The Poor Widow

The Poor Widow

the woman who gave all

Depending on God

Mark 12:41-44 Luke 21:1-4 1 Peter 5:6-7

One thing I loved, learning about Job, was that he was such a Godly man, that the LORD Himself, used Him as an example.  God “bragged” on him a little you might say.  It is truly something, to have pleased the Holy God, Creator and Sustainer, to that degree.  Here, we see a similar person.  From a worldly perspective, this woman couldn’t have less in common with Job.  He was well-known, rich, a philanthropist, and wise man – sought for counsel daily, a great leader among men.  And this widow, well, we don’t even know her name.  She had no social standing, no political power, no family, and definitely no wealth.  But what she (and our good buddy Job) had was that she pleased God.  She depended on Him.  She was devoted to Him, and trusted Him with EVERYTHING. When Jesus describes this widow, He uses the Greek word, ptochos, which means reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms.  A second definition listed is destitute of wealth, influence, position, honour.  She had NOTHING.  This woman had no means to take care of herself.  At this time in history, women couldn’t just go out and get a job.  Your standing in life was dictated by your marriage.  She had no husband to look after her, and she had to literally beg for food.  She was left with only grief.  Her circumstances are hard to imagine for us ladies who live in luxury, freedom, and a society where women can be self-reliant.  This woman was every day, every moment, at the mercy of others.  She truly had NOTHING. Except two mites. Two measly mites – even for that time, two mites was equivalent to less than a penny today.  But when you have nothing – two mites is a lot.  It is the difference of being hungry and having bread.  Of feeling worthwhile, and feeling like a failure.  But to this special, extraordinary woman, it meant something else – it meant having something to give God.  And she didn’t give Him part of what she had.  She gave Him ALL. And that’s what caught the eye of Jesus. There were plenty of people giving that day, and they were giving much more substantial amounts than this woman.  These would be the kind of people we like to see come to church.  People who dress nicely or say the right things.  (Imagine how you would treat a smelly, homeless person who walked in off the street to participate in Sunday Morning worship – maybe fearful, avoiding, etc.)  They give handsomely when the plate is passed round.  But that’s not what Jesus asks.  He does want (and expect!) our tithe (which rightfully belongs to the LORD), but He also wants our ALL.  This woman threw everything she had in the offering.  Everything.  Doing so, she was saying, LORD I depend on You for all my needs.  How many of us, give God ALL?  Not many.  We would rather give some – maybe even a lot… but not all.  We hold back things that we don’t trust God to take care of, and we feel we are better suited to handle ourselves.  I like to call these – “the things with a plan”.  For example, if I have a plan on how to meet my need for my breakfast this morning (maybe I have food at work or at home, or I have cash to pick something up at a restaurant), since I have a plan as to how to provide that need, I might tend to forget that I’m still dependant on God for every meal.  Sure, when I say grace before I eat, I thank Him for my pancake, but I may not truly mean that.  I’m not depending on God, but my $5 bill and the McDonald’s drive thru.  Jesus needs us to remember that every breath we take, every beat of our heart is at the mercy of our Creator, and He will do a much better job providing for our needs than we will.  By giving to the Lord EVERYTHING, including – “the things with a plan”, relying on Him rather than our own means of doing things, that’s how we please Christ.   God is ready and willing to provide all of our needs, but He wants all of our hearts to be dependent on Him.

Life Lesson:  God wants our ALL, not just our tithe, or surplus.  He wants us to count on Him to provide all our needs.

Just like the widow gave her ALL, and counted on God for her needs, we need to always give God everything and trust Him to provide.

The wealthy who cast in their surplus, made a favorable impression on many that day, but not Jesus.  God is not pleased by getting our “extra”, He wants our ALL.

A good way to examine your own heart, is to compare your behavior with the Bible’s clear instructions.  Sin is just another way for us to say, I know better than You do, Lord.  Anytime we choose to base our decisions (no matter how small) on our own methods and not the Bible, we are counting on ourselves, and not God.  Jesus says, I want your ALL.  Trusting His methods means trusting His Word.  Try and think of an area of your life where you struggle with sin – How does the Bible say to handle that situation?  Show God that you are depending on Him, by following His methods and not your own in that particular situation in your life.  (This is how we taste and see that the LORD is good!)

Prayer:  Lord, I pray that You would be my Sustainer in all areas of my life.  I beg that You would be in charge of my money, relationships, moods, possessions, talents, abilities, and desires.  I pray that you would help me to give You ownership of all these things.  Help me to learn Your Word and obey It, so that I might be the example that this widow was.  Help me, LORD, to give You ALL. Amen