Hello Garee;
There is a difference between "Tithes," or "tenth" from the Old Testament in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, vs Giving, or Offering in the New Testament in Mark 12, Luke, 2 Corinthians.
In the context of Mark 12:42 do you believe the widow fulfilled her whole offering? How do you reconcile this to the lesson Jesus was teaching?
In your own words, please help me understand your teaching of the tithe in the Old Testament and how this distinguishes from our giving/offerings in the New Testament.
In our fellowship which is my motive, please help me understand, Garee.
God bless you, brother, and thank you.
I don't presume to speak for Garee. I'm speaking from my own experience with the widow's mites.
Many have told me over the years that the widow's "tithe" was all she had, as Jesus indicated.
Now, if we look at what is not said in that context that many people assume into it, that collection had nothing to do with the tithe collected by the Levites, although many people assume the tithe into that collection effort. Jesus did not say that the widow had no children upon whom she could fall back upon to survive the cold nights, and for food to eat for survival, but many people assumed she gave herself into abject poverty with nothing left to survive. Again, not stated in the context.
I sometimes catch myself wishing they had printed our Bibles with less white space between the black and red lettering so that there wasn't enough of it left to inject into the text what isn't said.
Locally, the JW's are sending out letters rather than going door to door, and their letter spiritualized some biblical texts to try and say to us that peace and good times are coming our way. My wife responded with what Revelation says, in that there are indeed peaceful times coming, but then that all Hell will shatter that peace 42 months later; that the man of sin will declare himself god in the holy place, and demand to be worshipped by the world, which has never happened before.
It's amazing what it will take to get the last, remaining one third of the Jews in those days to admit they had pierced the Messiah.
The Lord is so Awesome, contrary to modern blasphemies of kids and adults calling other people and things "awesome." Only God is awesome, period.
MM