Be Still And Know

While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” At this point, Jesus was only a few days from his death on the cross. It must have been dominating his thinking, and yet he noticed a poor widow. I suspect that no one else spotted her because everything about her was unremarkable – particularly her gift. It was such a tiny gift; most people would have thought that it was hardly worth giving. But Jesus saw it very differently. Alongside the big gifts of the rich people, her gift was very small indeed but Jesus knew that she had given everything she could. She had, in truth, given more than anyone else. This beautiful little story is so precious because it gives us a deep insight into how Jesus works. H