What induced her to put her last few coins into the temple treasury? Was it an act of faith or of desperation? Like her ancient forebear, the widow in Zarephath in our Hebrew bible reading for Sunday, this unnamed widow in the temple is giving it all away. The widow whom Elijah encountered in Zarephath is using the last of her meal and oil to make some bread and then die. The widow being observed by Jesus in Jerusalem is putting in all she has. And though it is quantifiably less than what the wealthy are putting in, it is proportionally much, much more.
He... watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he 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. 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.”
The bible and Christian tradition invite us to think proportionally about giving. The biblical standard is the tithe, or ten percent of income (net or gross, you pick). I encourage people to base their church giving on a percentage of income rather than a fixed amount because it is faithful, and because it levels the playing field. Someone with an income of $40,000 a year who is pledging, say, 8 percent of income is giving at the same level as someone with $400,000 pledging at 8 percent.
Well, it would be level if the six-figure person were pledging at the same percentage as the five-figure one – but that’s not often how it plays out. The higher earner will often look at the 8 percent number – whoa, $32,000?!? – and decide on a much lower pledge. The lower earner is more likely to settle on something close to the $3,200. Many studies have shown that poorer people give much more money away, supporting their churches, neighbors and communities far out of proportion to their income. As of ten years ago, wealthy Americans gave away an average of 1.3 percent of income, while poor ones gave 3.2 percent. (A British study found a gap of 5.4% vs. 2%, poor to rich respectively; here is a 2018 article; other articles counter this prevailing view.)
We can’t know what was going through the mind of that widow in Jerusalem, or that of a struggling single mother who donates generously to her church’s building fund, but we can conjecture that there is a freedom to their generosity and a willingness to trust. Maybe having less to hang onto releases our grip, and when we release our grip what position do our hands take? They are open to receive as well as give.
Generosity makes no sense if we don’t trust that we will have enough. Trusting in enough when we can’t see it is faith. The widow in Zarephath discovered that her oil and meal never ran out. I hope the widow in Jersualem was similarly provided for. God invites us to live open-handed and open-hearted, trusting that we will have what we need and often more. As we grow in trust, we may realize we don’t need quite as much “more” as we think, and that we can be God's hands, feet, voice and wallet no matter what our circumstances. If we don't give, how will God's children and widows get fed?
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