Woes on the Pharisees
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costly gift. The poor widow gave her living to do the little that she did.
She deprived herself of food in order to give those two mites to the
cause she loved. And she did it in faith, believing that her heavenly
Father would not overlook her great need. It was this unselfish spirit
and childlike faith that won the Saviour’s commendation.
Among the poor there are many who long to show their gratitude
to God for His grace and truth. They greatly desire to share with
their more prosperous brethren in sustaining His service. These souls
should not be repulsed. Let them lay up their mites in the bank of
heaven. If given from a heart filled with love for God, these seeming
trifles become consecrated gifts, priceless offerings, which God smiles
upon and blesses.
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When Jesus said of the widow, She “hath cast in more than they
all,” His words were true, not only of the motive, but of the results of
her gift. The “two mites which make a farthing” have brought to God’s
treasury an amount of money far greater than the contributions of
those rich Jews. The influence of that little gift has been like a stream,
small in its beginning, but widening and deepening as it flowed down
through the ages. In a thousand ways it has contributed to the relief of
the poor and the spread of the gospel. Her example of self-sacrifice
has acted and reacted upon thousands of hearts in every land and in
every age. It has appealed to both the rich and the poor, and their
offerings have swelled the value of her gift. God’s blessing upon the
widow’s mite has made it the source of great results. So with every
gift bestowed and every act performed with a sincere desire for God’s
glory. It is linked with the purposes of Omnipotence. Its results for
good no man can measure.
The Saviour continued His denunciations of the scribes and Phar-
isees: “Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall
swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the
gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for whether is
greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? and, Whoso-
ever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by
the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is
greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?” The priests in-
terpreted God’s requirements according to their own false and narrow
standard. They presumed to make nice distinctions as to the com-
parative guilt of various sins, passing over some lightly, and treating