The Widow's Might vs the Widow's Mite

The story of the Widow's Mite.

 

And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

[Mark 12:41-44]

 

And He 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]

 

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Widows and orphans have special consideration from God.  

 

Unjust treatment of widows and orphans was harshly rebuked and punished. (Exodus 22:22-24, Deuteronomy 10:18) 

 

Forgotten sheaves during harvest, gleanings of vineyards, and beaten olive trees were not to be gone over again and again to get every last piece, but were to be left for widows and orphans in order that they too may have food to eat. (Deuteronomy 24:19-21, Ruth 2:1-14).
 

In ancient days even before the Law was given to Moses, if a woman was widowed, it was the responsibility of one of the dead husband's unmarried brothers to marry her according to the levirate marriage custom. It was later included in the Law of Moses. (Genesis 38:6-10, Deuteronomy 25:5-10, Matthew 22:24, Mark 12:19, Luke 20:28)

Otherwise, if she had adult children or grandchildren, it was their responsibility to provide for her.  If she was childless, she would return to her father's house. (Genesis: 38:10-11)

 

That this widow was reduced to begging for survival, one could conclude that her husband had no unmarried brothers (or unwilling brothers, or the levirate marriage custom had fallen out of practice), she had under-aged children, she was childless and fatherless, or that her children and/or father were too distant, too destitute themselves, or too unloving.

We tend to envision this widow as an elderly woman in later years, but there is nothing in the text to specify her age. She very well may have been elderly, and that makes total sense. But she could have just as easily been of a moderate age and in very unique and unfortunate circumstances. Remember that Ruth was young when widowed. That tends to adjust our mental image of who we are to care for, doesn't it?

 

The text says that she was "a poor widow" yet she put in two small copper coins that Jesus knew to be all that she had.

 

Luke uses the Greek word penichros to first describe the widow as poor. Penichros simply means "poor, needy". But then both Mark and Luke use the Greek word ptochos to describe her as poor.  Ptochos indicates "to crouch" and is defined as "reduced to beggary". Perhaps you've been approached by someone legitimately in need asking for money that has come crouched in a submissive, dejected, humbled pose. You can imagine her in such a position asking for help.

Ptochos is based on two similar words: ptoeo and pipto.  Ptoeo is defined as "terrify or be terrified".  Pipto is defined as "to descend from a higher place to a lower one".

Ptochos, taken with the supporting roots it is based on, would seem to indicate that she was not always in this condition, that she had fallen from a sustainable or possibly even an elevated position, and that her current state was frightening to her.

 

Mark and Luke's telling of the widow is preceded by the account of Jesus' presence in the temple and the Pharisees trying to entrap Him regarding paying the Roman poll-tax to which His ultimate answer was "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." [Mark 12:13-17]

 

Following that, the Sadducees (who deny resurrection) tried entrapping Jesus by questioning logic and eternal life using levirate marriage of a widow marrying seven brothers in succession after each one died. Jesus ultimately answered them that God is God of the living not the dead because physical death is not the end of a person. [Mark 12:18-27]

 

Next, a scribe asks Jesus about the greatest commandment. Jesus answered "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength; the second is this: you shall love your neighbor as yourself." [Mark 12-28-34]

 

Had this widow already been present in the temple before Jesus saw her deposit her coins and heard His answers to the testings and questions?  If so, had Jesus seen her listening in the background? It isn't a far reach to consider His answers to be related to her situation. Render to Caesar what's his, but give God what is His. God isn't a god of the dead, He's the God of eternal life. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

 

This widow could have bought crumbs with those two coins, but she made her way among the wealthy people that she'd have begged for help from in order to put her two coins in the treasury.

 

I do not see her giving her last coins as being an act of generosity, or one of duty, or one of resignation. I see it as an act of surrender.  Generosity is an act of kindness meeting someone's need or bringing them joy. Duty is an act meeting a moral or legal obligation. Resignation is hopeless acceptance of the undesirable and inevitable.  Surrender is to cease resistance and submit to authority.

 

Another story of complete loss is found in the life of Job. In an instant, he lost all of his children, all of his wealth, and all of his prominence. Soon after, he was physically afflicted. His wife even chided him to "Curse God and die!" because his plight was so horrific. 

In surrender, this widow gave "all she had to live on" to God in a symbolic faith act relaying exactly what Job had articulated so many centuries before: "Though He slay me, I will hope in Him."

 

Jesus had told his disciples "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent. Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father?". (Matthew 10:28)

 

The two coins the widow gave are reported as either a quadrans (Mark 12) which is about 3/5 a cent each, or a lepton (Luke 21) which is about 1/5 a cent each. The two coins would be around the equivalent value of two sparrows. It may have been her worldly value, but her true value is greater.

"So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29)

 

She trusted God to provide what she needed right then.  What would she do in her hunger that night?  She'd trust God.  What about her needs the following day? She'd trust God. Three days from then?  Trust God.

We're told how God restored Job and blessed him with much more than he had started with. We're told that Jesus took special note of the widow as she deposited her two coins. But we aren't told what became of her. That wasn't part of our lesson. Much like Jesus' words to Peter when he asked about the fate of John, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!"

 

So, what we can know about this unnamed widow is that we can trust God fully - just as she did.