WHAT IS IT WITH WIDOWS?

 

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

 

WHAT IS IT WITH WIDOWS?

 

Mark 12:42-43

42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

 

           The word “widow” is found 50 times in the Authorized Version and the word “widows” 26 times. We can conclude that the Bible has much to say about widows. Today the plight of a widow is much less burdensome than in Jesus’ day.

 

           This widow was generous! The mite, also known as a lepton, was a Jewish coin and the smallest used in New Testament time. At the time of Mark's writing, it was worth 1/64 of a denarius. A denarius was a day's wage for a common worker. So, two mites would be 1/32 of a day’s wages. The value is hard to determine after so long a time, but we will get sidetracked in trying and miss the point if we are not careful. She had TWO mites and she might have retained ONE.

 

           God used a widow to sustain Elijah! “Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.” (1 Kings 17:9) When we NEED something, we do not usually look to a widow to find it but God does not think as we do. He uses weakness to provide strength.

 

           God gives special care and attention to widows! James said: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27) The word “visit” in this verse doesn’t mean a friendly visit over a cup of coffee or tea. It is the Greek episkeptomai which means “to inspect with the goal of providing relief.”

 

Matt 23:14

14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

 

Dear Lord, always make me aware of the needs of widows. Let me rush to their aid. Let my religion be worth something to others. AMEN