Mark 12:41-44 reads: “And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.'”
The historical account in the text above is commonly referred to as “the widow’s mite.” It occurred just two days before his death. It describes the day that Jesus himself sat in the house of God and watched people give during the time of the offering. On this particular day, he saw something that clearly tugged at his heartstrings: he saw one poor widow giving literally the last couple of tiny coins that she had to her name. He took note of the fact that she in a very real sense gave more than anyone else did. He was not speaking symbolically but quite literally. You see, on a percentage basis, the rich people gave very little, but she gave 100% of everything that she had.
How amazing is it that Christ was omniscient enough to know this! But it is nearly equally amazing that a woman who was not omniscient, a woman who had no clue where her next meal was even coming from, had such a heart for giving.
I thought of this account some time back, as I was made aware of the very modern-day rendering of it happening at my church. Each Sunday night, a few of our men take the church bus and go downtown and pick up a good number of homeless folks and bring them to church for a meal and for the service. We have grown to love them through the years. We have been blessed to see many of them saved, and have even seen some of them get completely back on their feet, gainfully employed, drug- and alcohol-free and solid members of our church.
On the Sunday night in question, the wife of our treasurer came to me after the service and said, “Would you like your blessing for the day?” I assured her that I would; as a pastor, blessings are obviously far more enjoyable than complaints. She showed me a tithing envelope and said, “One of our homeless men put a quarter in the offering plate tonight.”