The Widow's Offering — Bible audio story cover art

The Widow's Offering

Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4

Everyone else gave from their surplus. She gave from her survival.

Jesus sits across from the temple treasury, watching people drop in their contributions. The rich put in large amounts. Then a poor widow comes and drops in two small copper coins — worth almost nothing. Jesus calls his disciples over: Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, put in everything — all she had to live on. It's the last thing Jesus teaches in the temple. Not a lesson about fundraising. A lesson about what God actually sees. The value of a gift isn't measured by its amount but by what it costs the giver.