Giving Back What Belongs To God

𝐍𝐎𝐕. 𝟐𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓. 𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐖 𝐃𝐔𝐍𝐆-𝐋𝐀𝐂, 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲𝐫𝐬

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈: 𝐃𝐚𝐧 𝟏:𝟏-𝟔, 𝟖-𝟐𝟎

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐃𝐚𝐧 𝟑:𝟓𝟐-𝟓𝟖 “𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐤 𝟐𝟏:𝟏-𝟒

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “..𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒏.” (𝒗.4) 

        The lesson that Jesus wants us to learn today is that real giving is

sacrificial and one that is founded on faith. The widow depicted in this Gospel passage gave two small coins called the lepton which was not only the smallest coin that was in circulation in those days, but it had the least value among the coins that were used as a medium of exchange.

         Luke the Gospel writer did not describe which collection box the widow dropped the two coins because it was customary for temple officials at that time to place at least thirteen collection boxes known as trumpets because they were shaped like trumpets with the narrow opening on top and a wider bottom.

         Each of these trumpets are assigned to offerings for specific purposes such as for wood that are to be used to burn the sacrifice. Another collection box was for the incense to be used at the altar, another was for the maintenance of the vessels used during worship and, so on and so on.

         It was near one of these collection boxes that Jesus sat down apparently to rest with his head resting on the cup of his hands following a tiring exchange that he had with the Sanhedrin and the Sadducees and as he looked up he saw may people throwing their offerings into the different trumpets and then came a poor widow and put in two pieces of lepton.

         When Jesus saw this, he said: “𝑰 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔.” (𝒗.3) The lepton which means the “thin one” was equivalent to 1/128 of one denarius which was the minimum wage for a day’s work, so the lepton was nowhere near the value of the denarius.

         The fact that the widow put in a lepton would indicate that she was indeed poor as most widows at that time were. Again, it was the culture in the time of Jesus that widows were largely ignored and have practically lost their identities unless they are taken cared of by their relatives and or if they come from wealthy families.

         But when Jesus saw this, he said: “𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒈𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉; 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒏.” (𝒗.4) In other words, the widow poor she may be did not withhold her offering to God and it could be surmised that she did so because of her abiding faith in God. She probably knew the Jewish “Shema” by heart and she knew that God will not abandon her and will supply all her needs.

        In fact, Jesus could have stopped her from putting everything that she had, or the widow could have put in just one lepton and kept the other for her needs for she was destitute, but Jesus did not and his heart swelled with pride for this poor widow. Jesus let her give because if he stopped her, he would have deprived her of the blessing of giving to God.

        You don’t win extra points with God when you give sacrificially because giving is not a contest. But everyone should know that when you make sacrifices for God, he is watching. It doesn't matter if no one else sees or knows. The truth is it is much better that no one sees. But you can count on the fact that God sees and knows your giving and Jesus promises: “𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕, 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖.” (𝑴𝒕 6:4)        

         There are two things that determine the value of the gift you give. One is the spirit in which the gift is given. A gift that is grudgingly given and or given for self-display and self-aggrandizement immediately loses the value of the gift. The authentic gift is that which is given from an outpouring of an agape kind of love.

         The other is the sacrifice involved in giving. In some versions of the Scriptures, it said the rich were “flinging” their offerings into the trumpets which means that what they gave was of no concern to them and was probably apportioned out of their surplus. Giving only becomes real when you give until it hurts. An offering that is given out of the sacrifice you make such as when you fast is what the Our Lord sees as when Jesus saw the poor widow’s offering that no one else in the Temple noticed.

         Contrast this sacrifice with some wealthy people who tend to see their “large” tithes and offerings as significant and use them as leverage for power. In fact, today there are instances when wealthy members use their money to control the Church. Wealthy donors like these are just like the Pharisees who give and pray to be seen by others, and they can taint the purity of the Church of Jesus Christ.

         Lest you be mistaken, wealthy benefactors can also be a great blessing to the Church and to others if they will give out of the right motives. If they give sacrificially, they please God. If they give out of love, they also please God and, if they give in proportion to their income, they please God.

         But you should not even for once think that the value of your gift is greater than the poor widow's two coins because if that is how you feel then you misunderstand the principles of the Kingdom of God.

         God does not need you or me to keep the viability of his Kingdom. He does not owe us a debt of gratitude. He does not need your money because “𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅’𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕.” (𝑷𝒔𝒂 24:1)        

         You don't offer your tithes and love offerings because God needs these, but you give simply to honor him with the blessings that you have received from him. It doesn’t really matter how much you give for as long as it is proportionate to your resources but what you must remember is that you give because giving is worshiping God.

         What you must also keep in mind is that you might think of your gift as inconsequential and thus withhold your gift, because regardless of what and how much you give God looks at your heart. Like the poor widow, God expects you to give all that you have and that means your time, talent and resources.  (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘕𝘰𝘷. 24, 2025)