Mark 12:41 tells us that Jesus sat down near the collection box in the temple and watched as the crowd dropped in their money. Now, I don’t know about you, but that’s funny to me.
Imagine if we did offering the old-fashioned way—set some buckets up front, and I just sat there watching everyone walk by and drop in their giving. That’s what Jesus was doing. Just posted up, watching people give.
Many rich people put in large amounts. Of course they did—Jesus was sitting right there! I imagine them fanning out their bills before dropping them in, like, “Look at this, Jesus. Got lots of money right here.” But then, a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.
Jesus immediately called his disciples over and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” (Mark 12:43-44, NLT)
This wasn’t Jesus rebuking the rich. He wasn’t criticizing anyone for giving out of abundance. He was simply praising the widow. Jesus is watching—not to find out who’s being stingy—but to see who’s giving their all. He’s looking for that heart posture of radical generosity.
Luke 6:38 (NKJV) says,
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Jesus watches because he’s working with a spiritual principle. He has to see what measure you're using so he can measure it back to you accordingly. So let me ask you: What measure are you using? Are you giving with a teaspoon, a cup, a bucket—or are you backing up the dump truck?
It’s not the amount that matters. It’s the measure. It’s not even about the dollar figure—it’s about whether it’s surplus or sacrifice. Are you giving what you’ll never miss, or are you trusting God with something that costs you a little?
This reminds me of the story in 1 Kings 17. There was a famine in the land, and a widow was preparing a final meal for her and her son. She literally said, “We’re going to eat this, and then we’re going to die.” Imagine the comfort that gave her son. “Oh great, this is it.”
But God had already told her that a man of God would come and she’d need to give him that last meal. Sure enough, Elijah showed up and said something like, “Hey, feed me that meal.” I can’t imagine how hard that was—for her to hear and for Elijah to say. It took faith on both sides.
Eventually, she gave him the meal, and guess what happened? God supplied an endless flow of flour and oil. Not because she got a new job or found more resources—but because she trusted God and gave it all. Every time she checked the jar, there was still flour. Every time she went back to the jug, there was still oil.
Jesus offered the same kind of invitation to the rich young ruler in Matthew 19. The man asked what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to sell everything, give to the poor, and follow Him. That wasn’t about forcing him into poverty. That was an invitation into the same endless flow the widow experienced.
He was saying, “Back up the dump truck, give it all, and then watch what I do.” But the man walked away sad, because he had great wealth and wasn’t willing to let it go.
The New Testament doesn’t show many people giving their all. That widow with the two coins did. And Stephen did—he gave his life. That tells me full surrender is rare, but it’s exactly what Jesus is watching for.
We don’t know for sure what happened to the widow in Mark 12, but based on the principle we saw with Elijah, I think it’s safe to assume her life got a lot better after that. I believe she experienced her own endless flow. And I plan to ask her about it when I get to heaven.
Jesus said in Mark 10:29-30 (NLT),
“I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property, along with persecution. And in the world to come, that person will have eternal life.”
Yes, eternal life is the ultimate reward. But Jesus didn’t say you’ll only be rewarded in heaven. He said right now—100 times return in this life. Don’t skip over that. Don’t believe the lie that giving only results in treasures stored up for heaven, and not for today.
So why does God want to bless us like this? Because He made a covenant with Abraham to bless his people so they could be a blessing to others. That covenant is still in effect today.
God wants you to be blessed so that you can become a channel of blessing. He doesn’t want your generosity to dry up your resources—He wants it to unlock multiplication. And He’s already made a commitment to respond in proportion to your giving.
So what size of scoop are you giving with? Because that’s the size God is going to use when He measures it back to you. It’s not up to Him—it’s up to you.
If you never give, you’re opting out of the greatest investment strategy ever created. Heaven’s bank doesn’t give you 6% interest—it gives you 100 times your investment.
I know this message might challenge some of you. And that’s good. Sometimes we need to be challenged so we can go search out truth and let God change our thinking.
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