Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17
Mark 12:38-44
“Two Small Coins”
When I shared with the children this morning about how I used to bring a quarter to church on Sundays for my offering, and I held that 25 cents in the palm of my hand, it felt so small. I rarely use change anymore – partly because I more often use a debit or credit card than cash, and partly because coins are worth so little. They seem almost useless.
You can’t use a quarter to make a phone call anymore, and even a grocery cart at the store requires a loonie these days. Perhaps in some places, quarters are still helpful if you need to go to a laundromat. But even there, you’d need an awful lot of quarters to get the job done.
But when Jesus was sitting across from the collection box for the temple treasury and observed the people giving their money, he pointed out that the poor widow who put in two small copper coins had given a lot. She’d given more than all the rich people with their large gifts.
In practical terms for the temple budget, Jesus’ statement simply isn’t true. The widow’s two coins wouldn’t have made much difference at … Read more »