When famine come upon Israel, a widow finds herself down to her last handful of flour. She and her son are facing a certain death. As she prepares to make their final meal she finds a man of God wanting to sit at her table. Elijah pleads with the widow to share the little she has, and makes a promise that all will be well. Against all the odds, the widow agress. They eat together, and her faith is rewarded. A second widow meets our eyes in the Gospel story. She, too, is poor and down to her last penny. Yet, for all that she still gives money into the wealthy Temple coffers. It seems like an obscenity, the poor woman giving to the rich, and the rich still showing off to the watching world how generous they are! The poor widow has given more than the wealthy because her gift is an act of total trust in God. All her hope is in the Lord. The rich merely give God their spare change, big money though it may be. Their trust is in themselves and in their ability to take care of business for themselves.
The lesson that Jesus teaches us today is to trust in God at all times and in all things. Not just at the end of life, when all hope of recovery is gone. God is our Father, not a station of last resort. We can trust in the Lord because the Lord is faithful. When Jesus sat outside the Temple, watching the people, He saw clearly what was going on. For the wealthy scribes, religion came second to the enjoyment of their status. The widow, unencumbered by status, knew exactly where true power lies. She trusted in a loving God.