An Eternal Compliment

There is a profound and provocative account of a poor widow, who unknowingly became the inspiring subject of a principled lesson by Jesus, on relative and comparative generosity.  (I can’t help but read this in a modern day context – I’m left imagining how today’s news and current affairs programs would have reported this story!)

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” //Mark 12:41-44 NKJV

The New Living Translation finishes this story this way; For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on. The Message Translation says; All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all. This generous soul had every reason to be outside the temple begging but instead was inside the temple giving. According to Jesus, she, based on her capacity or lack of, gave proportionately more than the lot of them!

We know that God doesn’t see as man sees, and it’s evident from this story that He doesn’t evaluate the way we’re inclined to. Many of us possibly would have been impressed, inspired even, by the amounts of money given by the rich. And you would also be forgiven for possibly overlooking or discounting the poor widow and what she gave. Not Jesus though - He noticed the poor widow and surprisingly credited her with outgiving the rich! I have heard it said many times over, and it should never become cliché - it’s not equal giving but equal sacrifice.

Maybe you can identify with the poor widow’s life experience, struggling to make ends meet, or maybe for you, her selfless example challenges your level of generosity relative to your own capacity. It’s been profoundly stated, True generosity is not evident in how much a giver gives but in how much they have left over. I don’t think Jesus was making this about being rich or poor. The encouraging point of this story though, is despite your socio-economic position, no one is disqualified from being generous, and in relative terms, the rich in this story could have been equally as generous and impressive. Selah

The Apostle Paul challenges the attitudes of the well-to-do, and highlights the unique opportunity they have to be a blessing; Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life. //1 Timothy 6:17-19 Message

The story is told that one day a beggar by the roadside asked for alms from Alexander the Great as he passed by. The man was poor and wretched and had no claim upon the ruler, no right even to lift a solicitous hand. Yet the Emperor threw him several gold coins. A courtier was astonished at his generosity and commented, "Sir, copper coins would adequately meet a beggar's need. Why give him gold?" Alexander responded in royal fashion, "Copper coins would suit the beggar's need, but gold coins suit Alexander's giving." Alexander the Great knew this about generosity - that it reflected him.

This poor widow takes her place in history, having received an eternal compliment, making it into the cannon of scripture. She would have never imagined, that what she was about to do that day would be noticed, let alone seized upon by Jesus, and subsequently recorded as a demonstration of extravagant generosity for the benefit of future generations.