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poverty

A Poor Widow’s Sacrifice

by John Beck May 4, 2022

written by John Beck

Jesus honored a poor unnamed widow in the Bible because she freely gave all she had to the God she loved.

Picture the scene:

It’s a very busy day at the Temple. Hundreds of people are crowding in for an opportunity to worship. A part of their worship was almsgiving. This day, Jesus is watching the people as they approach with their offerings.

Among the crowd are the wealthy. Many of them place large sums of money in the collection bowls. I can see the smiles on the faces of the priests. Most of the worshipers are regular folks dutifully participating. Perhaps lost in the din and confusion of the crowd is a simple widow woman. She’s insignificant to the system. She has very little to offer. She’s poorer than the poor. I imagine the priest isn’t paying too much attention to her. Neither is anyone else. She’s kind of “in the way” of the Temple business. Her presence is tolerated, not wanted. Predictably, she puts into the bowl a tiny amount, less than one cent.

Across the way is Jesus, the Jesus who knows us all fully and completely. The Jesus who knows the very number of hairs on our heads. The Jesus who knows our thoughts and hearts, our motivations and intentions. The Jesus who is able to judge those thoughts and intentions with a terrifying accuracy. Jesus sees all who approach the altar. He sees the thoughts, hearts, intentions and attitudes of the givers. He knows who is genuinely worshiping. He knows who is pure of heart. He knows who is playing games. He knows the ones who are trying to make this whole thing about themselves, to win the applause of men.

Jesus is moved deeply by the generosity of this simple widow woman, a true worshiper. He calls together his disciples for a teaching moment. May I paraphrase what he said to them?

“You know, I’ve spent some time here watching the worshipers place their offerings at the altar. There have been some large amounts of money given today, greatly pleasing that priest over there.

But did any of you notice that widow woman? She had less than a cent to give. Then again, she had less than a cent to her name.

I want to tell you something very important. She has given more today than all the other offerings combined. You see, everybody else gave from their abundance. They all had plenty left over. Most of them should’ve been more generous than they were, but because they lacked faith in God to supply their needs, they held tightly onto the money they had.

But this woman gave all she had. She must now trust the Lord completely. Her offering was a true act of total faith. As such, our Heavenly Father is pleased with her and has more regard for her offering than all the rest.”

How beautiful, right? Let’s take a moment and examine why Jesus noticed this poor widow’s offering.

I The Widow gave the First.

I believe that the widow’s offering represented her obedience in giving to the Lord first. Her desire to worship and to participate in the offering was more important to her than anything else. With less than a cent to give, her needs gave clarification to her priorities. She trusted God completely. The whole process of her economic expressions began in her relationship with God. She gave to God first because giving to God was not optional in her heart.

Herein is an important lesson for you and me. Our offerings to the Lord, perhaps through our churches, must be prioritized as well. Like the widow, we must give to God first, then let other things find their place. When we truly seek the Lord with all our hearts, all others things will be added to us, and will find their rightful place (Matthew 6:33).

Perhaps you, like me, have been tempted too many times to spend almost all we have, then give to God the leftovers. We spend and spend on the best houses, cars, gadgets, entertainments, fancy diets, etc., with little regard to the outcomes, or perhaps with no regard to how God has directed us to handle money in his Holy Word, the Bible. One thing is for certain, God has given us the power to become wealthy so that we then can share those blessings through our generosity and with our testimonies to God’s faithfulness (Deuteronomy 8).

When we participate in offerings, when we purposefully return to the Lord a portion of all with which he has blessed us, we are reminded of his goodness, love, and provisions. We remember and worship the One to whom we pray: “Give us this day, our daily bread.”

II The Widow gave the Most.

Again, Jesus said to the disciples, “I assure you, this poor widow has given more than all the others have given. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” – Mark 12:43-44

You and I may think this poor lady has lost her mind. Perhaps, if I had been advising her, I would’ve said, “Take that money to the grocery store and buy something to eat!” Maybe because of my limited understanding or even lack of faith, I think I might’ve been more concerned about her physical needs than her desire to worship. How about you?

Maybe the widow is showing more faith than you and I are comfortable with! Maybe we don’t attempt many things in this life that really require faith and action at all. After all, if we are attempting to do something “in the name of the Lord” but we can see how, through our own strength and resources that we can accomplish that something, faith is not really required. Faith is required to follow God and be obedient to him when the outcome is guaranteed only by his promises and his Word. When the outcome is something only God can do, then we know faith is actually involved.

Perhaps, even as she was making her offering, the widow was remembering the story of her ancestors as they wandered in the desert following their release from slavery in Egypt. Hungry and thirsty, they cried out to God. Their circumstances suggested they would die in the desert, but God intervened. Exodus 16 records the marvelous story of how God “rained down bread from heaven.” They called it “manna,” asking, what is it?

Interestingly, God was very particular in how much of the bread from the heavens that they could gather. Specifically, God told them to gather only as much as they needed for today. Naturally, being in want in the desert, and with no certainties about tomorrow, they would’ve wanted to store up manna. If they did, however, it soured and filled with worms.

What was God up to? I think the answer is simple. God was saying, “Trust me to meet your need today, then trust me again tomorrow. I am your God.”

I think that’s what motivated the widow’s giving at the Temple. I also think God wants us to do the same. And yes, faith is required to be truly, biblically generous. Oh, and one other thing; God likes faith. So when Jesus says she gave the most, he certainly means she gave the greatest portion. Her offering had less to do with the value of the money in her hand, and much, much more to do with the faith in her heart. Again, what about us?

I know someone else who gave it all away. His offering to sinful, pitiful people sounds like this:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life – John 3:16.

May we all have the courage to follow this poor widow’s example of giving, and the example of the one who so loved that he gave it all.

May God bless you.

May 4, 2022 0 comments

Ask Roger

How Do I Show Kindness to the Poor?

by Roger Barrier April 11, 2021

written by Roger Barrier

Dear Roger,

I’m concerned that the “haves” in our society are getting more, while the “have-nots” are falling farther behind. We are a middle-class family, and I’ve never really associated with anyone who was not in, or close, to my same socioeconomic level.
Recently, I volunteered to help with COVID-19 vaccinations. For the first time in my life, I noticed the many people who are obviously not as well off as me. I felt my heart leading me to a nearby thrift store where I’ve been volunteering to help the needy.
I know that the Bible has a lot to say about being generous to those in need. Could you please give me a biblical overview of compassion for the needy that I can share with my church and friends?
Thank you, Max

Dear Max,

Abraham Lincoln said, “God must love the poor. That is why He made so many of them.”

Along with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln is perhaps our most famous president.

Notice that Lincoln’s face is not on the silver dollar, or fifty-cent pieces, or quarters; Lincoln’s face is on the penny.

There is a reason for that.

David Brenner knew only poverty and hunger before he immigrated to the United States from Russia. He became a famous American sculptor. It was his idea to put Lincoln on the penny.

He reasoned that there would be more pennies minted than any other coin. Consequently, there would be more pennies in the pockets of the poor people than any other coin. Pennies remind us of people who are poor and in need.

Of course, in our day, only the poor people still worry about pennies. Everyone else handles their money electronically.

Personally, I must admit that I used to have a hard time being generous to the poor because I never saw any of them.

A Personal Lesson

My daughter, Bronwyn, spent one summer traveling with a singing group all across the United States. Her first Sunday back, she used on me an exercise that she learned on her trip.

“Dad, let’s take $20 and go down to the park where the homeless are and feed them some lunch!”

“No,” I said, “I’m tired. I’ve preached four services, and besides, it’s over 100°F. It’s too hot. Let’s do it another day.”

“No,” she said as she took my hand, “we’re going today.”

So, we went to the grocery store, and I bought $20 worth of bread, mayonnaise, ham, Gatorade, a few candy bars, and some paper lunch sacks. We set out to feed the poor.

I thought that we would just drop off a few bags, and we’d head home. What I discovered was that there was no quick drop-off. They all wanted to talk. I had not planned on taking time to talk. I had other things to do. It slowly dawned on me that they were not only hungry; they were lonely.

The next Sunday Bronwyn did it to me again. “Let’s go down to Fourth Avenue,” she said, “we will find some poor people there.” In a thrift shop, we saw a mother buying used toys for her boys. It was obvious that she didn’t have much to spend. I decided to buy the toys for her.

I made my offer at the cash register, and mom was indignant! “No thank you. I’m a schoolteacher. I can get along just fine without your help.”

As we left the thrift store, Bronwyn said to me, “You are not very good at this, are you?”

No, I wasn’t very good at it. I had a long way to go.

The Severity of Poverty

It is not pleasant to be poor – the poor are always behind. An old Russian proverb states: “Poverty is not a sin. It is a great deal worse.”

The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor. (Proverbs 10:15)

A poor man is shunned by all his relatives—how much more do his friends avoid him! Though he pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found. (Proverbs 19:7)

The son of my long-time administrative assistant died of leukemia in his early 30s. It was so sad. He had lived quite a rough life. At the funeral his mother said to me, “being a single mom, I could not help a lot. He never could get ahead in life. He was always behind.”

I was fortunate. My parents were able to ensure that my brother, Ronnie, and I got a great start in life. They gave us used cars and the finances we needed for college. “Your college job is to make good grades and get prepared for a career,” they told us. Of course, we both got good summer jobs to help with the financing. When we graduated, we were off to a great start.

Unfortunately, in today’s economy, most parents can’t afford to send their kids to college. Most young people can’t find a summer job or any job at all.

At least one thing I’ve learned, wherever we are on the socioeconomic ladder, it’s hard to look back down.

All would agree that it is not good to be poor. They are always trying to catch up.

The Causes of Poverty

1. Some simply won’t work.

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. (Proverbs 10:4)

2. Time, energy, money, and opportunity are wasted when drugs, alcohol, leisure, and pleasure control a person’s life.

Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. (Proverbs 23:20-21)

3. Some are too undisciplined to work.

He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored. (Proverbs 13:18)

4. Some talk too much and work too little.

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. (Proverb 14:23)

5. Get rich quick schemes lead some into poverty.

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. (Proverbs 21:5)

6. Gambling and the lottery trade money for impossible chances.

Jan and her sister were on the way home from shopping when her sister said that she forgot to buy her lottery tickets for the Saturday night drawing. Her sister suggested that they stop at the Circle K, and she could buy some tickets.

Jan responded, “Why don’t we save some time? I’ll drive by and you can just throw your money out the window.”

A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him. (Proverbs 28:22)

7. Many are poor because of people and events over which they have little or no control.

A poor man’s field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away. (Proverbs 13:23)

A poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich man answers harshly. (Proverbs 18:23)

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. (Proverbs 22:7)