If we teach the story of the widow's mites as an example of how to give, we are no better than the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day - and we will receive the same condemnation.

Scripture repeatedly reveals God's care for the widow, the poor, the fatherless and the stranger, and also reveals His anger at those who deprive them of what they need to live.

If we have read all of our Bible, the story of the widow's mites, given in context of Jesus' condemnation of the religious leaders, should make us cringe. The story reveals the repetition of their abuses and consequential inevitable judgment.

4. The warning to beware of the scribes "who devour widows' houses" in vs. 40 parallels Jesus' use of a widow as His example.

5. If this were a lesson on giving, Jesus could have just as easily chosen a "poor man" as His example - or simply a "poor woman", but He was very specific in His choice of "a poor widow." This ties it to His criticism of the Scribes who He said were "devouring widows' houses in vs. 40. (Cont'd)