A Look At The Poor Widow
Categories: Bible Study LessonsIn Mark 12:41-44, the text reads:
“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”
As we are “giving” into the Lord’s treasury each Sunday, do we as Christians really know and understand the true meaning of this term in our land of plenty?
From the above account of Jesus, let us make some observations concerning the sacrificial giving of this precious lady in Mark 12:41-44 and see if we can make application of the self-less attitude of her heart to our own life.
Greek Meaning Of The Word “Poor”
The Greek word for poor in our text is “ptochos” (Strong’s 4434) and literally means one who is “crouching, cringing in the manner of beggars; hence, begging, beggarly, poor; then, as subst., a beggar, mendicant, living on the alms of others, having nothing at all” [E.W. Bullinger, Critical Lexicon And Concordance To The English And Greek New Testament (1982), p. 590].
While some of us regard ourselves as “poor,” relative to others who have “more” than we do, the import of our text suggests that this poor widow was extremely destitute.
What The Widow Gave
She gave “all that she had, even all her living” (Mark 12:44). Her action indicates that she was a believer in the Lord’s providence. Even though she gave her entire income, she trusted that the Lord somehow would care for her (Philippians 4:19; cf. Psalm 23:1). She did not believe the Lord would allow her to die of starvation (cf. Psalm 37:25). Such sacrificial trust is rare indeed.
How The Widow Gave
1) She followed the Lord’s Will and “first gave her own self to the Lord” (Matthew 7:21; 2 Corinthians 8:5).
2) She gave with “a willing mind” (2 Corinthians 8:12).
3) She gave as she had “purposed in her heart” and gave “cheerfully; not grudgingly or of necessity” (2 Corinthians 9:7)
4) She gave out of her poverty – out of her deficiency; while the others who gave did so out of their excess or overflow (they gave what they did not need and thus did not show any self-denial).
Why The Widow Gave
1) She gave with an attitude of self-denial because she loved the Lord (2 Corinthians 8:5).
2) She was a self-less person. She did not calculate her resources to determine whether or not she was able to afford this gift. She was grateful for the Father’s gracious blessings (James 1:17). This is true sacrificial giving.
Conclusion:
The gift of the poor widow was greater than all that had “cast money into the treasury” (Mark 12:41) because she gave more in direct proportion to her ability and thus secured a greater blessing from the Lord (Mark 12:43-44). She did voluntarily what Jesus had vainly commanded the rich young ruler to do (Matthew 19:21; cf. Luke 12:33; Acts 2:45; Acts 4:34-35). Many improperly apply the term “widow’s mite” to their trifling contributions. To give a widow’s mite, one must give all his living.
The time to learn “how” to benevolently give is in childhood (Ecclesiastes 12:1; cf. Lamentations 3:27). It should be every Christian man and woman’s duty to observe, not how much to give, but how much compared with what he or she has and the “motive” behind our giving (2 Corinthians 8:12).
Few are willing to practice self-denial, however this attitude is what is required of our Lord (Matthew 16:24) in order to advance the gospel and thus His kingdom (Mark 8:34-35).