A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then [Jesus] called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Mark 12:42-44

The story of the “widow’s mite,” to use the King James language, is a familiar story to most all of us. But by a quirk of the church calendar, it rarely shows up in our lectionary, and in fact, I’ve only preached on it once before. 

This story, in other words, is a lot like the widow herself – very easy to overlook. 

And I suspect that even when we do hear this story, we usually dismiss it as a story that is just trying to get us to give more money to the church. After all, if this widow can give her last two copper coins to the church, and be praised by Jesus, shouldn’t we give more than we do? 

But, to be honest, I don’t think that this is what Jesus is trying to tell us today. I think that Jesus points to this woman to help us to see the gospel, and the kingdom of God, in a way that we often miss. So, I want to take another look at the story of the widow’s mite today, and see what we can learn from this poor and easily overlooked widow. 

The Background

And the first thing to realize about this story is that when it takes place, and where, is just as important as what actually happens. Because this story takes place in Jerusalem at the Temple, not long before Jesus is crucified. 

He has just recently entered Jerusalem, in that triumphal entry that we observe on Palm Sunday. But he has also recently driven out of the Temple those who were selling and buying, angrily declaring that this house of prayer has become nothing more than a den of robbers. The crowd is spellbound by his teaching, but the chief priests and scribes have begun looking for a way to kill him. 

He doesn’t help his cause in today’s gospel reading (Mark 12:38-44), when he denounces the scribes who are parading around in long, fancy robes, praying long prayers, but also devouring the widow’s houses. 

This little scene with the poor widow comes along at a time when Jerusalem is very divided over what Jesus is teaching. And his disciples are understandably anxious. Jesus has been predicting his suffering and death. He has led them to the city where it is most likely to happen. And he is, even now, provoking those in power. 

And that is precisely when and where Jesus chooses to sit down with his disciples outside the Temple, and point out to them this faithful, poor widow, who is contributing to the Temple all that she has to live on. And Jesus simply says to those discouraged and anxious disciples: Look. Look at this widow. Look at her faithfulness, at her sacrifice, at her trust, at her willingness to give what she has. Look at her and see the kingdom of God. Look at her and see someone to imitate, someone living out her faith, even in the midst of the injustice and the uncertainty all around her. Look at her and see a model for how to approach life in confusing and anxious times. 

Unexpected Role Models

If there is one thing that Jesus seems to do consistently, it is to point out these unexpected role models. It is rarely the rich and famous that Jesus points us to. The religious and political leaders are more likely to get rebuked than praised. And even his disciples are not the people that the world would expect to be called to lead. 

Jesus praises people like the syrophoenician woman, a Gentile who convinces Jesus to heal her daughter. But he challenges the scribes and Pharisees, he speaks words of warning to the rich, and even rebukes his disciples when they argue about who is greatest. 

It is no surprise that Jesus praises the poor widow in today’s gospel reading, right after condemning the scribes. He consistently encourages us to pay attention to those who are quietly living out their faith, regardless of what is happening in the world, and seek to do the same. 

And the smallest act of faithfulness can shine a light on God’s love. It doesn’t have to be big or dramatic to be noticed by Jesus, and to make a difference to the Kingdom of God. 

Marie, the “Birthday Lady”

To give you one specific example, let me tell you about Marie, a widow from my last congregation. As Marie got on in years, she became homebound. And after lamenting that, she decided to figure out what she could do for her church from her home. 

She could still make phone calls, she thought, so she decided that she would call every member of our congregation on their birthday to wish them a happy birthday from St. David Lutheran Church. This congregation had more than 800 members, so that meant she would be making an average of 2-3 phone calls a day, every day. 

And she did. In fact, she did it for years. She would occasionally call the church office to let us know that someone had died or moved away, or that the number on file was disconnected. But most of the time, she was able to speak to the person or leave them a message. 

People began to look forward to that phone call from Marie. No matter what was happening in the world on any given day, Marie found a way to brighten someone’s day. A simple phone call. It became her widow’s mite, her way to contribute to the needs of the Temple. 

An Insignificant Gift?

What difference did this little phone call make to the kingdom of God? What difference did two copper coins make to the building of the Temple? Every small act of love and faithfulness makes a difference. And each is noticed by Jesus. And who knows? Perhaps the simplest, most modest gesture may be all that is needed to remind another person of the hope of the gospel.

Think again of what a small, inconsequential gift the widow gave to the building of the Temple, in this gospel passage. Her last two copper coins, letpa in Greek. Together worth only a penny. Given to support one of the most magnificent buildings of its time, the Temple. 

Did you know that it took 10,000 workers about ten years just to build the retaining walls around the Temple Mount? The magnificent Western Wall that still stands today is merely part of that 500-meter-long retaining wall that was designed to hold a huge platform that could accommodate twenty-four football fields. When it was completed, it was the world’s largest functioning religious site and it remains the largest human-made platform in the world. 

And what about the Temple itself, built on top of this amazing platform? The Holy of Holies was covered in gold; the walls and columns of the other buildings were of white marble; the floors were of a rare marble whose blue tinge gave the impression of a moving sea of water; the curtains were tapestries of blue, white, scarlet and purple thread, depicting, according to the famous first-century historian, Josephus, “the whole vista of the heavens.”

It was an incredible building, in every way imaginable. And a widow’s last penny wouldn’t seem to be able to accomplish anything toward this incredible building, or all the religious observances taking place there. 

A poor widow and two small copper coins worth a penny. What good can she do? What is the point? Will this really help to take care of this incredible Temple, and all the important work taking place there? 

You and I can often wonder what our small acts will accomplish in this world. A meager offering that isn’t going to help us meet our budget. A simple act of kindness to a stranger that won’t even be remembered. A prayer offered for those in need during our personal morning devotions. What good will any of this do, really? Will anyone even notice or care? 

But Jesus notices our every gift, our every act of kindness. And Jesus cares very much. And that should be all that matters. The promise from Jesus that no act of love or faithfulness is ever wasted. 

No Act of Love Is Ever Wasted 

That is actually the title of a book I have in my office:  “No Act of Love Is Ever Wasted.” 

The book is actually about caring for those with dementia, which is such a difficult task, in part because the caregiver can wonder if what they do really matters to someone unable to remember it. But it does. As the authors of this book put it:

“Caring for those with dementia presents a major challenge to our own faith … It tests whether we can love unselfishly, without asking for any love back for ourselves … knowing that no act of love is ever wasted. Any loving action puts love into the world. The deed doesn’t need to be acknowledged to be effective … We don’t need to be thanked for our love to be helpful. We love, not for our own satisfaction but for the pure act of pouring out love lavishly on the object of our love. If our love doesn’t have visible results, that doesn’t matter. Love has gone out into the universe.”

This book is about caring for those with dementia, but it applies to almost any situation we face in this world. What truly matters, at the end of the day, is whether we have put love out into the universe.

Closing

And that is what the poor widow did in today’s gospel reading. She didn’t just contribute two small copper coins to the Temple’s treasury. She sent love out into the universe. And no act of love is ever wasted. 

Jesus sees our simple acts of faithfulness. And often others see it, too. Whether we realize it or not. But it doesn’t matter if they do. Because no act, no gift, no gesture, given in love, is ever wasted. 

This touching little story of the widow’s mite is not intended to guilt us into giving more, but to help us to see more – to see the acts of love all around us, and to be inspired to do the same, trusting that no act of love is ever wasted. 

It makes me think of the famous ending of the classic book, “Middlemarch,” which could very well be describing this widow: 

“The effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”

This widow lived a largely hidden life, and now rests in an unvisited tomb. But she is remembered today, and in churches around the world. Her modest gift, a humble act of love, was not wasted. And neither is any modest gift of act of love of ours. Because no act of love ever is.

And the growing good of the world depends on these acts. So let us continue to send our love out into the universe, in whatever way that we can, trusting that it will make a difference to the one who notices our every act of love and faithfulness, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.