businesses to make animal sacrifices. He predicted the demise of the Temple buildings and the reconstruction of a new Temple in his body to stop this kind of religious abuse (John 2:19). 
 
During his earlier ministry, Jesus attacked the practice of Korban where religious elites dedicated their possessions to the Temple rather than using their resources to care for aging parents in poverty (Mark 7:9-13). He wanted justice and mercy to replace tithing regulations that concentrated wealth among the religious elites (Matthew 23:23). He was on a mission to relieve widows from the “heavy burdens” placed on them by leaders who loved privilege and lacked self-sacrificing servanthood (Matthew 23:1-12). That is a mission we must continue today.
How The Widow’s Offering Applies Today
 
The widow’s offering reminds us that generosity without discernment is not commendable. Self-sacrificial giving to misguided causes doesn’t please the Lord. God wants justice and mercy embodied by people who walk humbly before the Lord (see Micah 6:8). He doesn’t want Christian celebrities who build beautiful buildings and publicly demonstrate their religiosity. He doesn’t want people in poverty giving their last cent to corrupt Christian industrial complexes. 
 
The original purpose of the tithe was to care for the poor not rob them under the auspices of religious devotion. In Deuteronomy 26:12, God’s people were commanded every third year to give their tithe to the poor, both widows and impoverished Levitical priests (see Chris Wright's Old Testament Ethics for the People of God). James 1:27 makes it clear: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before our Lord and Father is to care for orphans and widows in their distress.” Jesus doesn’t add more stress to those in poverty by asking for a donation. He believes in exactly what God mandated in Deuteronomy 15:11, “Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land’” (cf. Isa. 25:4; 58:7; Psa. 41:1; 72:4, 12; Prov. 19:17; 21:13; 28:27; 31:9).
 
This demand for justice could hardly be more relevant today in churches across the globe where pastors persuade poor people to give them all their money. In fact, the government in Angola drafted a law in 2018 to require “proper training” for pastors because too many have devised schemes to take money from the poor with promises that God will bless their financial sacrifice. They sell water bottles blessed by the pastor for exorbitant prices to accumulate money for themselves. Who knows how the Angolan government will define “proper training” for pastors, but something must be done to protect the most vulnerable in Angolan society. The path won’t be easy, but it is a path that Jesus blazed in first-Century Israel. It is a path we must blaze today. It is the reason I preach the same sermon Why Does God Bless People? every time I get to speak at Majority World churches plagued by “Christian” voices trying to “devour widows’ houses.”
 
In the United States, we could compare the widow’s Temple offering to a poor lady who gives money she needs for food to a ministry with large surpluses and an extravagant CEO salary. One big ministry in the USA had a $189 million surplus in 2017 after raising excess money for hurricane relief, and they only plan to spend a third of that surplus to help more people in 2018. Their low-income donors actually need that money more than the ministry does for its cash reserve accounts and $1 million CEO salary. If you want to know which ministries fall into this category, contact me.
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God is a God of justice and mercy. He doesn’t want wealthy or poor donors supporting corrupt causes. He wants well-resourced people to care for the vulnerable. Temple authorities were not supposed to be taking from the vulnerable but making sure people gave their tithe every third year to them. That was the Law in Deuteronomy, and Jesus wants it to be the heart his people have. That wasn’t happening at the Temple in Jesus’ day. And if it isn’t happening today, it’s our task to eliminate unjust systems that are crushing the vulnerable and establish merciful patterns of sharing God’s blessings with those struggling to eat. That’s why I spend my life at Excellence in Giving helping wealthy Christians support ministries that embody Jesus’ passion for justice and mercy around the world.

3-minute Bible Background Video: Widow's Mite Explained

NOTE: I am not the first Bible scholar to discuss the meaning of this pericope in the literary contexts of Mark and Luke. This same interpretation has been readily adopted over the past 35 years as Jesus’ larger message of judgment against corrupt Jewish leaders in Jerusalem has been more commonly recognized in the Gospels. See Emma Crossen’s “Be Like The Widow” or Addison Wright’s “The Widow’s Mites: Praise or Lament? – A Matter of Context”.
41 Comments
David
1/29/2019 12:14:57 pm

Fantastic article, and as pertinent today as it was 2000 years ago. Like so many others, I believed this was a lesson comnending sacrificial giving, but this article, along with a similar sermon by John MacArthur, demonstrates so well that this is clearly not the case - thereby bucking the trend of virtually every commentary on this biblical passage. Congratulations and thanks to you for this surprising and remarkably well-informed insight which draws out the intended meaning of the passage raher than attempting to supplant it with our own meaning.

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Paul Penley (author)
1/30/2019 07:43:05 pm

Thanks David. It’s both exhilarating and then challenging to hear what Jesus really meant and what that might mean for us as we care for the poor in our time and identify corrupt religious figures that take advantage of them.

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John King
9/26/2022 10:02:59 am

For me the right interpretation shows Jesus' compassionate and caring nature.That is gold.
The traditional one fails completely to do that. It is dross.
I gather that they had a fund (we know it was kept by Judas Iscariot) and that they gave her financial help from it.

Danny
5/13/2021 07:18:07 pm

David sacrificial giving ?
I thought we are to be "living sacrifices" and that God desires the "scarifies of a broken spirit and contrite heart " jesus once was accused of him and his disciples in the field gathering grain on sabbath . They were in the wrong . But its more then knowing the word its understanding the author .
Two mites was during passion week and jesus never taught about giving of your all until it hurts

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John King
9/26/2022 09:23:16 am

Agree completely. Most postings on the Net for this subject make the wrong call.
We need to beware of those influences on interpretation. translation and application that fulfil a controlling agenda.
The OT makes it clear that the widow should have been a net beneficiary of the Temple Treasury not a contributor. Failure to ensure that, led to the Exile. The situation in Jesus' time followed the same pattern with the events of AD70 that he was prophetically alluding to.

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Philip
9/7/2019 06:34:46 am

Thanks for your article. I've been doing a study on this to get a better understanding of the passage. I was enjoying your article until you started your discussion on TV Evangelists and how they use people's money to buy private jets.
As a Bible Scholar which you are, I'm sure you've come across scripture talking about judging others. I would suggest we leave it to God to do, as He did in this passage, and not make assumptions ourselves on what His ministers are doing today.
I hope your readers don't read this and begin to categorize al TV evangelists as corrupt and seeking money for personal gain.
God bless you

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Paul Penley(author)
9/10/2019 11:35:26 pm

Philip -
You bring up a great point. Jesus did say “do not judge others or you will be judged by the same standard.” When you put those words in the first century conversation of Jewish rabbis, it becomes clear that Jesus is warning us not to judge people‘s intentions, that is their motives. You can read my full discussion on the historical context of that saying in a previous blog: http://www.reenactingtheway.com/blog/jesus-vs-synagogues-part-1-where-he-agreed-with-rabbis.

However, Jesus does teach us to judge people‘s actions. He tells us that you can know a tree according to its fruit, i.e., a person according to what they do. And Jesus himself repeatedly judged religious leaders all around him for what they did and directed other people to do. If Jesus were here to see ministers tell people to give their money to God and then spend it on private airplanes, he would have the same reaction he did to the expensive buildings that religious leaders used donated money to build in the temple. He would condemn it. Jesus was gracious with any humble sinner who was willing to repent, but he was equally strong and justified in his condemnation of leaders who did not embody God’s values in their public practices and decisions.

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William
12/27/2022 01:29:44 pm

Very well spoken sir.

Mr. Hernandez
4/7/2021 12:14:55 am

Mr. Penley was rightfully judging wolf's in sheep's clothing such as joel osteen or benny hinn and others whose ministries come straight from hell I know they are referred to as doctrines of devils in the Word of God

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david smith-dziuba
10/16/2021 01:12:42 am

We are to judge corruption within the church. And to call it out. We are not for now to judge the world who live by different standards. 1 Corinthians 5:11-13

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Michael
3/1/2022 07:08:34 pm

My brother I believe that has to do with discipline of the believer vs the sinner unsaved. It would be silly to say we can not judge them in any manner , for example , if I notice a heathen who constantly uses drugs around the local park , it would perfectly fine for me to judge them and say to others , that person is not the best candidate to be around kids , maybe stay away from them when you're here and keep an eye on the children . Would this mean I am out of line? or am I making a fair judgement based on the fruits of someones tree? the bible must include context , line upon line , precept upon precept , however , its not my job to go to that same person and try to discipline them , a brother in Christ using drugs in the washroom of the church , him we shall discipline , he might be told he has to stay away until he is willing to repent and seek deliverance / help for his sin . I am not to go tell the person unbelieving of JESUS to go to rehab or else I will be notifying everyone in the area via letter on their door he's there using drugs , its not my place to try and enforce discipline on the unsaved , GOD will sort this matter out , I should pray for him vs the believer in the church . I hope this helps , GOD bless in the name of the LORD JESUS .

Michael
3/1/2022 06:57:14 pm

My brother , we are taught by JESUS himself to judge a tree by it's fruit , we are shown by his very example , he executes judgement on those with corrupt behaviour and teachings , this would be extremely illogical to say NO form of judgement at all is ever appointed to those who are living for JESUS and thus carrying out his morals , values and teachings . We would be just as corrupt for turning a blind eye and allowing such blasphemy and such evil doings to occur as those doing them , we are most surely here to judge these type of actions which DO NOT reflect GODS word , GODS morals or GODS ways , we are to care for the flock , to do so , you can't look out for your own best interest while allowing others to be worked by doctrines of devils , we must expose such corrupt works , did you not see Paul doing this repeatedly throughout the entire NT my brother? well okay , we are no different than them , we are the body of Christ. If I saw you donate 100 dollars in front of me in the next pew , not knowing who you are and assume "he thinks he's a hot shot , full of money" , this is the judgement you refer to which we need not to give way to , but if I see you selling bottles of water "blessed by GOD" in the parking lot for 100 dollars each with the promise of healing , I most surely am not commanded NOT TO JUDGE but rather , yes , to publically judge , rebuke and expose you . I hope this helps , GOD bless you in the name of our LORD JESUS.

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John King
9/26/2022 09:16:55 am

Judging? I think so!
1 Cor 5 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?

And although Matt 7 1 seems to say don't judge - but is that a poor interpretation - because Jesus then goes on to say how to judge and when not to. CONTEXT!

For insight into tele-evangelists, try 2 Tim 3:
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
Difficult to decide to have nothing to do with them unless you make a judgment about them!

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bob manke
12/6/2019 11:26:14 am

once again proving the value of biblical interpretation and context.

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Jennifer
12/30/2019 05:23:38 am

It's easy to understand why John MacArthur doesn't like Jesus' story of giving by the widow. Her gift was a sacrifice. Gifts from the wealthy aren't sacrifices. They're tax deductions. They're ways to dress up in tuxes at 'charity' galas to impress others. MacArthur doesn't like the story of the giving widow because he's a Donald Trump supporter who glorifies the rich, their greed and their emptiness. I've never met one conservative/republican who is a practicing Christian. They despise all of Jesus' teachings and love the rich. They support the wealthy over the poor, the sick and the hungry. They vote for republicans who are prostitutes to the rich and sell out the poor, middle class and even slaves to their rich pimps.

John MacArthur supports Trump, an admitted serial sex assaulted, rapist, grifter, liar and sociopath. That says everything about MacArthur's character or rather lack of it.

When a poor person gives away his last penny he gives more than any rich person. I knew that when I was a child and I'm a proud NON Christian. No one needs religion to have common sense or have a moral base. It's sad those who are religious believe are God's 'chosen people' and what they are taught is the only way to righteousness. From their actions and their votes it's obvious evangelicals are mere pawns of the rich and the powerful, the opposite of how real Christians should act.

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ANTHONY W HARRIS
9/17/2020 12:47:30 pm

Why can't Jesus be teaching both things? In fact, I would say the contextual narrative is about the heart. You have scribes, which love appearances, yet their heart is not right with God. The widow gives all she has. I don't see that as a deviation from the context. It flows right along. The scribes are heading for the judgement He describes, and the appearance of religion is no shield against it. Just my thoughts.

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Michael
3/1/2022 07:12:39 pm

I agree with what this man said , however , I also agree with you , MORE is being revealed than just that message , JESUS is wise beyond measure. What we examine as a drop of wisdom , is truly a fountain when you remove the mental limitations , he is surely teaching more than one lesson , what a mighty GOD we serve.

David 2
12/10/2020 11:39:21 am

I'm not sure you have a correct view of Christianity. Being a Christian doesnt make you moral. That is the problem, none of us are moral. I am not moral. Have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen anything? Jesus said if you lust after a person you have committed adultry with them in your heart. Have you committed adultry? If you hate someone you have committed murder. Have you ever hated someone? If you are like me, you are a lying thief, adulterer at heart, murdering blasphemer among other things. If you are judged by God on judgment day will you go to heaven or hell? God must punish the wicked and created hell to punish those who have broken His laws. I know you say you dont believe in God but the fact is that our beliefs do not change reality. Out belief in or against God does not change whether He exists or not. That means you are in real trouble on judgment day. Thankfully God sent His Son to pay our fine. We deserve death for our crimes. Jesus paid that penalty for us. It is not available just to everyone automatically though. You have to repent (turn from your sinful lifestyle toward God) and put your faith in Jesus like you would a parachute if you were to jump out of a plane. One day you will make that jump from this life into the next and without Jesus you will take the full penalty of your actions. That is what Christianity is about. A bunch of sinners who realize their need for Christ and are willing to follow Him even to death because Jesus is more important than anything in this world.

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Millie
2/23/2021 08:21:20 pm

It's very interesting to me that you have said MacArthur hates the story of the the giving widow because he prefers larger donations...MacArthur explicitly explains that the widow thought she had to bankrupt herself because the temple leaders were so corrupt. Applying that to today, he advocates for the fact that people should not feel obligated to donate all of their money, and rather only what is reasonable for them, what God has put on their hearts to give. He goes against the exact thing you are accusing him of. It seems that your political differences are blinding you of his teachings with regards to this specific topic. I encourage you to slowly read Mark 12 so that you can see how the greedy temple was destroyed in part because they took advantage of widows.

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Michael
3/1/2022 07:15:56 pm

there is no such thing as left vs right , they are all the same team and serve the enemy , they are apart of the same secret societies , masonry , skull and bones , occult , jesuits , etc. and also , I pray you get saved , "non christian" i feel means you don't believe in JESUS / are not born again , please , I pray you reconsider , heaven and eternal life is given only those who put faith in JESUS , the rest unfortunately are said to see hell for eternity , as they did not want to accept his payment for their sin but relied on their own wisdom and power , thinking they know how this all came to exist and where its going when JESUS is the only truth . Religion is not real , JESUS is the truth and the rest is the lie. GOD bless you in the name of the LORD JESUS , please consider calling upon his very name for salvation.

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Pastor Joe Falkner link
5/20/2020 01:31:04 pm

I was beginning work on my sermon on this passage and was bothered by this short story in the midst of judgment. I was beginning to to take the standard approach that the widow was an example of sacrificial giving, but it just did not fit the context, so I struggled with it. Fortunately, with God's help I came to the same conclusion that you took of the passage. We must be careful with context. Thanks for your help with this passage.

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Paul Penley (author)
5/23/2020 10:47:54 pm

Joe -
I’m glad you took the time to fit Jesus’ commentary on the widow’s entrapment in an unjust system that bankrupted her into the context of Jesus’ prophetic words of judgment.

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Simon
7/14/2020 05:59:35 am

Thank you for your article. Yes, as you mention, there are commentators who see this not as a commendation of sacrificial giving but as a lament of the failure of the temple’s establishment to care for such widows and/or a condemnation of the corrupt temple system for robbing this woman of her last coins. While I definitely agree that this has merit in view of the context of judgment on the temple (its destruction) that you point out, in my humble opinion this interpretation founders on Jesus’ undeniable insistence in verse 44 that her gift is greater than that of the rich. I just cannot explain this away as anything but a commendation of her action! So, with other commentators such as Wessel and France, I would still prefer to opt for a focus on sacrifical giving rather than a condemnation of the rottenness of the temple. This story of the widow then contrasts the selfish greed of the scribes with her sacrificial generosity and also demonstrates once again the reversal of values in the kingdom that Jesus has been trying to teach his disciples (in this case, not admiration for the outward show of the rich who gift a tiny part of their abundance but admiration of the sacrificial giving of this poor woman). In addition, its lesson (that the greatest gift is giving all we have: v 44) puts in a nutshell anticipates what is soon to happen: Jesus will give everything (Himself!) for us.

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Emma
8/10/2020 09:09:59 am

Thanks for such good info. Can you help me with this...I read somewhere there were 13 trumpets in the temple for giving and that they represented the ministries of the priests. I havent been able to find much on this or I am not looking in the right places.

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Sue
11/22/2020 01:58:22 pm

Donahue & Harrington Sacra Pagina commentary on the Gospel of Mark: "According to the Mishnah (m. Sheqalim 6:5) there were thirteen trumpet-shaped chests in the sanctuary, each one labelled for its different purpose (yearly taxes, bird offerings, etc.)"
See https://www.sefaria.org/English_Explanation_of_Mishnah_Shekalim.6.5?lang=bi

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David E Stravers link
9/3/2020 09:09:05 am

Paul, this is a very insightful interpretation that actually turns this episode on its head for many of us. Thanks for sharing this. If only the so-called evangelicals in America would love first the widows and orphans and aliens and other powerless groups in keeping with God's priorities.

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Paul Penley (author)
9/7/2020 10:42:50 pm

Thanks Dave. Jesus’ painful observation about religious leaders taking advantage of this poor widow reveals a lot about God’s heart. It is a challenging lesson for those of us who want to care for people in poverty the way God does.

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ANTHONY W HARRIS
9/17/2020 01:11:08 pm

But now that I think about it, I can see how her feeling compelled to give everything to the point of self-harm could have been born out of a manipulative culture created by the Scribes, who as Jesus pointed out just a couple of verses prior, took advantage of widows. I am not sure that one can strongly say that is more the point than a commendation of her sacrifice, but it is interesting to think about.

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Victor Tatum
12/12/2020 11:09:26 am

I was looking into the story of the widow's mite and I think you have an excellent understanding here and am blessed to have read your article. I am a new pastor and have never been to bible school. I agree well what you are saying about the religious leaders of the day and even the ones in our time. The only issue I have with your article is a small point but one that needs to be addressed. This widow woman in action WAS giving to the temple but in her heart wasn't she giving to God? I am one who has heard the prosperity message and have seen abuses by pastors and evangelists alike. Jesus is the one who said give and it shall be given you. Is not giving an avenue that God uses as a vehicle by which He blesses? Who can judge what was in this widows heart at the time she gave? Could not the Holy Spirit have directed her giving out of her need to produce greater fruit? Not looking for a fight here just desiring to learn and grow.

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Nathan Gorham
3/7/2021 06:31:06 am

Im not sure I agree with your application. While Jesus was against injustice and spoke out against it, he did not come to correct every human institution here on earth. Ultimately he will correct all things but it was not his mission while on earth. Also he DID commend the widow - just because he didnt say go and do likewise does not mean she was not commended. He had already mentioned the corruption and injustice so what then would be the point of introducing the widow? She is an example of sacrifice, an example that God sees, and similar to elkanah and hannah God hears inspite of corrupt systems.

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Angel Singian
10/2/2021 07:19:32 am

Agreed... although it was a nice background analysis and i liked it, but concluding that Jesus was not talking about generosity or self-sacrifice when Jesus EXPLICITLY talked about it, is kind of confusing. There may be underlying issues that Jesus is addressing but the implicit should not nullify the explicit... we have a habit of reading between the lines but sometimes miss what is actually written in the line.

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Otis Bryant
4/30/2021 05:34:20 am

Your article was on point.

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MckinneyVia link
5/10/2022 10:50:44 pm

Thanks for sharing this useful information! Hope that you will continue with the kind of stuff you are doing.

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anonymous
6/27/2022 02:09:47 am

Unfortunately while an Interesting take on this passage of scripture, it entirely misses the context of the preceding verses although claiming to use context to explain the widows contribution and meaning. It is very simple.

Verses 38-40 jesus condemns the manner in which the scribes put on a pretence and outward show of their so called devotion. Walking around with robes, wanting the most prominent places, taking from others - widows, and yet making long prayers to be seen by others. After this he sits down and observes those giving to the temple, while he does mention at the end of verse 40, scribes taking houses from Widows, this again looking at context, is part of a sentence where again he is comparing such shameful actions being done in secret, whilst on the outside being wanting to be viewed as righteous through extravagant prayers.

Jesus then continues and is clearly comparing the manner and the sentiment of the giving as opposed to any implication of being subjected under a harsh regime and being forced to give.

Jesus did not come as has been said in another comment on this reply board to rectify every situation or institution, but rather to demonstrate true worship, and to draw people God as a loving father.

We do know however that the scribes and Pharisees did impress upon many, harsh requirements and treated the poor with contempt. Jesus explicitly chastised these ones where applicable.

Jesus likewise used many occasions to teach his followers on right and true worship, and here makes a clear comparison between the false outward show of the Pharisees and a comparison on the true value of her gift in that it was all she had, and thereby of more value than those who dropped out of their surplus, thereby impressing it’s not the quantity we give but rather the manner and reason behind our giving to God.

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John King
9/26/2022 09:28:50 am

This shows how difficult it is for some people to review what they have learnt in youth. Too many non-sequitors and fudges about what it actually says. Note: there is no comment about the worthy motive of the widow - that is an eisegesis.

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Chris Woolfe link
8/16/2022 06:28:42 am

Wow! I noticed the same thing for the first time today. Here was my train of thought as I journaled: "The woman who gave two pennies gave more than the rest because she gave all that she had to live on. It was a great sacrifice, with minimal effect to achieve the goal (of money in the temple) In other words, it would seem it was a lose-lose situation. She lost something valuable to her, and the temple gained nothing that would make a difference to daily affairs. It was as if she were thirsty and gave her last cup of water to the ocean. Was this what Jesus was pointing out? the insensitive extortion of the poor?"

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John King
9/26/2022 09:58:46 am

An interesting point is the hendiadys construct in Luke 21:The desciples say...
the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. Decoding this constuct we get the temple was made of beautiful; masonry the result of people's contributions. This suggests they still thought that the widows contribution was of benefit in a worthy cause.

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