You’re Never Insignificant
Have you ever felt unseen or insignificant? If so, keep reading…
One summer my family and I traveled to Yellowstone Park and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. One of our goals was to see as many unusual animals as possible. For us that was anything other than a dog, cat, or bird.
During the entire trip, we were on the lookout for moose, elk, buffalo, and other furry beasts with antlers. After several days we fell into the rhythm of looking for groupings of cars stopped alongside the road or crowds clustered in the woods. This signaled a sighting! As if holding up a neon sign, the assembly let us know we needed to stop. There was some magnificent creature we needed to see.
That’s what happened one day when Jesus was in the temple, but it wasn’t Himself He wanted people to see. It was a seemingly insignificant widow woman.
It happened during a Passover week when Jesus and His disciples went to Herod’s temple. The offering bins, or trumpets as they were called, were on the women’s level—the bottom level—number 1 of 5. That’s where Jesus went.
Mark tells us, “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury (Mark 12:41).
There were 13 offering bins. Picture Jesus pulling up a chair by a certain offering box, knowing exactly which one the widow would come to.
One by one, wealthy attendees tossed their coins into the coffers. I can almost hear the clanging now. The more noise the offering made, the better. “Look at me! Look at me!” the loud clanging coins announced. “I’m giving a lot today. Why? Because I’m important. I’m wealthy. I’m holy. Don’t you wish you could be more like me?”
Then Jesus shows us that the loudest offerings aren’t always the most valuable.
Here she came. A shabbily dressed, worn-down old woman. She timidly approached the offering box and gingerly placed her treasure among the coins. The others “threw.” She “put.”
Two small copper coins—the smallest coins in circulation in Palestine—just a fraction of a penny. Two of these lepton, as they were called, were worth 1/64 of a denarius, a typical day’s wage. But in reality, her coins were worth more than any day’s wages. They were all she had—and Jesus knew it.
Do you ever feel that other people don’t really care about what is going on in your life? Do you feel insignificant in the grand scheme of things? I am sure this widow must have felt less than. I’m nothing. I have nothing. I am invisible to these men with flowing robes and tasseled garb.
Ever been there? I have. But she wasn’t insignificant or less than…not to Jesus. He sees what the world overlooks.
“Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on’” (Mark 12:43-44).
The widow had two copper coins. I wonder what I would have done in the same situation. I think I would have been tempted to just give one to the temple treasury and keep one for myself. One for You. One for me.
The widow did not give one coin and keep one for herself. She gave all she had, fully trusting that God would take care of her every need. Commentators have pointed out that when Jesus said, “She out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had” (Luke 21:4), the word “livelihood” is the Greek word bios. Which means she gave her life itself.
Imagine the picture: Jesus calls the disciples over to see the widow and her gift. Thirteen men gather round the offering box as Jesus shines the spotlight on this woman’s sacrificial act. Now, what else do you see? I see other people migrating to the scene like my family in Yellowstone.
“What’s so important?” “What’s going on?” “What are you men looking at?” Then Jesus lifts His hand and directs their attention to one of God’s magnificent creations. Ta-da! She simply nods, smiles, and walks away. If they’d had a cell phone, I think they would have taken her picture!
Jesus has a way of making much out of a little. How precious that Jesus used the gift of a seemingly insignificant woman to teach the disciples a significant lesson. She became a “look and learn” example to this burly bunch of men—and to you and me.
Jesus overruled the tightly held views of a society that kept women hidden in the fabric of life and blending inconspicuously into the background.
He took the fearful and forgotten and transformed them into the faithful and forever remembered.
He still uses seemingly insignificant people to do amazingly significant work.
While she might have felt worthless in the world’s eyes, she was priceless in God’s. And friend, so are you.
God, thank You for using seemingly insignificant people to do significant work. Thank You for shining the spotlight on women all through Jesus’ story. I pray You will show me ways that I can make a difference in someone’s life today. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
✨ Reflection:✨
What small act of faith might God be inviting you to offer Him today? Leave a comment and let’s share.
Digging Deeper
We cleared out the publisher’s warehouse during out winter sale! But Never Less Than is now back in stock!
If you’ve ever felt less than because of your past or present circumstances, or your gender as a woman then this book is for you! Never Less Than: Living Empowered, Esteemed, and Equipped When the World Tells You Otherwise, goes through every encounter Jesus had with a woman and shows how He broke a cultural rule….every time. The God-made-man broke the man-made-rules to elevate and esteem women in a culture that regarded them as property rather than people. This is a message that your daughters and granddaughters need to hear.
Looking for a summer Bible study! This book includes a Bible Study Guide in the back!
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