It was a moment so significant to the heart of God, that Jesus stopped teaching in the temple courts and sat down to watch it. Thirteen collection boxes called “Shofarot” lined the Court of Women, or The Court of the Treasury. These boxes were named “shofarot” because of the long “shofar” or “trumpet” shaped metal tube which was attached to the top of them. It was into this tube, the good citizens of Jerusalem dropped their offerings. The larger the donation, the larger the sound the donation made as it descended the shofar and dropped into the box below, and so the process of placing one’s donation into the shofarot became to be known as “playing the trumpet”.
Scripture tells us there were “many” rich people offering their donations on the day the widow entered the temple courts grasping her two small mites. These two small coins, each worth about 1/4 cent, must have made only the tiniest tinkling as they descended the shofar and dropped into the recesses of the shofarot. It was a sound most likely indiscernible to the human ear among the many large donations “playing the trumpet” all around her. It was nothing really, except to Jesus.
And to Him, it was everything.
Her story, like so many other stories God chose for the cannon of scripture, is the story of a heart recklessly abandoned to God in light of the stark reality that He is truly all they have. He is the last hope, the sure hope. The only way, the perfect way. The sole friend who is forever faithful. He is the brilliant moment of realization when we reach our end and find there was no end at all really, because He is there.
Hebrews says he is a faithful high priest, who walked in our shoes, and lived in our skin, so that he might understand and intercede for us. (Hebrews 2:17) In John, He promised He would never leave us orphans. (John 14:18)
This is the beautiful promise of our Savior. He redeems our souls, but He doesn’t stop there. He walks through the fire with us as well and when our hearts recognize Him in our most desperate moments and choose Him above all else, the very ear of Heaven inclines itself to listen.
At its heart, it is a love story, isn’t it? He chose us but oh, how He delights when we choose Him as well.
