Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.”
Luke 21:1–4, New American Standard Bible
I have started to wonder about the widow mentioned in Luke 21. Does she feel guilty she doesn’t have more to give? Is she worried about how the rich people view her? Does she wish she fit in better, still had her husband?
More questions: Is she thinking about what she has at home for dinner? Does she hope someone will offer her a meal? A kind word? The simple acknowledgement that she exists?
There’s no way to know. She exits the scene after putting in her two copper coins, “all that she had to live on.” Luke, the author, offers no insights into how she behaves or what she feels. She disappears.
If my own heart and mind are any indications, she could be considering those questions. I give to people and wish I could give more. Other people say the same thing in return when I talk with them about the residency. They want to give more, but they can only give x-amount.
Sometimes, I worry about how I will afford medical supplies, which, for me, is the equivalent of daily bread. The concern looms large in my mind, overshadowing everything. Other days, attention to how people view me fills my head. Did I clearly share my story? Will my email reach a receptive ear?
I focus on these things at times, but I hope the widow doesn’t. I want to watch her walk home with a glad heart. She gave all she had because she wanted to give. More than that, she gave without expecting anything in return. The widow gave because she could, and she decided she would.
In my mind, she gains something in return. Her two coins feed a hungry child or comfort a convalescent at the Pool of Bethesda. A young woman helps her home. One of the neighbors invites her over for dinner. The local children greet her, the community grandmother.
Then again, maybe her story darkens. She walks home with an empty stomach. The neighbors avert their eyes. She stumbles and breaks her hip.
It’s all speculation, but none of it really matters. Jesus emphasizes the woman’s act of giving all she possesses. She does so because she has the wisdom and understanding that giving is never about an amount.
It’s about a heart surrendered to God. And hers is. Because of that, she can give with gladness, not with worry about what people will think or guilt about how little she has to give. What she gives is enough. It’s what God asks of her. It’s what he asks of us, too, and so we can give any amount with glad, peace-filled hearts.
Image: Fabian (Creative Commons)