As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

A couple of weeks back Pam and I were in WA, and one of our unforgettable experiences was visiting the HMAS Sydney II Memorial at Geraldton. It commemorates the 1941 loss of the ship and all 645 crew. Particularly poignant was the statue of a woman looking out to sea – there must have been hundreds of women become widows as a result of the sinking. On the memorial is the story of a couple who on their wedding night were woken at 2 am for a call to the husband to join the ship: too cruel to imagine.

Just as the World Wars left an inordinate number of widows in Australia, so Jerusalem in the time of Jesus had an inordinate number of widows. It mentions in Acts Ch 7 that there were so many widows joined the early church in Jerusalem that Stephen and six others were appointed to look after their welfare. It appears that devout Jewish widows relieved of family responsibilities would choose to travel from near and far to spend their final years in the Temple precincts of the Holy City. We meet one in Luke 2: “Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”

Many of these widows would have had personal savings to survive on. Others would have relied on the charity of the thousands of pilgrims to the Holy City. It seems that they were looked down upon by the wealthy caste of teachers of the law based at the Temple. Together with the High Priest’s family and retinue they also looked down on out-of-towners like Galileans and the hoi polloi who had to make their living by fishing, farming, trade and commerce. We’re not sure how the teachers of the law “devoured widow’s houses” as Jesus put it but somehow or other they used their power and privilege to extort money from them.

So this is all background to the incident when Jesus and his disciples witnessed rich people big noting themselves by putting bags of money in the Temple collection and then behind them in the line a poor widow coming and putting in two very small copper coins, worth only a few dollars. This prompted Jesus to say the famous words, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” This was not just a throwaway comment. This is one of Jesus’s “truly I say to you” statements (literally “AMEN! I’m telling you!”) they are immortal words for us us right here, right now. Jesus is saying “Pay attention! Mark my words! This is one of the really important things I am teaching you as my disciples to treasure and pass on to future generations of my disciples.”

Here it’s important to stress that giving isn’t restricted to money or goods. In fact, our money may be the least of our gifts. It’s about giving God our life, our loves, our talents, our time, our efforts.

First, Jesus contrasted the attitude of the givers – the wealthy men and the poor widow. when it comes to giving to God it’s not the amount that matters but the attitude. Whether or not they were teachers of the law the rich givers impressed others with the amount they gave. Were they motivated by love of God or love of human approval? Certainly the widow wasn’t. We need to be honest: ‘Am I giving for love of God or for the approval of others?’

Second, Jesus was clearly saying that the quality of giving is not the quantity but the level of sacrifice. The sacrificial nature of true giving is Jesus’ giving of his life for us. Paul encouraged the church in Corinthians to “excel in the grace of giving” on the basis of knowing “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” At the end of the day God doesn’t want your money or talents, he wants you, all of you. All our money is God’s, as is all our time and talents. So, the question is no longer “How much shall I give God?” but “How does God want me to steward the time, talents and money he has entrusted me with?”

Third, Jesus is telling us to look beyond appearances and see things the way God does. Let’s get better at seeing people the way God does, to look beyond appearances and look at the heart. Back in the Old Testament when God sent Samuel to Jesse’s family to anoint a new King over God’s people, he looked at the eldest son and thought he was the one. But God had other plans. He told the prophet.  “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” And that’s how David was chosen.

Just as Samuel initially got it wrong not only us but even the Godly Christian leaders and agencies that we trust can get it wrong. In the 1980s a young oil industry executive and his wife lost their first child in a tragic accident, leading them to reassess their life and coming to the conclusion that God was calling them to full-time Christian ministry. When the executive approached the Bishop of Kensington about his call to be ordained the bishop abruptly told him, “There is no place for you in the Church of England.”  Fortunately, the aspiring minister and his wife not put off and went to see another Bishop. Today that persistent Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby and his wife Caroline.

In the 1920s when a cockney domestic servant approached the Board of the China Inland Mission in London about missionary service she was turned away because she wasn’t academic enough. So, she went independently to China. Gladys Aylward has become one of the best-known missionaries and a byword for faith, courage and persistence.

So, the question for us in our church is are we too likely to focus on looks, qualifications and charm, instead of on integrity, commitment and faith? -both in our own day to day lives but also in recruiting people for different roles in our church?

Finally, back to Jesus commending the poor widow who gave God everything. Before you leave church today you will have the opportunity to pray, “Father, we offer ourselves to you as a living sacrifice, send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory.” When we say that, let’s not just go through the motions. As Jesus commended the widow who gave all that she had, let us recognise that we belong to Jesus who gave everything for us. All that we have is his: our time, our talents, our treasure, our life, our love. We don’t own them, but he has made us stewards of them.