As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
The Other Side Of the Tithing-Room, Sat Down, and Observed
I must admit, it’s really neat for me to read about how Jesus segued from His teachings on the fallacy of the Scribes’ teachings into His next teaching about the widow’s tithe. Mark said that Jesus then basically just walked over to the other side of the tithing-room, sat down, and observed. He sat there, and as He did, He observed the people giving their treasures/tithes to the Temple. There may have been a line, as many pictures portray, or He may have been there awhile, watching as people came and went. Either way, it says He just sat there and observed.
Such A System Was Open To Abuses
Now, the reason that Jesus is so harsh against the Scribes in the beginning of this passage is because Scribes were not paid a regular wage, so they were dependent on the generosity of patrons for their livelihood. Such a system was open to abuses (like Pastors who preach what people want to hear so they’ll be paid), and widows were especially vulnerable, and often fell victim to such exploitations.
When Compared To the Widow
So here we have Jesus observing people as they give their tithes, and as He observed, He saw many rich people put in huge percentages of their great wealth. It’s good to see the rich people even tithed large amounts, but the idea given was that, when compared to the widow, they gave a little bit of what they had, while the widow gave all she had.
They May Have Seen Their Tithes
They may have seen their tithes as an obligation, a religious act, or a means of helping out, but either way, the point is that they had more money at home to live on, whereas the widow gave every last little bit she had…nothing was left at home.
Point Is Also Not About How Much Money They Gave
But the point is also not about how much money they gave, but how much of themselves they gave in their givings.
- The rich had a lot, but gave some
- The widow had a little, but gave all
Faith and Trust In God To Give Him Everything
Again, this is not saying that we should give all our money to the Church, but that we should give our all to God. It takes a lot of faith and trust in God to give Him everything. But again, that’s what we’re called and required to do.
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