Jesus and the Widow S Offering

Jesus and the Widow’s Offering

Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4

Main Point: God blesses those who give to Him with a pure heart.

Key Verse: Luke 6:38a “Give, and it will be given to you.”

Say This:

Today, we’re going to learn about a widow who gave money to the Lord’s work. A widow is a woman who had been married, but her husband died. In Bible times, this meant that a woman was very poor. Widows weren’t allowed to get a job, so they lived very poorly.

Say This: Jesus had just cleared the temple (Luke 19:45-46). The leaders were so angry with Him that they were plotting to kill Him (Luke 19:47-48). Since Jesus was God, He knew the true hearts and thoughts of these people. He knew that while they looked good on the OUTside, they were filled with wickedness on the Inside.

Before Jesus told this particular story about the widow, He had just warned His disciples against the religious leaders of that day.

It’s good for us to look at this warning that Jesus gave so that we can better understand what He is teaching about this widow.

PowerPoint:

Scripture

Luke 20:45-47 All the people were listening. Jesus said to his disciples, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in long robes. They love to be greeted in the market places. They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. They also love to have the places of honor at dinners. They take over the houses of widows. They say long prayers to show off. God will punish those men very much."

Say This: (Expound on application for kids)

Jesus warned His disciples that the religious leaders of that day:

Liked to walk around in long, flowing robes – They wanted to be seen and recognized by others.
Loved to be greeted in the marketplace – They wanted people to recognize them as teachers.
Loved to have important seats in the synagogue – wanted to be seen; wanted to be up front / on the stage.
Loved the spot of the honored guest – wanted to be the most liked and the most popular.
Devoured widow’s houses – They took advantage of the weak. They held a position of trust, and they violated that trust.
They prayed long prayers to impress people.

The Bible says that after Jesus warned His disciples about these religious teachers, He looked up. He saw the rich putting their gifts in to the temple treasury. In another part of the Bible, Jesus said…

Matthew 6:2 "When you give to needy people, do not announce it by having trumpets blown. Do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They announce what they do in the synagogues and on the streets. They want to be honored by others. What I'm about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.”

PowerPoint:

Say This: When the Pharisees gave an offering to the poor, they wanted everyone to see it. They would have trumpets blown so that everyone would stop and watch them give their offering. Jesus said that the only reward they would get was the pat on the back that very day from the people watching.

PowerPoint:

Say This: “He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins”. Luke 21:2

PowerPoint:

Say This: Though the widow gave a very small offering, Jesus said that she gave more than all the others (Luke 21:3).

How can this be?

GOD KNOWS THE HEART. I Samuel 16:7 “Manlooks at the outwardappearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

God knew that the woman was not just a poor widow. She was destitute. She was NEEDY. This was all she had. There was nothing left. The widow’s offering demonstrated her deep love for God.

No one noticed this poor woman………………..BUT GOD SAW HER!

PowerPoint:

Luke 21:4 “All of those other people gave a lot because they are rich. But even though she is poor, she put in everything. She had nothing left to live on."

Say This: This poor widow recognized that she had nothing to give, yet she gave everything she had.

The religious leaders were “rewarded” by people patting them on the back, but the widow was storing away rewards that would last FOREVER!

Main Point: God blesses those who give to Him with a pure heart.