Sacrificial Giving

“And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, ‘Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.’” (Luke 21:1-4)

                Some people have no trouble giving lots of money to charitable causes.  It’s no secret that some people make millions of dollars each year, so giving a few thousand dollars to charity is no real sacrifice.  Of course, not everyone is quite so blessed.  Many people live from paycheck to paycheck, so giving any of their income for needs outside their own home is a sacrifice.  It’s truly awe-inspiring to see a person give to someone else when they barely have enough resources to meet their own needs.

                Today’s verses come from an account that Luke recorded in the Word of God.  Jesus was standing by the temple treasury as folks were coming to bring their gifts to the Lord.  To use our modern currency, I’m sure some gave $10, $100, and maybe even $1,000 or more.  But there was “a certain poor widow” who placed two mites into the treasury.  Two mites valued one Roman lepton – about six minutes of one day’s wage.  So then, the poor widow literally gave only pennies to the Lord.

                The undiscerning might expect Jesus to be enraged with such a small gift, but Jesus saw beyond the woman’s gift and directly into her soul.  He knew that she was giving the very best gift she could bring – “all the livelihood that she had.”  For that reason, Jesus said “this poor widow has put in more than all.”  You see, it’s not about equal giving, but equal sacrifice.  Every one of us should be giving sacrificially to the work of the Lord.  Are you cheerfully “giving ‘til it hurts?”