OpenTheo

Q&A#30 Is the Widow with the Two Mites a Positive Example of Sacrificial Giving

Alastair Roberts

Q&A#30 Is the Widow with the Two Mites a Positive Example of Sacrificial Giving

August 8, 2018
Alastair Roberts
Alastair Roberts

Today's question: "The story of the widow and her two mites (Luke 21:1-4) is often used to commend sacrificial giving. However, the immediate context contains Jesus condemning the Scribes for “devouring widows’ houses” and promising to destroy the temple. Is the story primarily about sacrificial giving? Or, is this story about a corrupt religious system that was devouring widows rather than caring and providing for them? The Macedonians in 2 Corinthians 8 gave out of their poverty, but it was in response to the gospel and doesn’t seem to have been their pennies."

If you have any questions, you can leave them on my Curious Cat account: https://curiouscat.me/zugzwanged.

If you have enjoyed these videos, please tell your friends and consider supporting me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/zugzwanged.

My new Soundcloud account is here: https://soundcloud.com/alastairadversaria. You can also listen to the audio of these episodes on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/alastairs-adversaria/id1416351035?mt=2.

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditCopy Link

Transcript

More From Alastair Roberts

Q&A#31 How Does Proverbs Fit in With the Rest of the OT?
Q&A#31 How Does Proverbs Fit in With the Rest of the OT?
Alastair Roberts
August 27, 2018
Today's question: "How does the book of Proverbs fit in with the rest of the OT? It seems so general and universal, and hardly draws upon Israel's par
Q&A#32 Should the Lord's Supper Have a Sombre Tone?
Q&A#32 Should the Lord's Supper Have a Sombre Tone?
Alastair Roberts
August 28, 2018
Today's question: "I am wondering about your take on whether the Lord's supper should be a somber event of introspection or a joyous meal of celebrati
Q&A#33 Why are there so many 'Binitarian' Formulations in the NT?
Q&A#33 Why are there so many 'Binitarian' Formulations in the NT?
Alastair Roberts
August 29, 2018
Today's question: "Why are so many references to God in the NT binitarian (Father and Son) rather than trinitarian (Father, Son and Spirit)? I'm think
Q&A#29 How Can Peter Describe False Teachers as Having Been 'Bought' By Christ?
Q&A#29 How Can Peter Describe False Teachers as Having Been 'Bought' By Christ?
Alastair Roberts
August 7, 2018
Today's question: "Why does Peter say that the Lord "bought" false teachers in 2 Peter 2:1? How can Christ be said to have "purchased" or "bought" tho
Q&A#28 What Are the Benefits and Dangers of Bible Software?
Q&A#28 What Are the Benefits and Dangers of Bible Software?
Alastair Roberts
August 6, 2018
Today's question: "Do you use any Bible software (e.g., Logos) to support your studies? Do you have any thoughts on how they might help or hinder our
Q&A#27 What Does it Mean to Call Marriage a Natural Institution?
Q&A#27 What Does it Mean to Call Marriage a Natural Institution?
Alastair Roberts
August 5, 2018
Today's question: "If marriage is a pre-political institution then none of the measures laid down by the state (e.g. registration, marriage certificat
More From "Alastair Roberts"

More on OpenTheo

What Is Wrong with Wokeness? With Neil Shenvi
What Is Wrong with Wokeness? With Neil Shenvi
Life and Books and Everything
January 19, 2026
In this timely interview, Kevin talks to Neil Shenvi about his new book (co-authored with Pat Sawyer), entitled “Post Woke: Asserting a Biblical Visio
Are Demon Possessions and Exorcisms in the New Testament Literal?
Are Demon Possessions and Exorcisms in the New Testament Literal?
#STRask
December 11, 2025
Questions about whether references to demon possessions and exorcisms in the New Testament are literal, how to talk to young children about ghosts, an
Is This an Argument for Relativism?
Is This an Argument for Relativism?
#STRask
March 16, 2026
Questions about whether the fact that the truth about one’s age changes over time is an argument for relativism, and how to ground virtues like courag
Why Do We Say Someone Was Saved on a Particular Date If It Was Part of an Eternal Plan?
Why Do We Say Someone Was Saved on a Particular Date If It Was Part of an Eternal Plan?
#STRask
November 24, 2025
Questions about why we say someone was saved on a particular date if it was part of an eternal plan, the Roman Catholic view of the gospel vs. the Bib
What Tools of Reasoning Help You Know What’s True, Right, and Good?
What Tools of Reasoning Help You Know What’s True, Right, and Good?
#STRask
December 4, 2025
Question about what tools of reasoning help us determine whether something is true or false, right or wrong, good or bad before bringing Scripture int
How Can I Explain Modesty to My Daughter?
How Can I Explain Modesty to My Daughter?
#STRask
November 27, 2025
Questions about how to explain modesty to a nine-year-old in a way that won’t cause shame about her body, and when and how to tell a child about a pre
Christmas Cranks and Christmas Blessings with Justin Taylor and Collin Hansen
Christmas Cranks and Christmas Blessings with Justin Taylor and Collin Hansen
Life and Books and Everything
December 17, 2025
If you are looking for a podcast where three friends talk about whatever they want to talk about and ramble on about sports, books, and grievances, th
Can Two Logical People Come to Conflicting Conclusions Without Committing a Fallacy?
Can Two Logical People Come to Conflicting Conclusions Without Committing a Fallacy?
#STRask
January 8, 2026
Questions about whether two logical people can come to conflicting conclusions on a topic without committing a fallacy, how Greg, as a public figure,
Prove to Me That Jesus Is Not a Created Being
Prove to Me That Jesus Is Not a Created Being
#STRask
January 26, 2026
Questions about why we should think Jesus is not a created being, and what it means to say God became fully human if part of being human means not bei
How Should I Respond to an LGBTQ Person Who Says He Feels Good About Who He Is?
How Should I Respond to an LGBTQ Person Who Says He Feels Good About Who He Is?
#STRask
March 2, 2026
Questions about responding to an LGBTQ person who says he feels good about who he is, and whether—since we all have sin in our life we don’t consider
How Do We Advocate for Christian Policy Without Making the Government Interfere in Every Area of Life?
How Do We Advocate for Christian Policy Without Making the Government Interfere in Every Area of Life?
#STRask
November 20, 2025
Questions about how to advocate for Christian policy without making the government interfere in every area of life, and the differences between the mo
Does Open-Mindedness Require Studying Other Religions Before Becoming a Christian?
Does Open-Mindedness Require Studying Other Religions Before Becoming a Christian?
#STRask
February 9, 2026
Questions about the claim that if Christians really want to be open-minded, they need to read and study other religions before committing to Christian
How Could One Person Trust Another Person on the Topic of God?
How Could One Person Trust Another Person on the Topic of God?
#STRask
March 5, 2026
Questions about how one person could trust another person on the topic of God, how STR obtained information about God that others haven’t obtained, an
Brian Miller: Fine-Tuning and the Multiverse Theory
Brian Miller: Fine-Tuning and the Multiverse Theory
Knight & Rose Show
March 7, 2026
Wintery Knight and guest host Terrell Clemmons welcome Dr. Brian Miller to discuss the the evidence for fine-tuning in physics and cosmology and the m
Why Is There No Effort Towards a Neutral Interpretation of Scripture?
Why Is There No Effort Towards a Neutral Interpretation of Scripture?
#STRask
March 9, 2026
Questions about why there is no effort towards a neutral interpretation of Scripture that doesn’t take denominational preferences into account, and ho