Heavenly Motivation
The story of the widow’s mite is a familiar event in the life of our Lord. A widow gave all her money in a temple offering and thereby received the praise of the Master of Life himself. The actual amount given was a pittance—less than one penny in today’s money—but the extravagance was that it represented all she had. The story is generally perceived to be about giving. Clearly that element exists, but there is another we might fail to see. Jesus also had been watching the Pharisees give. They gave big bucks and were quite open about it. Everyone knew their giving record; indeed, they made certain it was known. Seeing the Pharisees, Jesus pointed to the widow. Imagine Jesus sitting with the temple leaders—the Sadducees—observing people as they…