He Watched the Crowd Putting Money In

Jesus sat down opposite the place where offerings were put and watched. Mark says many rich people threw in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

Jesus called the disciples over. This poor widow, he said, has put more into the treasury than all the others. They gave out of their wealth. She, out of her poverty, put in everything she had to live on.

The lesson is about how Jesus sees. He was not impressed by the size of the gifts, which were large and, no doubt, made with some noise. He noticed the one gift that was almost silent, and he measured it not by its amount but by what it cost.

That is how he still sees. The prayer nobody hears, the small faithfulness nobody applauds, the giving that leaves you with less than you would like, these are what he calls the disciples over to look at. He is sitting opposite the treasury of your life, and he is watching the right things.