More than all of them

And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two lepta. And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them. For they all put in their gifts out of their abundance; but she, out of what she lacked, put in all that she had for living.”

Luke 21:1-4

Introduction

How often do you think about your giving? Do you have set rules for yourself, like you will only give to your Church? Or maybe that you will only give to non-Church organizations. Maybe you consider your “tithe” to be your contribution only to Church and everything else is above and beyond that. Or perhaps you restrict your giving to 10% and no higher.

Does any of that reflect the attitude Jesus is teaching us here? Does He commend the ones who made strict rules for themselves regarding their giving? Rather, He exalts the one who gave all that she could.

The gift of giving

The first five books of the Bible are commonly referred to as “The Law.” And in them lies Leviticus, the handbook for the Temple. Laid out in Leviticus are the various types of offerings available to the people: from sin offerings to offerings of thanksgiving, very specific parameters are applied to each. But beneath the surface of ritual, each type of sacrifice exemplifies an attitude of the heart toward which God is directing His people.

One major theme in all of the sacrifices, though, is trust. Trusting God that when you bring your sacrifice, it will not be to your own destruction. If you bring Him food, that will not be the reason you starve. If you bring Him treasure, that will not be the reason you lose the very shirt off your back. And this poor widow who gave out of her poverty lived out this faith, being blessed by it. The blessing lies in this incarnational faith which serves to strengthen itself by the proof of God’s faithfulness. Truly “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

In this act of obedience toward generosity, she better obeyed the Law of God than the studied lawyers and teachers who devoted themselves daily to the careful dissection of the text. Her sacrifice was one truly pleasing to God while theirs proved to be nothing but vanity, seeking praise for their apparent cleverness.

Proper stewardship

How, then, ought we to give? Should we feel compelled to “give until it hurts”? What about “and then give some more”? Is it wrong to keep back what God has blessed you with to enjoy worldly comforts? Surely there were many wealthy men approved by God: from Abraham to David, wealth seemed to be a marker of blessing more than anything. It is not wrong to enjoy what God has given you so long as you continuously recognize the One who gave it to you. The wealth He has given you belongs to God and to His purposes (Deuteronomy 8:18). When you encounter cause for giving it, do so freely and with an open hand. And when you are blessed with abundance, enjoy it. But do not become consumed by it. Do not allow it to tighten its grip on your life such that you would find yourself lost or in a panic were it to suddenly vanish.

Be like the widow who gave abundantly out of her poverty. Give with a cheerful heart (2 Corinthians 9:7), knowing the God who has blessed you with this opportunity to give will bless you even more generously in ways seen and unseen.

May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.