Luke 21:1-4
The Widow's Two Coins
Read the passage
1Then Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury,
2and He saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.
3“Truly I tell you,” He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.
4For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Jesus watches people putting gifts into the temple treasury. Among the wealthy donors is a poor widow. Her contribution is two small copper coins.
He tells his hearers that she has put in more than all the others. That judgment cannot be reached by adding up the coins. The others have given from their surplus; she has given all she had to live on. Jesus sees the gift in relation to the life of the person who gives it.
A small amount can represent an enormous sacrifice. The widow has little to place in the treasury, yet Jesus draws his hearers' attention to her. They need his way of seeing if they are to understand what this gift costs.
Just before this, Jesus warned against scribes who defraud widows of their houses. His attention to her sacrifice belongs alongside that warning. The poor woman's gift matters to him, and so does her life. We should learn to notice both, without using her story to demand that another person give away their necessities.
Questions
1 Who does Jesus see giving to the treasury?
AnswerHe sees wealthy people giving their gifts and a poor widow putting in two small copper coins.
2 Why does he say the widow has given more?
AnswerThe others give out of their surplus. She gives out of her poverty, putting in all she has to live on.
3 What does Jesus notice that the amount alone cannot show?
AnswerHe notices what the gift costs the giver. The widow's small contribution represents everything she has for living.
4 How can this change the way we value people's gifts?
AnswerWe can stop ranking people by the size of their donations, appreciate sacrifices we might overlook, and care about the giver's needs too.
What This Means for Us
A small gift from someone with very little may cost more than a large gift from someone with plenty. We seldom know everything behind another person's giving, so we should be slow to compare and quick to thank.
When our family gives, we can consider what we have received and what sharing it will mean. When we receive someone else's gift, we can honor their kindness without expecting them to sacrifice more than they can safely give.
Prayer
God who sees the poor, receive our gifts and purify our motives. Make our household generous without coercion, attentive to hidden sacrifice, and protective of people whom others might exploit. Amen.