WHILE ALL THE people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 46“Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 47They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.”
21:1As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3“I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
Original Meaning
JESUS ISSUES A final warning about the Jewish leadership to his disciples.1 He is willing to say publicly what he thinks privately. He warns of the pride of the teachers of the law, revealed in their long robes and the special greetings in the marketplace, not to mention the seats they get in the synagogues and at feasts (11:43; 14:7–14).2 Pride leads further to an elevation of the self that ends up seeing others (such as widows) as inferior and capable of being used as pawns. Jesus desires a ministry that speaks on its own terms, where credit comes because it is earned, not because honor is coopted by practices undertaken to underline one’s importance.
Jesus condemns the misuse of widows’ funds. A widow represented the most vulnerable in society, whom the pious were supposed to serve. So Jesus is making a serious charge.3 Apparently in managing a widow’s affairs, the teachers of the law took a large cut for themselves. Their pretentious long prayers for others in the face of such inconsideration made matters worse. God wants mercy, not just religious exercise (Hos. 6:6). A greater condemnation is headed their way, for they claim to lead the people and to be examples of God’s will, but their callousness shows through.
Luke 21:1–4 shifts to a different type of response to God. In contrast to the Pharisees and the rich who shower gifts into the treasury, a poor widow comes with two copper coins.4 Contributions for running the temple were placed in trumpet-shaped receptacles, thirteen of which were located in the court of women.5 An officer oversaw the collection and often counted what had been given. These coins were the smallest ones made—each worth 1/100 of a denarius (about five minutes of labor at minimum wage). The woman here is not looking for credit, but for how she can humbly serve God.
But God does not see things as we do. He does not count; he weighs. Jesus calls this widow’s gift the greatest gift of those that his disciples have been observing. What others give comes out of their excess, and they will hardly miss what they toss in for the temple. But this woman is giving out of her poverty. She gives what little she has, even though she needs it to live on. Jesus calls that real giving.
Bridging Contexts
THE TYPES OF actions mentioned about the Jewish leadership in 20:46–47 raise basic issues of how the leaders in the church relate to others. Such people should not see their positions as an excuse to exercise power or as a means to enhance personal worth. Leaders should do everything they can to point people to Jesus and deflect attention from themselves. The danger is a real one, since we usually shower respect on those who minister to us. What takes place is a subtle elevation of the self above others, which then runs the risk of leading leaders to take advantage of those they are called to serve.
In fact, sometimes what accompanies a leader and his corporate-like authority is not subtle at all. Nothing is more dangerous than a leader who keeps authority tightly in his grip, directs the ministry fully in his direction, and takes no criticism in the process. Jesus wants his disciples to be leaders of a different kind. So he warns them about a visible negative example in their midst.
This text, therefore, calls us to examine our hearts. Wrestling with pride can be difficult, especially for those who are high achievers. Everything they do rewards them for their hard work and their exercise of effort and talent. Instead of seeing the abilities they have, especially in ministry, as being the faithful exercise of stewardship from God, they take personal credit for them. But if what they have has been received from God, there is no room for boasting and self-exaltation. If Jesus is Lord (vv. 41–44), there is no place for pride. Those who boast should boast in the Lord (1 Cor. 1:31).
Jesus turns his attention in 21:1–4 to a contrastive image. Rather than discussing people looking for praise, he considers someone who is a consummate giver. How does one measure giving? The point of this story is that true giving is directed toward God. Jesus highlights two types of giving, both of which are appreciated, yet one speaks far more than the other. Giving out of abundance is appreciated, but it costs little. Giving out of life means that basic things may be given up in order to honor God. One’s prioritization in giving shows where one’s emphasis lies. That is why Jesus praises the widow here. Her attitude and action serve as an example of how believers should live.
Jesus turns the tables of evaluation here. We tend to appreciate the amount of a gift, not necessarily the sacrifice that went into the giving. As in other Lucan texts, the example comes from a person on the fringe of society, a poor woman who would have been a nonperson culturally. Yet God sees her gift as among the most significant. His evaluation of resources differs greatly from our way of reading giving. A seemingly poor gift can actually be rich in what it costs and represents.
Contemporary Significance
“PRIDE GOES BEFORE destruction” (Prov. 16:18). What is subtle about pride is that it develops at such unconscious levels in the mind that it is often unnoticed by the person who has it. But it does emerge in the way others are treated. Proud leaders manifest a condescending attitude toward others, which is reinforced by the way our culture honors them. Though Scripture expects respect for leaders, that courtesy should not be abused into thinking that leaders are somehow a “cut above” others.
I remember a story one of our staff members told me about a seminary professor. This part of the seminary was located off-site, which meant that the logistics of opening and closing the building for students was particularly tricky. The professors who flew in often had to leave immediately after class to catch their planes home, so that someone else had to lock up. In an effort to solve the problem, a professor on location was asked to lock up, since he was there at the same time as the visiting professors. This professor replied: “That is janitorial work, and I am a department chair.” The answer was clearly intended as a refusal, but it said far more about his heart than he realized.
Distressed, the staff person called another chairman to ask if the request had been unreasonable. He replied, “I do that stuff all the time. Whatever I can do to help, I will do.” This is service leadership—a mind-set that is unaware of titles. The more special we make ourselves, the less special God becomes. Unfortunately, others often see it clearly, and the damage is not only to God, because of the presence of hypocrisy, but also to those who are blind to their love of the limelight. Just before Jesus takes the worst seat possible in his suffering on the cross, he exhorts his disciples that the service he expects is a “not-for-profit” operation, nor is it a matter where exemptions exist.
In order for giving like the widow of 21:1–4 to take place, we must give consciously and with planning. First Corinthians 16:1–4 speaks of setting aside at the first of the week what we plan to give. What we give to God deserves priority. He should not receive our leftovers. As is all too common, the leftovers mysteriously shrink in size to take care of things that are not necessities. On the other hand, giving to God that is set aside from the first inevitably limits what we use for ourselves. It develops not only a healthy recognition that our resources belong first of all to God, but it can also lead us to be more disciplined with what is left for us after we give.
Another important point about giving surfaces here. No one is too poor to give. The issue is not the amount but participation. In one sense, this woman’s gift would not have been missed had she kept her two copper coins to live on. But what would have been missed was her sense of participation in the community where God was being honored. Had she walked by the temple and kept the coins, she would have been the loser. On the other hand, by contributing her two coins, she communicated an appreciation and trust for God that few others experienced. Jesus’ remark memorializes her courageous act and urges us to do the same.
It has been said that baby boomers and baby busters are poor givers. If this is true, then it is a sad day for the church. Many worthy projects at Christian organizations sit on the drawing board because the church does not have the funds needed for ministry. At the same time, the Christian entertainment business is growing into a mega-dollars industry. The church needs more givers like this woman, who desire to see ministry advance and in doing so give from the heart. We should evaluate needs and respond to them as we are able. Sometimes a minimal gift takes a maximum sacrifice, while for others the minimum might not really be much of a gift at all.
Second Corinthians 8–9 has much to say about how we give. God loves cheerful givers—people who give as they are led by God. Believers should institute personal structured programs where they agree to up their giving until it reaches a level that they feel God has led them to. I know families who make a commitment before God to increase their giving a certain amount or percentage every year, so that as they make giving a part of their structured plan, they have a sense of involvement in ministry and a feeling that God is leading them. Usually their heart follows where their dollar goes in the Lord’s service. To those who do give and at great cost, this text reminds us that God sees what we are doing.