I’ve heard the story of the widow’s mite held up as an illustration of sacrificial giving. Her willingness to trust God so completely that she’d give the very last coins she had so astonished Jesus that he highlighted her to his disciples. Others gave what they wouldn’t miss but she, in many ways, gave what she couldn’t afford. Others gave in a very showy and pretentious way, but she did what she did under the radar—in fact, if Jesus hadn’t pointed out her actions, they would have slipped by undetected.
However, I recently read an article where the writer made an interesting point. He said this story comes on the heels of a section where Jesus warned his disciples about the teachers of the law. He said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely” (Mark 12;38-40 NIV).
Is it a coincidence that Jesus draws the attention of his disciples, and us, to the actions of a widow immediately after warning them about a group of people who “devour widows’ houses”? Perhaps not! In all likelihood, this woman was one who’d been reduced to nothing by the religious leaders. They had devoured her house and she’d been relegated to poverty by their actions. She had suffered from an abuse of trust. Yet she continued to give to the organization. She continued to give from what little she had to the very men who had fleeced her and left her in this precarious condition.
On the one hand, this is a foolish gift. If most of us were her financial advisor, we’d say, “Don’t continue to give to that organization!” But on the other hand, it illustrates a powerful principle … that giving to God is about investing in a calling and cause that transcends the leaders of the organization. Should we give to an organization that has a record of abusing and mismanaging finances … that is not above board and transparent about what they do with the money? Absolutely not! But should we withhold our giving because the actions of some of the leaders don’t measure up to the standards of the God that the organization supposedly represents. Again … no!
Over the years I’ve had parishoners decide to withhold their financial support from the church because they didn’t like what was going on—a decision was made they didn’t like, or a ministry to which they felt a particular fondness was cut. Many people, from time to time, “vote with their pocketbook.” But here’s a lady who, in spite of having ample reasons to withhold her support, chose to continue to give from her meager, scant resources. She demonstrated exceptional grace in continuing to hold on to the dream and not fall victim to the schemes and ploys of the very people who’d reduced her to nothing.
Perhaps, in many ways, that was the thing Jesus found so remarkable that he wanted to point out to his disciples. Perhaps that was her greatest treasure.