OFFERING - LUKE 21:1-4
1 And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3 And he said,Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
4For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.KJV
In these four verses we have the Apostle Luke's version of the widow's offering to the ministry of Jesus. We will start by mentioning that Jesus watched the actions of people. This means that God will notice you when you are in His Presence. Since the treasury in the temple was used for the ministry of the speaker it gave place to the more popular preachers (priests) being favored by God. It is sad that the religious leaders of that day felt they could make more money by leasing out space to businessmen (Mark 11:15-17) rather than following God’s plan for the temple. This is what happens when people stop following God's Will and continue following the wisdom of men. Since the religious leaders did not yield to the Holy Spirit of God but were unrighteous men the offerings for God's work greatly dwindled. Therefore the religious leaders started trying to subsidize the cost for taking care of the temple (and it’s staff) by installing businesses and raising temple taxes. There is always some devoted Believers who will support the House of God even if there is no tangible anointing in it. Those devoted givers believe it is right to give unto God’s work even if the minister does not seem to be spiritually anointed. In verse 1 the comment is made that the rich put money (gifts) into the treasury (offering) which is a good thing. Some believe that the rich are always ungodly because they presume all godly people are humbled by living financially modest. Although that may seem religious and spiritual it is not, it is deception to keep the saints of God dependant upon Egypt. The godly are not measured by how much wealth they have or lack of money but rather by their heart. All those who have a right heart toward God are righteous, thus they are godly. The Lord did not rebuke or criticize the rich men for the amount of money they gave He only points out to His Disciples not to walk by sight. In verse 2 the Lord notices a perfect example to teach His disciples (including us today) the heart of a true giver. The poor widow woman was in the right place at the right time to be used by Jesus. Notice that even when we don't know it we may be used by the Lord for an example to someone else. This is why we must be on our best behavior at all times simply because we are presenting Jesus to world. The Lord makes a startling statement in verse 3 when He said, "this poor widow hath cast in more than they all" because her amount of offering was very small as recorded in verse 2. Naturally speaking two mites in today’s American economy is worth about a penny (or a couple of pennies) and a good offering for those who are rich today (the upper class in the top 10%) could be estimated around $1000 dollars. I know we are guessing on the amount but realize the exact amounts are not important but rather the principle. The major principle of this example is that, "those with a right heart towards God always give more than those who lightly esteem God". Jesus knew that many of the rich did not follow (obey, surrender too, speak, keep, believe in) His message they only gave to the treasury to look good in front of other men. Those who practice giving to God in order to please men have their reward from the praises of men as recorded in Matthew 6:1-2. If we give to be seen of men your only reward is the look you received from the men present when you gave. Giving God an “offering” to make your own self look good is always an improper motive that produces displeasure in the heart of God. However, those who have a good and honest heart give to the Lord so that His work can continue in prosperity and peace. The financial amount is not what she gave more of but rather she gave more of her heart. The Holy Bible teaches that our Lord delights in the Christian whose heart is in their giving. These heart felt givers are the same children of God that are cheerful when they give. They believe that the Lord Jesus is so good that He is worthy of more than our natural substance can provide so if they can give some extra they do. He is worthy of our heart, soul, body and all of our praise and worship. This poor woman who offered two mites gave more than they all simply because her desire was placed in the Hands of God. We are not sure if the statement, " this poor widow hath cast in more than they all" was meant for each person individually or collectively as a total but we do know her offering (no matter how small) was acceptable to God. Her offering was respected by God because verse 4 states, "but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had". This means that she was in extreme poverty (insufficiency, want, destitution, barrenness) and being in that condition she had very little to live off but she still gave all she had to God. The fact that she gave everything to God did not impress Him what did impress the Lord is that she loved Him more than herself and her circumstances. This is one example of an “offering” but this illustration is not a typical case to live by, so don't think that you should be poor to get God's attention. We spoke earlier that the Lord loves both rich and poor alike and He will bless them both to the level of their reception of His Love and Word. Some people have a distorted view about God because Jesus speaks well of this poor widow, supposing that poverty is good. However, we must remember that poverty is a curse according to Deuteronomy 28:43-45 and Proverbs 10:15. The thing to remember and emulate is that under extreme conditions of financial lack she still came to hear the words of Jesus and kept her faith in God. How can any person not be impressed when someone overcomes enormous obstacles to continue onward and upward with God. I am sure that the Lord was not happy about her condition, nor was Jesus promoting poverty but He always recognizes faith with a smile of excitement. Therefore when giving an “offering” to God purpose to keep your faith alive by being a happy, joyful giver that loves God's message just as much as you love the people of God. Although this widow woman was experiencing great trial in the natural her spiritual relationship with God was still vibrant (active) and strong in Christ Jesus. This is what made her special not her natural gift but rather her spiritual gift to God of all her heart. The offering of your heart into the ministry (the person) of Jesus will always exceed the riches of this world. Amen!
In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster