The widow's offering
Family worship guide · theme: Generosity · ages 4–14 · 15 min
Opening
Put two of your smallest coins on the table. Ask: what can you buy with this? Then ask again: and what if this were all you had to eat today?
Reading
First read Mark 12:38–40, where Jesus denounces those who defraud widows of their houses. Then read v. 41–44. At v. 42, a child takes the two coins and drops them into a jar, very slowly, so everyone can hear the sound.
41As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts. 42Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius. 43Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more than all the others into the treasury. 44For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
Teaching
Jesus sat down opposite the temple treasury, where the offering boxes were, and “watched” (v. 41). He sees what is given and how it is given. A widow, in a society with no retirement pension, depended on her family and on charity. She puts in two small copper coins, the smallest ones in circulation. Jesus does a different math: she “has put more than all the others,” because the others gave out of their surplus, and she out of her poverty.
Two truths need to stay together. First: God does not measure an offering by its amount, but by the heart and by how much it costs; a child with little can be very generous. Second: just before (v. 38–40), Jesus denounces religious leaders who exploited widows. The text does not give anyone permission to pressure the poor to give, nor does it promise riches to those who give. It teaches us to trust God enough to let go of what we have. And generosity is not only money: it is time, attention, food and an open home.
Conversation
For little ones
- Did the widow give a lot of money or a little? Did Jesus like what she did?
For kids
- Why did Jesus say she gave more than the rich people?
- What do you have that you could share with someone: a toy, your snack, your time?
For teens
- Jesus praised the widow right after criticizing those who exploited widows. How does that change the way you read the story?
For adults
- Does my generosity today cost me anything, or do I only give from what's left over? What concrete decision will we make as a family?
Activity
Sharing box: put together a box of things in good condition to give away (clothes, toys, nonperishable food). Each person chooses something they still like, not just what's left over. Decide together who to give it to.
Prayer
Lord, You see what we give and the heart we give it with. Forgive us when we hold tightly to what we have received from You. Thank You for everything we have, especially ___. Teach us to share with joy. Show us who needs us this week; I'm thinking of ___. Take care of widows, the poor and the forgotten. Amen.
Blessing
Jude 1:24–25
During the week
Deliver the sharing box by the end of the week, with the kids along if possible. Also, each person offers a generous gift of time: visiting someone who is alone, helping a neighbor, listening without hurrying.