Parable of the "Widow's Two Mites" Explained:

Now, we as Christians all know the parable of the "Widow’s Two Mites" which these deceivers will constantly hit you over your head with it. Always claiming this is the example you should have in giving out of your poverty and giving to their church building fund or some other project the pastor comes up with or without your consent.

Yet, this parable nowhere says you should give your "whole livelihood" (Mark 12:44) to some man-made church or minister. Remember, the temple of God is your body in which the Spirit of Christ and His Father in heaven resides - if you want to give to God you give to His saints in need and the poor of this world; unless, you yourself is disqualified not having the Holy Spirit in you (one of those who pretend to be a Christian).

The Widow's Two Mites
Mark 12
41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

Luke 21
1 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had."

Jesus in Mark 12: 38-40, had just warned the disciples about the behavior of the Pharisees and Scribes… "38 Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation"… As you can see here these scribes walked around with nice "long robes" on, and[b] like so many of the gospel peddlers today they loved to be greeted "in the marketplaces" being called "reverend" and "father" even "holy father".[/b] These gospel peddlers love to sit up front in the pulpit as they say, and they ravish getting their "props" as they say at special events.

Now, notice what Christ says in verse 40, after warning His disciples not to be like these phonies who "will receive greater condemnation" than others who sin because they know what they are doing, "they see" as they claim. This same warning is given in Luke 20:45-47 also just before Jesus spoke concerning the widow’s mites here in Luke 21 and Mark 12 above. In verse 40, Jesus speaks of these scribes "who devour widows’ houses, and for pretense make long prayers". Now, the same scribes should be kept in mind when Jesus is speaking the parable of the "widow’s two mites"; because these scribes were devouring widows’ houses by robbing them of their livelihood. These scribes required all to given to the temple even poor widows without any means of supporting themselves. This part of the story these gospel peddlers always leave out.

Read it again for yourself, in Luke 21:4 it says… the Widow "out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had." In Mark 12:44, it says, the Widow "put in all that she had, her whole livelihood". And these scribes and temple leaders had no shame in accepting this woman’s last; all they were concern about was everyone putting something in the temple treasury. Now, do you see why Jesus spoke first on how these scribes behaved. For the picture of the widow putting in all her livelihood, takes on a more profound spiritual meaning than the worldly meaning these gospel peddlers love to use to get you to give more to them.

The Greek word translated here as "devour" means "to devour i.e. forcibly appropriate: widows' property, to strip one of his goods". Therefore, this parable speaks of the scribes "forcibly taking the livelihood of widows, stripping them of all their goods and money" to support the temple; something God never intended, go back and read the Scriptures about tithing. Only those with livestock and land were to tithe - not widows and the poor (who were the ones who the Levites were commanded to share the tithes with every three years).

Think about it, if the Scriptures say the scribes "devour widows’ houses", and we know the Scripture cannot be broken and God’s word is truth; then do you think the scribes were going to widows’ homes and dragging them out and taking their livelihood? Or were these money lovers preaching that these widows had to give to the temple treasury no matter how poor they are? Think about what the Scripture is saying here. Something that is very sad and ungodly about what these gospel peddlers who get your "tithes and offerings" do is this: they will tell you your tithes and offerings are for the church to preach, teach, and the building fund, etc. However, they rarely if ever say its for the poor in your congregation, which the Bible preach it should be for the poor and needy.

Evangelist Ron Davis, a Minister of Christ, of the Kush Edifying Ministries proclaims the whole counsel of God

http://411tithesofferings.411-cashflow.com/WidowandTwoMites.html