The Widows Mite

“And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a certain poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4

The story of the widow’s mite is one of my favorites because it teaches us much about our relationship with God. Jesus was observing people giving in the temple and noticed a destitute widow drop two “mites” into the basket. The monetary value of these two mites was less than ¼ cent. Yet Jesus commented that the value of the widow’s gift exceeded all the others because she gave all she had to exist on. Jesus saw this as a beautiful demonstration of faith. She completely trusted her Savior to provide her needs and because of that she could give out of her poverty. From a monetary perspective the others gave significantly more, but from a spiritual perspective they gave significantly less.

Mark 12:41-44 adds another element to the story. Jesus was so impressed by the attitude of the widow that He called the disciples together immediately to share with them what she had done. It was an excellent teaching moment to point out a tremendous demonstration of faith and He didn’t let it pass by. We, too, should learn from this lesson.

The lesson isn’t that we should necessarily give everything we have, but that we should hold everything we have with an open hand. If God wants anything He has provided to us back, we should be willing to give it to Him. It also teaches we should be completely dependent on Him for our needs. Paul said in Philippians 4:19 “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” The widow by giving “all she had to live on” clearly demonstrated her faith in God to provide her needs. That is the type of faith He desires from us. She was one of whom God will surely say “Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.”

I pray that you might have the faith of this widow and that you might also hold all that God gives you with an open hand.

GOD OF THE LIVING

Now He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to Him.”
Luke 20:38

This statement wraps up Jesus’ response to an earlier question from the Sadducees. This group of supposedly intellectuals did not believe in the resurrection and asked Jesus a question in an attempt to trick Him. His closing comment in this verse speaks not of physical life and death but of spiritual life.

He explains in the previous verse “But the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” That statement implies that although these three men were physically dead when Moses spoke, they were still spiritually alive. Physical death does not mark the end of our existence, but it does mark the ending point of our ability to decide whether we will spend eternity in heaven with God or in the torment of hell without Him.

I’m reminded of the statement in Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.” Our physical death is viewed completely different from God’s eternal perspective than it is from our earthly point of view. When the Christian dies physically, he/she enters into an even more enhanced relationship with God. That is why Christians don’t mourn the way non-Christians do. We have a hope that the non-Christian world cannot comprehend. We are saddened because our loved ones die, but are comforted with the fact that they remain spiritually alive and if we have trusted Jesus as our Savior we will one day join them in heaven.

It appears to me that passing into eternity frees one from all the physical and mental problems of life here on earth. We shed the ravages of sin. I believe our knowledge of and relationship with God increases dramatically at that point. I believe that is why Paul said in Philippians 1:21 “for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

As we face the physical death of those we love who are Christians we can be comforted and assured by the fact that our separation is only temporary because one day we will all be united in heaven since we each have trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior.

PARABLE OF THE VINE GROWERS

Luke 20:9-18

The last part of Luke 19 reveals Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As He was teaching in the temple the chief priests, scribes and elders confronted Him questioning His authority. He then shared with them the parable of the vine-growers.

These well read men understood the significance of this parable because of its mention many times in the Old Testament which they knew. It is first found in Psalm eighty. It is also mentioned in Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah. The vine was the symbol of the Jewish people and they had failed to bear the fruit God desired.

Jesus then drew a verbal picture of His rejection by the Jews by explaining that the owner (God) of the vineyard sent three servants to collect what was owed Him and they all were killed by the vine-growers (Jews). Then when He sent His beloved Son they killed Him also. Following that He asked the question, "What will the owner of the vineyard do to them?"

He then explained that the owner would come and destroy the vine-growers and give the vineyard to others. This pictured the message of salvation being shared with and offered to the Gentiles. When this group of educated men said "May this never be", Jesus responded by quoting from Psalm 118:22 "The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone." "Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust." Jesus is the corner-stone on which Christianity is built. Those who stumble over that stone (or reject it) will be punished. That punishment results in eternal separation from God.

Because God’s chosen people, the Jews failed to accept and broadcast God’s plan of salvation, He has given that responsibility to us (Gentiles). We are to be faithful in carrying that message to others. As we share the plan of salvation, each individual has the choice of accepting or rejecting the message. The Holy Spirit works effectively in the hearts of men to achieve that. However, the choice is individually ours, and if we reject it we will be punished just as the Jews here described.

From - Joe Hanson Devotional May 13, 2007

PARABLE OF MONEY USAGE

Luke 19:11-27

Jesus was now nearing Jerusalem and the disciples still did not understand that He was not setting up His kingdom but that He would die, be raised and go to heaven to prepare an eternal place for those who placed their trust in Him. This parable teaches about Him going away and trusting the ministry to them.

Many confuse this parable with the parable of the talents Matthew shared in 25:14-30. There is a distinct difference in that parable because the slaves were given different amounts. In this parable all are given the same, about three month’s wages. When the nobleman returned he learned that one had earned ten times what he was given, another had earned five times and the third had earned nothing. The one who had earned most was also given the original wages of the person who did not put them to use.

This parable addresses the fact that those who utilize most effectively the gifts God gives them are rewarded the most. Notice that the individual who earned ten times was given praise (v. 17 ) and also given authority over ten cities. He had maximized the utilization of his gifts. The person who earned five times was not given praise but was given authority over five cities (v. 18). He had used his gifts but not as effectively as he could have. The third person did not use his gift so it was taken away from him. This unfaithful servant was not removed from the kingdom but his reward was taken from him.

God has given each of us, as His children, abilities to use for His kingdom. It is our responsibility to use those gifts to further God’s kingdom. We are most satisfied in our lives when we are doing that. We will be rewarded in eternity based on the effectiveness of our utilization of those abilities here on earth. . It will then be our privilege to return those rewards to Him as an act of worship.

I pray that you will discover God’s gifts to you and utilize them exactly and faithfully as God desires of you.

From - Joe Hanson Devotional May 6, 2007