"To the widow he is a champion friend. The lonely he makes part of a family."
Psalm 68:5 TPT
The temple court, a sacred place of worship, prayer and offering. Inside of this large temple was an open court. In its four corners stood four large lampstands.
Amongst the colonnades surrounding the court, there were 13 wooden boxes for collecting money. At every offering, the coins were dropped through a bronze trumpet-shaped receptacle. As the money offering was deposited, the sound it made echoed of its size and value.
This is where men and women gathered to deposit their contributions to the temple treasury.
Jesus watched the people in the crowd as they walked by him with their offerings. One by one, they dropped their gifts into the box.
Out of their abundance, a crowd of the religious rich were making their proud and boastful contributions.
But Jesus didn’t acknowledge their expensive donations.
Unlikely noticed, a poor and lonely widow enters the court. With a broken heart and eyes full of grief, she holds an offering of two small copper coins in her hand.
A fraction of a penny is all she has to give.
Amongst the busy crowd, Jesus notices her.
At the most difficult time in her life and a diminished ability to meet financial needs, the widow drops her only two coins in the offering box.
This woman who lost everything dear to her, made it a priority to give what little she had.
She would have gone unnoticed for her small offering. But on this day, Jesus saw not only a lonely grieving widow, but a woman with a sacrificial heart.
Jesus calls his disciples around and speaks loudly over the crowd and says,
“Listen to me! This poor widow has given a larger offering than any of the wealthy. For the rich only gave out of their surplus, but she sacrificed out of her poverty and gave to God all that she had to live on.” (Luke 21:3-4)
On this day, the echo of her two coins pierced the hearts of her onlookers.
Her complete hope was in God.
Her meager offering was seen by Jesus.
Love is an offering.
Love is generous.
Love sees the hurting and the lonely.
Love heals the wound of every shattered heart.
This is love.
~ Stefanie Rodriguez