Monday 5 November 2012

THE WIDOW'S MITE

And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” - Mark 13:1-2

"for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God,[a] but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” – Luke 21:4

Some of us are very aware that the eyes of the Lord are everywhere! There's much to be said about 'Giving' out of the excess wealth that one has - God is not impressed with such a giver! It is very clear from the verse quoted below from Proverbs that stinginess leads to poverty.

He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him - Pr.28:22

Know that God knows your heart! It is this very reason why God, in Mal 3:10, encourages us to try Him out!

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.

You don't have to wait till you become a millionaire! Give ALL and you will receive back multiplied! If you were stingy before you made the decision to believe in Him, now as a NEW CREATION, you are a GIVER!

God is nobody's debtor!
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT … (For serious Bible Scholars only :-)
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Mark 12:38-40 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.
40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”
In His teaching WHICH COMES JUST BEFORE THE STORY OF THE WIDOW, Jesus was talking about how the teachers of the law were ‘devouring widows’ houses’. Could it be that Jesus is talking about how the teachers of the law, through their requirements of contributing towards the temple treasury, were coercing the widows to lose their entire livelihood? It appears plausible that the example of the widow was to illustrate this very point!

If this were a lesson on giving, Jesus could have just as easily chosen a “poor man” as His example – or simply a “poor woman”, but He was very specific in His choice of “a poor widow.” This ties it to His criticism of the Scribes who He said were “devouring widows’ houses in vs. 40.

Any Pastors/Priests out there who can shed more light on this thought?

NOTE: Regardless of your interpretation of the above verses, the Bible is still full of passages that emphasize the importance of giving!

1 comment:

  1. Pastor David Jonklaas Responds:

    The purpose of this temporary earthly life is to test our hearts and faith (Jerem.17:10; 1 Sam.16:7). Christianity is a relationship. The Members of the Trinity are madly in love with us, and they look for people who love them back in the same way. Giving is the proof and expression of love and faith. Giving can be expressed in many ways, and financial giving is one of them and one in which God tests our love and faith. The tithe (10%) is the first test. Those who are blessed with abundance have the privilege of giving more. The Scribes and Pharisees were religious hypocrites, who used their position of religious prominence to glorify themselves before men. Theory were also masters at manipulating the law to force poor and uneducated people (even defenseless widows who had no husbands to protect them) to release even their homes to the temple and priests, with threats of damnation on the one hand and promises of spiritual blessing on the other. There are many who prey on unsuspecting Christians in this same fashion today. Jesus does not give this teaching in His Word for nothing, but to alert us to be wary of these religious vultures that divert money given to God for their own use and pleasure.
    As for the poor widow...... it was nothing but her love that prompted her to give 100% of what she had without thinking about where her next meal would come from. My personal belief, based on Luke 6:38, is that her faith was rewarded by God miraculously. It is impossible for God to lie (Heb.6:18). We are not told what happened to her after she left the temple, but it is certain that the Lord, who saw and noted her gift of love, rewarded her amply.

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