TEXT: Mark 12:38-44

SUBJECT: Meeting the Lord #14: The Generous Widow

Our story takes place at the Temple in Jerusalem. Our Lord and the disciples are there to worship God under the terms of the Old Covenant. They're not alone, of course; the Temple and its courts are full of devout people who have come there to celebrate the Passover.

Giving occupies an important place in the worship of God. Tithes are levied on the people and free-will offerings are encouraged. Some of the money goes to maintain the Temple and to support the priests. The rest is given to the poor--the fatherless, the widow, the handicapped, and so on.

What a happy day it is! People are lining up to give. At the front of the line are the rich, making sizable donations. How much good their money must do! Everyone is impressed by their generosity.

Well, not quite everyone. Our Lord has spotted someone else making a bigger gift than the richest man there. Who is it? The High Priest? King Herod? An exile who's made a fortune overseas? No.

It is a "poor widow". How poor is she? Her net worth is precisely "two mites". How much is that? Maybe one dollar. What's more, she has no husband to support her and, it seems, no children to care for her old age either.

What has she done? She has given "her whole livelihood". The word "livelihood" is worth thinking about. There are words in the Bible for "money", for "gain", for "riches", and so on. But our Lord doesn't use one here. He chose the word, BIOS. We get the word "biology" from it. It means "life".

Thus, in dropping the "two mites" into the offering box, the widow was giving more than a dollar to God. She was giving herself to Him.

The rich were giving richly to God and still going home rich. It had cost them nothing. But the widow? She came with little and left with nothing. Her little gift was her all.

That's the story. One of the most beautiful and touching in all the Bible.

But what does it mean? The story has to be read in context. Our Lord is using the poor widow in contrast to someone else. Who is it? The "scribe"--cf. vv.38-40.

What sort of man is he? He is a man of the Word. He makes a living copying the Bible by hand. Because the Word is sacred, he is careful to get it right. He would number the Hebrew letters in each book. After finishing it, he would go back and count the letters to be sure not "a jot or tittle" was left out. Over the years, he would basically memorize the whole Bible. People respected him greatly and sought his advice with eagerness and gratitude.

He loved the perks that went with his office. He wore special clothing to set him apart from the laymen. The titles--Rabbi, Reverend, Professor, Doctor, Father, and so on. It got him the best seat in the synagogue. It made him the "guest of honor" at every dinner party.

Oh, how he loved the privileges of religion! But what he didn't much like was the heart of religion. What is that? James 1:27 makes it plain: "Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world".

The scribe posed as a religious man, but wasn't one. He was a scoundrel who made his living in the worst way possible--by "devouring widow's houses".

The scribe was a predator, preying on the weakest members of society, the people who couldn't defend themselves. He cheated old ladies; he robbed orphanages; he picked the pockets of blind men and took candy from babies.

In short, the scribe is a heartless man. His religion has not produced love in his heart. And is, therefore, worse than vain.

As for the widow? She has been victimized by the scribe, but hasn't become like him. She has only two mites, and motivated by true religion, she gives them both to God--to advance His honor and to care for His people less fortunate than she.

That is the theme of our story; that's why it's in the Bible. To teach us something we're apt to forget: Religion is more than going to church, reading the Bible, and discussing theology. Religion is the work of God in the soul, a work that makes one generous.

Is that so? It is. The Bible teaches this in many ways. It invokes a blessing on the generous and curses the stingy.

Examples teach the same thing. Who is more admired than Paul? Who is more despised than Nabal?

Direct commands are to the same effect.

God is this way. He "makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust"--Matthew 5:45.

The cross is the ultimate proof of Divine generosity. "God commends His love to us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us".

What's more, it is a model for us: "Hereby we perceive the love of God, that He laid down His life for us...and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren".

Philippians 4:5 pulls all these verses together in one memorable saying. The King James has "moderation", but that's not so good. William Hendriksen got it right when he translated it: "Let your big-heartedness be known to all men".

How real is your religion? I can tell you: As real as your generosity.

Our Lord wants us to be generous or big hearted. Nearly everyone is in some select ways. Some don't mind doling out money, but are stingy with their time. Others are very hospitable, but won't help you install a toilet. Some will fix your car, but won't watch your kids. Some will babysit for you, but won't lend you a dime.

Do you know why this is? Because, to each of us, some things are more precious than others. The miser doesn't mind talking with you half the night--his time isn't valuable. But his money is! And that he won't share. The private person would gladly write you check, but don't drop in uninvited! Why not? Because he cherishes his privacy more than his money.

Grace does not make the hospitable person hospitable. Some people are this way by nature, by upbringing, by culture, and so on. Grace gets into the closed areas of his heart and opens them up in love. It opens the tightwad's wallet; it opens the private man's front door; it opens the busy man's schedule. It makes the child-hating man volunteer to babysit.

This is the challenge of the "widow's two mites". I'm not up to it. Are you? If not, meditate much on Jesus Christ. Think of how generous He was in going to the cross for you. Remember how generous He is to you right now--hearing your prayers, forgiving your sins, sympathizing with your every ache and pain.

The Law can demand generosity. But it can't produce it. Only Christ can do that. If you want to be generous, you come to Him, learn His way, and "Go and do likewise".

You won't be the loser for it. "Whoever loses his life for Christ's sake will keep it. Whoever hangs on to his life will lose it". Was anyone richer than the poor widow? Was anyone poorer than the stingy millionaires who preceded her?

Which would you be? The poor rich? Or the rich poor? God give you the grace to choose wisely. For Christ's sake. Amen.