Chapter XXIII: The Widow's Mite

ONE day, our dear Lord was teaching in God's Temple at Jerusalem, and preaching the Gospel. He had been warning the people against the scribes who made long prayers for a show, but who oppressed poor widows and took away their houses.

The Lord looked straight into people's hearts, and He could not bear for the scribes to seem so very good outside, and to be so wicked inside!

Jesus was sitting near the Treasury, which was a chest in which people put their offerings of money for God's service.

After He had been speaking about those scribes that oppressed the widows, He raised His eyes and saw the people casting their gifts into the Treasury; and many that were rich cast in much.

And just then a poor widow drew near, and she put in two mites, which make a farthing.

Jesus saw it all! He could see into her empty pocket; He knew all about it!

Then He called His disciples to Him, and said to them, "This poor widow has cast more in than all the others who have cast into the Treasury: for they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living!"

There was another poor widow in the time of Elijah, God's Prophet.

Elijah had come a long journey, in a time of famine, and he was starving and nearly dying of thirst.

He came to Sarepta, and saw this poor widow picking up sticks outside the city, and asked her for food and water.

She told him she had only a handful of meal and a little oil, and when that was eaten she and her boy must die.

Then Elijah begged her to make a little cake for him, too; and he promised her that God would give her some more meal and oil, as long as the famine lasted.

So she believed God, and made him a cake; and the barrel of meal did not get empty, and the cruse of oil did not fail, as the Lord had said.