Luke 21:1-6: a reflection

1He looked up and saw the rich people who were putting their gifts into the treasury. 2He saw a certain poor widow casting in two small brass coins. 3He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them, 4for all these put in gifts for God from their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had to live on.” 5As some were talking about the temple and how it was decorated with beautiful stones and gifts, he said, 6“As for these things which you see, the days will come in which there will not be left here one stone on another that will not be thrown down.”

Watching people put their gifts into the temple treasury, Jesus draws attention not to the rich giving large amounts, but to a poor widow who put in two small coins. Truly I tell you, he says, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had to live on. In amount, her gift was tiny; but Jesus reckoned it the greatest, because it cost her everything. He measured her giving not by the sum, but by the sacrifice.

Notice how Jesus measures giving: not by the amount, but by the cost to the giver. The rich gave larger sums, but out of their abundance, at little cost to themselves; the widow gave two small coins, but they were all she had, given at great cost. And Jesus reckoned her small gift greater than all the large ones, because it cost her more. What mattered to him was not the size of the gift, but the sacrifice behind it, what it cost the giver to give. By that measure, the widow's tiny gift was the greatest of all.

That is worth taking to heart, for we tend to measure giving as the world does, by the amount, and to think our small gifts count for little. We can imagine that only large gifts matter, that our little is insignificant beside what others give; but Jesus measured by the cost, and reckoned the widow's two coins more than all the rest. Do not despise your small gift, or measure your giving only by its amount; God measures by what it costs you, by the sacrifice behind it. A small gift given at real cost is, to God, greater than a large gift given from abundance. Give to God what you can, even if it is small, and do not think it counts for little; the widow gave two coins, and Jesus reckoned it more than all the rich gave, because it cost her all she had. What you give matters to God not by its size but by its cost; give sacrificially, as the widow did, and know that God measures your gift by the love and sacrifice behind it, not by its amount.

Lord Jesus, watching people put their gifts into the temple treasury, you drew attention not to the rich giving large amounts, but to a poor widow who put in two small coins: truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had to live on. In amount, her gift was tiny; but you reckoned it the greatest, because it cost her everything. Show me how you measure giving: not by the amount, but by the cost to the giver. The rich gave larger sums, but out of their abundance, at little cost; the widow gave two coins, but they were all she had. And you reckoned her small gift greater than all the large ones, because it cost her more. What mattered to you was the sacrifice behind it. Take that to my heart, for I tend to measure giving as the world does, by the amount, and to think my small gifts count for little. I can imagine that only large gifts matter, that my little is insignificant beside what others give; but you measured by the cost, and reckoned the widow's two coins more than all the rest. Keep me from despising my small gift, or measuring my giving only by its amount; you measure by what it costs me. Help me give to you what I can, even if it is small, and not think it counts for little. Help me give sacrificially, Lord, as the widow did, knowing that you measure my gift by the love and sacrifice behind it, not by its amount.