Verses 43-44 in the NLT read like this, "Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on." This really challenged me as I thought about the whole concept of giving. On one level, our bottomline amount is not what necessarily matters to God. In the narrative, many rich people gave large amounts of money for their offering to God. In the previous section, Jesus warns against the religious who are outwardly pious, but then cheat widows out of their property. I think the gospel writer Mark is making a connection here. What matters is consistency in our lives. Generosity should overflow in every area of our lives, not excluding our finances.
However, the most challenging thing about this passage is that it DOES challenge my bottomline giving. But not in the way I would expect. It's not the amount that matters, but the proportion. The rich gave only a "tiny part" of their surplus. They had plenty left over to use for themselves. Perhaps, it was used in a manner inconsistent with their "offering" to God. The poor widow gave 100% of what she had. What she gave came out of what she was living on. Just imagine that... What she gave cut into her way of life. She had to live differently. It wasn't much monetarily, but according to Jesus, it was more than what the rich gave. How incredible is that! In God's eyes, we can give more than all the billionaire philanthropists in the world. God's scales are weighed differently. As I've been praying about this Destiny Campaign, I'm challenged to give sacrificially. Different sums, equal sacrifice. This is the kind of giving that is generous in God's eyes.
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