The Widow’s Mite & The Widow’s Last Bite

Pr. Jasmine Waring |

Pentecost 25 November 10, 2024

Our readings today share the stories of two widows—two women who were invisible in their time, as many marginalized people are today. They had no name, no wealth, no power in the eyes of society. And yet, their stories endure, echoing through the corridors of time, because they reveal profound truths about God’s love for the vulnerable, the systemic injustices that perpetuate inequality, and the kind of radical generosity that can transform the world. These stories speak just as loudly to us today as they did when they were first told. In Mark 12:38-44, we meet a widow in the Temple who gives her last two coins—her mite. The context is critical: Jesus is entering Jerusalem in a triumphal procession, challenging the powers that be, subverting the empire’s might, and cleansing the Temple of its corruption. The Temple, which was supposed to be a place of justice and worship, had become a place of exploitation. Jesus calls out the religious leaders for their greed, their love of status, and their use of faith as a tool for self-enrichment. At the heart of Jesus' message is the love of God and the love of neighbor, but these things were being distorted by the very system meant to uphold them. And then, in the middle of this powerful critique, we see the widow. She has nothing left—no safety net, no resources to rely on. She’s one of the most powerless people in this society. And yet, she gives all that she has—her last two coins, everything she owns. Jesus sees this woman and offers a lesson—not in admiring her generosity, but in pointing out the failure of the system. The rich, he says, give a fraction of their wealth —barely anything—but it’s the poor widow who gives everything. And that, beloveds, is where the injustice lies. Jesus isn’t saying that poverty is a virtue. He’s not glorifying suffering or asking the poor to give until they have nothing left. No. What he’s saying is that the system is broken, that the rich are hoarding wealth, and the poor are being asked to give out of their scarcity, all the while being made to sustain a system that benefits only the powerful. The widow’s mite is an indictment of that system. It’s not a call for more sacrificial giving; it’s a call to dismantle the system that exploits the vulnerable in the first place. This passage challenges us, beloveds, to examine the systems around us. We live in a world that asks the poor to give more and more, while the rich accumulate wealth and power. How can there be justice in such a system? How can there be equity in a world where the wealthiest hoard their resources, and the most vulnerable are left to scrape by? Jesus exposes this injustice—calling us to wake up to the disparity, to recognize how it disfigures God’s vision for the world. God's vision has always been one of abundance. God’s economy is not one of scarcity, but of generosity. The Bible makes it clear, especially in Deuteronomy, that the rich are called to care for the widows, orphans, and immigrants—the very groups who are most vulnerable in society. And yet, in the story of the widow’s mite, we see how the Temple leaders have failed to live up to this mandate. They’ve created a system where the rich give only what they can spare, while the poor are drained dry by it. Jesus isn’t just critiquing the poor widow’s situation—he’s exposing how the Temple leaders have upheld an unjust system. I remember, growing up, watching my single mother give her last few dollars to televangelists who promised that if she gave out of her poverty, God would bless her with abundance. It was a lie—a distortion of the Gospel. The Prosperity Gospel, beloveds, is a false gospel that preaches that wealth and power are signs of God’s favor. It distorts the truth of God’s love and justice. God does not want us to accumulate wealth for ourselves; God’s vision is a world where wealth and resources are shared, where people care for one another, and where everyone has enough. This is the world God dreams for us—a world of justice, not exploitation. A world of beauty, not hoarding. God’s vision for the world is a vision of Beauty. It’s an intense harmony that’s not about accumulation but about the interdependence of creation. It’s a beauty that is found in our mutual care for one another. It’s a beauty that lifts up the weak, the vulnerable, the forgotten, and makes them visible again. The widow’s mite exposes the failure of human systems and calls us back to a vision of shared abundance. But there’s also hope in this story—because Jesus doesn’t just condemn the system. He offers a new way—a way of radical generosity, a way of beauty, a way of justice, where provision is not about what we have, but how we give. In 1 Kings 17:8-16, we hear the story of another widow, this time in the midst of a famine. This famine is a consequence of the nation’s failure to honor God, a result of the leaders leading Israel into idolatry and injustice. And so, God sends Elijah to a widow in Zarephath—a Gentile widow, someone outside of Israel, someone marginalized by society. She has nothing left. She’s preparing to die with her son because she has only a handful of flour and a little oil left. She has no hope—no resources—and yet, she opens her hands to share what she has with Elijah. Even in the face of death, the widow chooses to share. And in that sharing, in that radical hospitality, God steps in. Elijah speaks a word of promise: “The jar of flour will not be used up, and the jug of oil will not run dry.” God’s provision, in the face of scarcity, flows through her act of generosity. This story echoes the message of the widow’s mite—reminding us that even in the midst of scarcity, God’s provision flows through those who give from their lack. The widow’s last bite is a sign that God works through the vulnerable and marginalized to bring about transformation. Even when it seems like all is lost, God’s promise is that provision will not fail. This is God’s economy—the more we share, the more we give, the more God’s abundance flows into the world. So what do these two widows teach us? They teach us that God’s vision for the world is one of beauty, justice, and abundance. They show us that in the face of systemic oppression, God is with the vulnerable. God is with the widow, with the marginalized, with the poor. These women challenge us to ask: What kind of world are we living in? Are we living in a world where the rich hoard their wealth while the poor are asked to give from their scarcity? Or are we working toward a world where we share our resources, where we share in each other’s struggles, and where the powerful use their privilege to lift up those in need? God’s promise is not that we will be wealthy in the way the world defines it. God’s promise is not that we will be powerful in the way the world understands power. God’s promise is that we will have enough—and that enough is always in relationship. It’s in community. It’s in the shared abundance of love, care, and justice. The widow’s mite and the widow’s bite are not just stories about individual generosity —they are symbols of God’s vision for the world. A world where scarcity is transformed into provision, where love overcomes injustice, and where all are fed. Beloveds, may we have the courage to live into this vision of beauty, to stand with the vulnerable, to challenge the systems that perpetuate inequality. And may we trust that when we give—no matter how little—we participate in God’s work of restoration, and God’s beauty is revealed in the world. Amen.