In Luke 21:1-4 there is the story of the poor widow who gave out of her poverty. This is a passage that came out when it was time to raise money for missions or a church project. The sermon would be about sacrificial giving.

Not once did I ever hear a preacher back the story up to the previous paragraph and rail on those who had an abundance of money demanding religious giving out of the poor. There weren’t any sermons on spiritual abuse and the marginalizing of the poor.

And that is what this story is about. It’s not about those without giving sacrificially. It’s an indictment on spiritual abuse. (It is NOT about government taxes!) When we gather up it should be to give out, not to hoard. This is the way of the Kingdom.