Texts in Conversation
1 Kings describes a poor widow who surrenders her last handful of meal and oil at Elijah’s request. Mark echoes this theme when Jesus points out a poor widow giving her final two coins, giving all she had to live on.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
1 Kings 17:12
Hebrew Bible
10 So he got up and went to Zarephath. When he went through the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. He called out to her, “Please give me a little water in a cup, so I can take a drink.” 11 As she went to get it, he called out to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread.” 12 She said, “As certainly as the Lord your God lives, I have no food, except for a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a couple of sticks for a fire. Then I’m going home to make one final meal for my son and myself. After we have eaten that, we will die of starvation.” 13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you planned. But first make me a small cake and bring it to me; then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord God of Israel has said: ‘The jar of flour will not be empty and the jug of oil will not run out until the day the Lord makes it rain on the surface of the ground.’”
Mark 12:43
New Testament
41 Then he sat down opposite the offering box, and watched the crowd putting coins into it. Many rich people were throwing in large amounts. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, worth less than a penny. 43 He called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the offering box than all the others. 44 For they all gave out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, put in what she had to live on, everything she had.”
Search:
Notes and References
"... Mark 12:41-44 finds Jesus watching people put money into the Temple treasury. Many rich people put in large sums, but a poor widow comes and puts in two small copper coins, worth a penny. Jesus calls his disciples and tells them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." Scholars recognize in the widow's story a remote parallel to the story of the poor widow and the prophet Elijah, who asks for her last bit of food (1 Kings 17:8-16). ..."
Levine, Amy-Jill
The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus
(p. 143) Harper San Francisco, 2006
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.