Jesus is teaching us here that the measurement that God uses when looking at how we give our money away is not the same as what man uses.The widow here only gave only two small coins, but to the Lord, her gift was the largest of all. In today’s world her gift would be worth less than a penny.
When she gave the gift that day, there were probably also wealthy merchants and others who gave large amounts of money. But it was the poor widow’s gift that received the greatest praise from God because she had a right heart with God.
It is hard to believe that when God looks down from the heaven’s and looks at the Buffets and the Bill Gates of the world and the billions that they give, that God would be more impressed with a widow’s mite who would give sacrificially more than those who give out of their abundance.
That is a hard concept for our minds to get around. But remember God is more interested in our heart than our wallet and if our hearts are right than the way we use our wallets will also be used rightly for God, even if it costs us everything we have. God tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9 “‘My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”
I think all of us can learn from this widow. Though there were others who, “gave out of their wealth; she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” What a testimony of faith and an inspiration for us as we look at how we steward our money and give to the things of God.
