Read Mark 12:41-44.

Jesus saw something interesting that day in the temple treasury, and He made sure the disciples took note. Every now and then in Jesus’ ministry, we see Jesus taking note of something He thought was remarkable – either good or bad. On one occasion, a Roman centurion came pleading help from Jesus. The centurion’s servant was lying at home paralyzed, suffering greatly, and the centurion was absolutely certain the Jewish Messiah could heal him. The centurion was a Gentile, a pagan. Jesus marveled at the man’s faith (Matthew 8:10). That was notable. On another occasion, Jesus went to His hometown, to people who knew Jesus and His family. It was a good Jewish town, surely. But Jesus couldn’t do many miracles there. The people had no faith. Jesus found that amazing (Mark 6:6). It was notable.

Here in Mark 12, Jesus watched the rich people of the community drop their big offerings into the shofar chests in the temple treasury. Scholars think these chests, shaped with a trumpet bell on top, made a clanking noise when money was deposited into them. Big clanks here and there. Rich men walking with chests puffed out. They’d be noticed for their gifts. If nothing else, they could feel good about themselves. Not many people could make such large donations to the work of the temple.

And then the poor widow came in. Among the rich, I picture her as small and quiet. She had at least two things running against her in life. She was poor. That’s not a good thing, usually. If you are really poor, you are going to be insecure in things like food, clothing, and housing – the necessities of life. A day may come when you can’t afford to buy those things. The other thing running against this woman in life was the fact she was a widow. That was a vulnerable place to be in those days. Really, it’s a vulnerable place to be today. You are on your own as a widow. We might hope the poor widow had children who could assist her, but we aren’t told that. She simply is identified as a poor widow.

So this woman was different than some of the others in the temple treasury that day. A lot of them were rich. Mark tells us: “Many rich people put in large sums.” And this one poor widow came in an dropped in two small copper coins. They amounted to a penny. A bit of nothing, really. Barely a clink.

But Jesus found it notable. He knew that woman. He knew what her gift meant. Perhaps Jesus had met her earlier in the day. Or perhaps He simply was using His divine knowledge. Regardless, He knew her and her situation. It was notable enough He called his disciples over to have a look. He wanted them to take note, too. He found something He wanted them to see. I imagine Jesus pointed her out of the crowd as she left the temple treasury. “That woman, right over there. Do you see her?”

Jesus saw what she had done. Of course He did. Jesus is the divine Son of God. He sees everything. Every small act of faith, Jesus sees it. It’s comforting when you think about it. And it’s a bit discomforting. Jesus sees every small sin, too.

But Jesus seemed impressed by what He saw from the poor widow. It was notable. Jesus wanted the disciples to see it. What the poor widow had done was a big thing – bigger than the gifts of all those rich people who made their big donations, with their big coins clanking into those offering boxes, making such a big racket. Jesus told the disciples, as he pointed her out from across the temple treasury, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more …”

I wonder what that poor widow had been thinking. She gave everything she had. That’s what Jesus said. And Jesus would know. Who would do such a thing? What was she going to eat? What was she going to drink? What would she wear? Where would she live? She gave everything she had to live on. She just threw it into the offering box without so much as a sound. No one likely even noticed her. Except Jesus.

Maybe someone manipulated that poor widow. You know how there are certain people in this world who prey upon the vulnerable, the elderly, the uneducated. Jesus knew about evil people like that. Just a moment earlier, He had warned people about the scribes. They were a proud, greedy bunch. The scribes liked it when people greeted them in the market and gave them the best seats in the house. They also, Jesus said, “devour widows’ houses” (Mark 12:38-40). Perhaps the scribes manipulated poor widows into giving up what wealth they had. “Give it to God. You don’t need it.” Pretty soon, those widows would have nothing to live on. Maybe that was what happened to that poor widow. Maybe she had been manipulated.

Or maybe she just was a woman of faith. You know people like that. “Grandma, where is your next meal going to come from? Where is your next rent payment going to come from? How will you pay your bills?” Grandma is resolute. “The Lord will provide. Child, you just have to trust.” Perhaps that is it. Maybe the poor widow wasn’t manipulated. Maybe she simply trusted the Lord to take care of her every need.

Maybe. We don’t know exactly. Jesus didn’t declare that poor widow was a great woman of faith, although we’re pretty sure she was. Jesus also didn’t say she was a victim of those greedy scribes. What we do know is Jesus said the poor widow gave “more.” She gave more than the rich people who were there. How can that be? It is hard to give less than that poor widow gave. What’s less than a penny? But you know this. You know the teaching.

Jesus was saying the poor widow gave proportionally more than those rich people did. Jesus said, “They all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Those rich people gave their big gifts, and then, we assume, they went home. They had homes to go home to. Food still was in the pantry. Their closets still were full of clothes. The car still was in the garage. The kids’ college tuition fund still had money in it. The 401(k) still was growing. Everything was pretty good. They were living with “abundance,” as Jesus said.

The poor widow, meanwhile – What was going to happen to her? How would she live after giving up those two small copper coins – “all she had to live on”? Mark’s Gospel doesn’t tell us what happened to the poor widow. We don’t have Jesus rushing out after her – to turn a few loaves of bread into an “abundance” for her – or to miraculously make her next rent payment. The poor widow just walks into and out of the Bible.

I think we are to assume the poor widow would be just fine. God would take care of her. Is that a safe assumption? Are you comfortable with that? After all, Jesus had said, “Do not worry about what you will eat …” (Matthew 6:25).

But what about you? Are you going to be fine? “Oh, yes, yes,” we’ll say. “After this, we’re going to go home to have lunch. There’s a roast in the crockpot right now, just simmering away, covered in salt and pepper and one full stick of butter. It’s been there since 4 a.m. That’s when you have to start the Sunday roast – at 4 a.m. Kick off the covers, walk through the house in your pajamas, start the roast, then head back to your warm bed. But make sure you plug in the crockpot. Don’t forget that part. The whole family might be coming over after church. It will be a good afternoon. Yes, yes, we’ll be fine.”

Some of us have our systems. We have so much to give, and we give it. Everything else is in its place. Money in the bank. Bills paid. Tithe in hand. A little savings. A little fun money. Everything is good. But don’t upset the system. The system keeps things in balance. The system is good.

So we will be OK. But are we going to be fine because of our abundance – or because of God? The Lord is not looking for big gifts in the offering box. The precise size of the gift doesn’t seem important to Jesus. He is looking for faith – in you. He wants to know you trust Him, and that you are willing to act on that trust.

I think we need to be careful. This text is a warning. Jesus in the temple treasury, after watching that poor widow deposit her two copper coins into the offering box, made the connection between what we give and what we have left over. We ought not to disconnect the two – because Jesus didn’t. The amount we give has meaning in relation to what we still have left over. Those rich people gave a lot, but they had a lot left over. That poor widow gave a little, a penny, and had nothing left over. Her gift was “more.”

I don’t know that Jesus is telling us to give everything away like that poor widow did. Of course, Jesus did tell some people to do that (Mark 10:21). But I think Jesus is telling us we aren’t measured by what we have or, necessarily, by what we give. No, I think Jesus is telling us we are measured by our faith. And what we give and what we have left over can tell Jesus an awful lot about our faith.

Where do you put your trust? Is it in Christ, or is it in your abundance? You’ll be fine, I’m sure of it. But do you know you will you be fine because of your abundance – or do you know you will be fine because you know you have a Savior who cares for you and who sees you even when you become small and insignificant in the world’s eyes, even when you are down to your last penny?

I once had a church elder tell me, “Preacher, don’t tell the people to give. Never tell them to give.” I gently noted that giving is in the Bible. But that church elder said, “Don’t tell them to give. They don’t want to hear it. And …” – now this is important – “there are some little old ladies in the church who will hear you and give. They’ll do it. I know they will. And they shouldn’t. They are widows. On fixed incomes. And they’ll hear you say, ‘Give to God,’ and they’ll do it. So, preacher, don’t tell the people to give. Because some will. And they shouldn’t.”

For better or worse, I took that elder’s advice. I’ve not preached much on giving over the years. Maybe that elder was right. Maybe some of you, widows or not, shouldn’t give to the work of the kingdom of God. Who am I to say? But whether you give a lot or a little or nothing at all, I do know this: Christ knows your faith – and what you give and what you have left over can tell Jesus an awful lot about it. “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more.”

It is Palm Sunday. The people laid their palm branches and their cloaks on the road in front of Jesus. They cried, “Hosanna!” They welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem as king. He had everything in the palm of His hand. But by the end of the week, Jesus was hanging on the cross – for the forgiveness of your sins. Truly, I say to you, He put in more. What more could Jesus give? The old prophet said, “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace” (Isaiah 53:5). That is notable.