Is a big gift more valuable

One day Jesus was sitting in the Court of the Women watching as various people came to put their offering in one of the 13 trumpet-shaped boxes placed throughout the temple. There were a number of rich people who, as they passed by, “threw” their coins into the container ” (Greek verb is ballo, cf. the English “ballistics”). I can see them as they proudly dropped their coins, one by one of course, into the temple treasury. Then along came a poor widow who demurely put her two little copper coins it the collection box. The lepton (Greek for tinkling sound is “a tiny thing”) was the smallest coin in circulation and would buy about one handful of flour. I can also picture the unobtrusive demeanor of the widow by way of comparison with the wealthy.
       At that point Jesus called his disciples over because here was a very important lesson to learn. He said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury chest than all the others. For they gave what they could easily spare, but she gave what she needed to live on” (Mark 12:43-44). Isn’t it striking how different the ethics of the Christian faith are to those of the secular world! In this story the widow is the believing Christian and the rich are the world in which we live. As believers, you and I may be surrounded by a crowd of “rich people,” but we find ourselves at home when we find ourselves at home with “poor widows.” We very quickly and very naturally bond with the latter because we share a common faith in which people share their surplus with those who have little. As they say, “In Utopia Chapel there are no poor widows because the “rich” can’t allow it. Of course every local assembly may, and does, fall short, but the goal is right there ahead of us in clear sight.
       Jesus called his disciples over to where he was so they could watch this strong example of what genuine giving. The rich had the momentary pleasure of calling attention to themselves by flicking into the treasure box what they didn’t need while the widow gave all she had. Now that is giving! Does that mean that next Sunday when the collection plate is passed around you and I ought to turn over to the church treasurer our bank account? At this point you can hear people say such things as, “I need to save a lot for retirement because I could get really sick and have big medicine bills.” Or, “My whole life, including my bank account is being used for Christ so that’s why I don’t have to worry about not giving a tithe.  I’ve “given” in a different way.”
       Did you ever think that God doesn’t need our money? What he needs is people who don’t have trouble giving it away. I’ve always wondered why “Faith” Missions expect you to have the faith (read “dollars)” instead of them. A former pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian church once told a class of us young seminarians, “God always finances what he initiates.” Since money is the ultimate mark of success in contemporary society, the Christian virtue of giving to God your last two “lepta” runs directly away from looking our “widows” to be able to buy what we don’t need. May God release us from bonds of “keeping everything safe.”