Wright notes the irony that as the Temple was destroyed in the year 70, the widow's gift was not only misguided, but for nothing. The account of the Widow's Mite is followed by, "As he was making his way out of the temple area one of his disciples said to him, "Look, teacher, what stones and what buildings!" Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be one stone left upon another that will not be thrown down." a rebuke and rejection of the wrongdoers." Quesnell notes that if Jesus' statement was to be seen as an endorsement of the widow's action, it bears none of the usual comments, such as "Go, and do likewise." the value system that motivates her action, and he condemns the people who conditioned her to do it." Elizabeth Struthers Malbon concludes that Wright's interpretation is "more ingenious than convincing." In Wright's opinion, rather than commending the widow's generosity, Jesus is condemning both the social system that renders her poor, and ". The same religious leaders who would reduce widows to poverty also encourage them to make pious donations beyond their means. They will receive a very severe condemnation." They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. In the passage immediately prior to Jesus taking a seat opposite the Temple treasury, he is portrayed as condemning religious leaders who feign piety, accept honor from people, and steal from widows. You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. įor Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'Whoever curses father or mother shall die.' Yet you say, 'If a person says to father or mother, "Any support you might have had from me is qorban"' (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. He points out that earlier, in Mark 7:10-13, Jesus takes to task the scribes and Pharisees for a hypocrisy that would impoverish parents. However, Addison Wright observes that there is no indication given of the widow's demeanor or frame of mind.
Thus Jesus would not have wanted to show the example of a generous donor, but rather to denounce a case of injustice. They connect this story with Jesus' condemnation of religious leaders devouring the houses of widows in the preceding verse ( Gospel according to Luke, chapter 20). Various theologians have criticized this interpretation. The account of the widow's offering is often used by some churches to encourage the faithful to follow her example and make large offerings, despite a precarious situation. The jewelry will attract the attention of other people so you will be presented with many chances to share the story of Jesus.The traditional interpretation of this story tends to view it as contrasting the conduct of the scribes with that of the widow, and encouraging generous giving often read with 2 Corinthians 9:7, ". They are designed to showcase the widow’s mite coin and the Bible story it tells.Īs you wear it, you can meditate on the example of the poor widow and her willingness to give. These pieces of jewelry are works of art, in and of themselves. You can choose a single coin, or if you prefer, you can choose a coin that is set into a ring or necklace. At Zak’s Jerusalem Gifts, you can purchase one of these examples of Bible history for yourself. These humble coins are frequent finds in archeological digs in the land of the Bible. Scholars believe that the lepton may have been the lowest denomination coin struck in history! A denarius was the average daily wage for a worker during that time. The Gospel of Mark gives us the information that the two leptons were worth the same as a quadrans, which was the smallest Roman coin.Īt the time of Mark’s writing, a lepton was worth 1/64 of a denarius. These coins were struck during the time of the Hasmonean ruler of ancient Israel, Alexander Jannaeus.Īccording to the Mishna, the collection of Jewish learning and commentary on the Bible, the lepton was the smallest Jewish coin. In the original Greek, the word translated as mites is lepton. In Mark 12:42, Jesus watched with His disciples as a poor widow cast two mites into the treasury.
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