A lot of people who don't know much about the Bible know about the widow's mite. It's a story of great sacrifice vs. great hypocrisy and it still grabs us. But we're likely to ask what it has to do with anything?
Did you know that Jesus spoke about money more than anything else? He mentions money more than love, and more than prayer, and more than righteousness. Is Jesus obsessed with money? Of course not. But he knows that we can be.
A good theology of stewardship begins with the premise that everything belongs to God – all that we are, all that we have, all that there is. A good steward is one who wears an invisible lapel button that says, "It's God's!"
Here, my friends, is the lesson that I believe Jesus wants us to learn from the poor widow: “The TRUE measure of stewardship is NOT how much we GIVE to God; the TRUE measure of stewardship is how much we KEEP for ourselves!”
This text is not about how generous this poor widow was—that is how we usually interpret it. It is rather a lament for her. The poor widow gave her all when those who should be giving more were giving leftovers.
To be honest, I don't know what the widow was thinking when she put in her last two coins, nor do I know how she felt. But I do know, from my own experience, what it's like to make an offering to God, and I've often heard others talk about what it meant to them.
All Jesus says to his companions are two short questions: "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" These questions are not addressed only to the disciples on the boat. They are directed to us as well. "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?"
Waves were beating against the boat, which was in danger of being swamped. And what’s Jesus doing? He’s SLEEPING! Doesn’t he care?! Just when his disciples need him the most, Jesus is basically not around!
Many of the disciples were professional fishermen. They knew how easily even a good boat could be swamped by the waves. There would be no way to swim out of the situation, in the dark, in the waves, in the storm. You get swamped in a storm, you drown.
There are time when all of us find ourselves in deep water. To have faith in God is scary business. It is also risky. It means we must trust the power of God instead of our own ability. It means we have to take risks.