Luke 21:1-4 The Widow’s Might (Mite)
Good morning! Turn with me to Luke chapter 21:1-4, page 880 in the pew Bibles.
This morning we are going to examine what our old friend JJ VanOosterzee calls a miniature but lovely narrative. It may be small but by God’s grace it may also be powerful.
Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
Let’s pray.
This event takes place in the Temple in Jerusalem, in the Court of Women as it was called. It wasn’t called that because it was for women only but because women were allowed freely that far into the Temple.
In that court was the treasury where the people of Israel gave their offerings, not where it was stored. The offering box, as Luke described it, was actually thirteen different boxes, each with a large funnel on top to catch all of the coins that were put into each one. Each offering that went into each box had a different purpose within the nation and the Temple, whether it was for the service of the Temple or some other benevolent use.
This exercise was according to the Law. And according to Rabbinic law the smallest amount that was allowed to be put into these offering boxes was, how much, can you guess?
Two Leptas, the two small copper coins that this poor widow put in. The rabbis determines that any less than two leptas, two mites as the King James calls them, dealing with any less than that was more trouble than it was worth.
A lepton was equal to 1/128 of a denarius which was a day’s wages for a laborer. By today’s standards, if a laborer makes 15 bucks an hour, one lepton would be worth 94 cents. This poor widow didn’t even put in two bucks.
But Jesus said that she put in more than everybody else.
First of all, clearly Jesus didn’t make light of anybody else’s offerings, He didn’t condemn anybody here. But what he did do is change the definition of what was valuable.
If a person put a hundred bucks in the box and another person put two bucks in the box, simple math says that the person that put in the hundred put in more. Do you think that all of a sudden Jesus isn’t going to turn conventional wisdom upside down?
In the eyes of man the value is placed on the amount, but God doesn’t see things that way. Just like last week: man looks on outward appearances but God sees the heart.
It’s the heart attitude of this poor widow that made her gift bigger than anybody else’s.
John Calvin wrote, “Whatever men offer to God ought to be estimated not by its apparent value, but only by the feeling of the heart, and that the holy affection of him who, according to his small means, offers to God the little that he has, is more worthy of esteem than that of Him who offers a hundred times more out of his abundance.”
I think the simple point of this lovely little narrative is that why we give is a great deal more important than what we give. As if to say that the value of the widow’s gift was not connected to its size but the sacrifice, and the sacrifice is connected to the heart.
In the eyes of Jesus the heart of the widow passes for richer than her gift.
VanOosterzee said, “He looks alone ant the ground, the character, and the purpose of her act, and the poor woman who has given all in good faith, but has kept her faith, gains now with her two pieces of copper and income of imperishable honor.”
We don’t know anything else about this dear lady, but her story was recorded in both the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of Mark. I consider that a pretty high honor, worth more than all the offerings in the world.
Now those of you that know me well know that talking about money from the pulpit is my least favorite thing to do. I’m not up here trying to put pressure on anybody to give to the church, I’m not trying to squeeze more money out of you, in fact, I expect our offering to go down this week.
If you didn’t pick it up already from the text, the amounts that we give are not what is important, it’s the heart in which the amount is given.
“Men judge according to the deeds; the Lord judges the deed according to the heart.”
In fact, a rich man really does very little when all he does is give money.
The chief sacrifice which God requires is not money, it’s self-denial.
Warren Wiersbe wrote, “When it comes to our giving, God sees more that the portion; He also sees the proportion. Men see what is given, but God sees what is left.”
So to the poor: do not hesitate to express your affection cheerfully from your slender means, and to the rich: do not think your gift is greater because it is bigger, but give as an expression of your delight in the Lord.
Motive is so much more important than amounts!
We must constantly check our motivations in all that we do. Ask yourself, why am I doing this thing? Whether it’s your time, your talents, or your treasure that you are giving.
For years I have just wanted to be useful, useful to the Lord, and useful to His church. What a difference it might make if we sought, not to be useful, but delightful to the Lord and His church!
The Apostle Paul wrote a great deal about this in the second letter to the Corinthian church. 2 Corinthians 8-9 serve as a wonderful exposition of the delight of the Lord in sacrificial giving.
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.
8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”
16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord. 18 With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. 20 We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, 21 for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man. 22 And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men.
Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, 2 for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4 Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
We have all been given seed to sow, no matter the amount, two mites or two million, it is God that has provided it, so let’s be faithful with what we have been given and give it back for His glory. That is when our mites become mighty!
Amen.
