Does Jesus cares about the money we put into the offering plate on Sundays?
During the final week of His life on earth, Jesus found a place in the Temple to sit and intentionally watch people dropping their tithes and offerings into the offering box. “Sitting across from the temple treasury, he watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury (Mark 12:41). From His vantage point, He saw that “many rich people were putting in large sums” (Mark 12:41). I suspect that everyone could hear as the proud and pompous poured out their coffee-cans filled with pennies, nickels, and dimes.
Then, as Jesus attentively watched, “a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little” (Mark 12:42). The omniscient Lord knew that those two coins were “all that she had” (Mark 12:44). She had nothing else. She gave everything… “two mites” (Mark 12:42, KJV).
It was time for Jesus to teach Peter and his pals an important lesson. “Summoning his disciples, he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had—all she had to live on’ ” (Mark 12:43-44). “This poor widow has put in more than all of them. For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on” (Luke 21:3-4).
When Jesus cleansed the Temple, He condemned hypocrisy. In stark contrast, Jesus commended a nameless widow for her faithfulness. She gave everything, knowing that God would provide for every need.
“… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV).
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