“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing” (Mark 12:41-42).
The operative word in this statement is the little word how. Jesus behold how the people cast the money into the treasury. The Master’s interest was not so much in what people were giving, but how they were giving. He was looking at the motive for giving, the impulse of the donation, the inspiration of the offering. There is a very illuminating phrase in 1 Samuel 2:3 which declares that “… by him actions are weighed.”
As Jesus watched, in came the lonely widow, and at once He saw something which deeply moved His heart. As she cast in her two mites, the Master observed that this act was the expression of faith, “… she of her want did cast in all that she had … “ (Mark 12:44). This is an outstanding example of childlike faith. The statement literally means that she gave all that she had to live on. In other words, she trusted God to supply her wants, and devoted her property entirely to Him. It is a comparatively easy thing to give out of abundance, but it requires strong faith to give out of poverty.
Her giving was also an expression of her hope. She gave “… all her living” (Mark 12:44). As Dr. G. Campbell Morgan points out, this woman had vision! She saw beyond this world to the next. Her heart was in Heaven, so she wanted her treasure to follow. She knew what Jesus meant when He said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth … But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven … For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Jesus also observed that her act was an expression of her love. She cast in “… all her living” (Mark 12:44). Only an hour or so before, the Lord had declared that the fulfilling of the commandments was to love God and to love our neighbour. What, it might be asked, had this to do with the gifts that were placed in the treasury of the temple?
The answer is “everything.” All gifts placed in the chest were divided between the priests and the poor; however, as much as the priests might have been degraded, let us never forget that to the simple heart of this woman they stood as the representatives of God. Then there were the poor. She was one of the poorest of the poor, but they were her neighbours, and when she dropped her gifts into the treasury, she was keeping the whole law. She was expressing her love to God and her love to her neighbour.
Jesus still sits “… over against the treasury …” (Mark 12:41), and as the Lord of all giving, He watches with deep interest to see whether or not our offerings are the expression of faith, hope, and love. He is interested in your giving. What does He see behind the coins, the paper money, and the bank book?