In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus observes various people make donations to the treasury of the temple. Amidst the rich people bestowing gifts of large amounts, a widow brings two copper coins that even together make a meager sum. This woman, he says, added more to the treasury than the others, which could not be true in that she gave a greater amount, but is true in that they gave from their abundance while she gave despite having little to nothing to part with. The nature of generosity can be understood without stories to prompt it, yet this account is one of the best passages of the Bible when it comes to clarifying the nature of authentic generosity. Giving lacks generosity depending on the priorities and worldview of the giver. Though there are many things that do not logically follow from the concept of generosity, which will be addressed, it is something rooted in sincerity and does not ultimately depend on the amount given.
It is not that people with any amount of money, great or small, that give out of a genuine desire to help others are not generous or do not deserve to be praised for their willingness to give, although a desire to receive praise is a selfish, irrationalistic priority behind giving away money or other belongings to begin with. Jesus is not condemning the true generosity of others besides the poor woman of Mark 12, nor would his point have been valid if that had been the case. Instead, he is emphasizing that there is an especially extreme level of commitment to generosity when someone is this destitute and still gives from their meager pool of money. In this sense, the poor woman Jesus noted to his onlookers did indeed give a far greater proportion of what she had than those who would give what would now be millions of dollars when that amounts to a miniscule part of their total wealth.
No one is Biblically obligated to give when they are themselves in a dire financial situation. That is also an unbiblical idea that is not taught in this story or anywhere in Mosaic Law, the prophetic writings, the rest of the gospels, or any other book of the Bible. Likewise, the idea that the rich or the people of the middle class have an obligation to give any specific proportion of their money to the poor is contrary to the fact that the Bible does not command or encourage such a thing (Deuteronomy 4:2). None of these concepts are compatible with Biblical ethics or are believed except out of emotionalistic preference or some other assumption-based foundation. What is both Biblically taught and logically true by necessity, whether or not the Bible is true, is that someone like the woman of Mark 12:41-44 who gives from the very small amount she has while trying to not draw attention to herself is a person of authentic generosity.
Such a person is not trying to appease critical observers of their life, make themselves appear to be benevolent even when they are only in pursuit of social recognition, or make a show of giving while ignoring the actual poor or the cause they are giving to. He or she is hoping to give to others or perhaps symbolically give to God for the sake of generosity itself, or out of a love of morality and a willingness to do that which is good no matter the difficulty in doing so--despite giving out of one's poverty being supererogatory at best by Biblical standards, that is, morally good but not mandatory. This desire to give from little sets someone apart from someone who has more than enough to live on without a life full of labor and yet never cares enough about anything of importance to express that concern with financial offerings.
Again, having great wealth and not giving away with all or most of it is not Biblically evil, and giving from poverty is not morally obligatory. There is just a special kind of commitment to giving in the situation of the widow Jesus draws attention to. The woman of Mark 12 is the best example of generosity in extremely unlikely circumstances in the entire Bible. Indeed, she might have in other areas of her worldview and life had irrational beliefs, hypocrisies, or other sins that made her a mostly irrationalistic fool too stupid to understand the most basic demonstrable philosophical truths, but when it came to generosity, she was so willing to part with her very limited possessions for God that she did not hesitate to let go of the little she had--although it would cost her the chance to more easily obtain basic necessities that she would be most vulnerable (along with anyone else of her economic status or a lesser status) to losing. That is indeed authentic generosity.
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