The Widow's Offering | Mark 12: 41-44 | Good, Good News
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The Widow's Offering | Mark 12: 41-44

The Widow's Offering | Mark 12: 41-44
By Pastor Leslie Brown


Pastor Josh preached a bit on this in his most recent message, but I want to revisit the Widow's Offering. 

Mark 12: 41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

Giving is something that has always been a part of my life since I was a child, and I am thankful my parents instilled into me the importance and biblical mandate of tithing. I remember often giving my $0.10 from the dollar I would receive as an allowance as a small girl, but like any child, sometimes I kept my ten cents, partly because it felt so little to give. Or, I would often make the excuse, "How do I give ten cents at church when all I have is a one dollar bill? How am I supposed to make change and not spend it all before I give my tithe?"

If we are honest, I think most of us would say, "Those are totally accurate thoughts for a child. Surely, God isn't holding children to the tithing standard." But if we are truly, brutally honest with ourselves, we often continue to use little excuses like this into adulthood concerning our giving and tithes. 

What I am so blown away by in the widow's offering was she gave ALL SHE HAD. Remember the rich young ruler from Mark 10? Jesus told him to sell all he had and give to the poor, but he couldn't do it. Here, we see a poor woman do the very same thing, yet we seem to minimize her sacrifice because she was already poor.  

A tithe is a tithe, 10%, no matter your income. And though the rich people in the temple that day were scoffing such a "ridiculous offering" and had technically put in "more money," Jesus knew the unseen: the hearts behind the giving. 

I want to encourage you to look at your giving habits. Are you withholding your tithe out of fear of not having enough to pay the bills? Have you tithed for so long it's simply routine, and you have lost the joy in partnering with God? And are you willing to give when it empties the bank and causes people to judge your giving? 

The Lord knows your heart, and giving is ALWAYS to Him, and for Him, to advance his kingdom, so please know this isn't a ploy to "get more money." Don't withhold because it's "too small" or "too scary." Only you and God know the value and depths of your giving. Partner with Him and see His faithfulness and pleasure pour out in your life. 

Don't withhold because it's "too small" or "too scary."