True Sacrificial Giving

In 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.

The Greek word for poor in our text is “ptochos” and literally means one who is “crouching, cringing in the manner of beggars; hence, begging, beggarly, poor; 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.

The widow gave “all that she had, even all her living” (vs. 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.

Note the characteristics of this poor widow:
  • She followed the Lord’s Will and “first gave her own self to the Lord” (Matthew 7:21; 2 Corinthians 8:5).
  • She gave with “a willing mind” (2 Corinthians 8:12).
  • She gave as she had “purposed in her heart” and gave “cheerfully; not grudgingly or of necessity” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
  • 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).
  • She gave with an attitude of self-denial because she loved the Lord (2 Corinthians 8:5).
  • 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.
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 (vs. 43-44). She did voluntarily what Jesus had vainly commanded the rich young ruler to do (Matthew 19:21). Many improperly apply the term “widow’s mite” to their trifling contributions. To give a widow’s mite, one must give all his living.

Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets

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